As the Israeli offensive on Gaza enters its third month, with escalating violence spreading to the West Bank, Time magazine highlights the disturbing reality of Israel’s systematic detention of Palestinian children.
According to a report by Armani Syed in the American magazine, the magnitude of this issue became apparent during the 7-day ceasefire from November 24 to November 30, which saw the release of 105 detainees held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and children. The deal, mediated by Qatar and Egypt through 6 exchanges, raised questions about why such a large number of children are being held in Israeli prisons. The most common charge against them is stone throwing.
The report also points to the detention of about 10,000 Palestinian children in military prisons over the past 20 years. Save the Children, an independent British organization, stated that these children are “the only ones in the world who are systematically tried in military courts.” As of November 20, Israeli forces have arrested around 880 Palestinian children this year, a practice enabled by arbitrary Israeli military laws.
Living Under Military Law
Time alludes to the case of Ahmad al-Salaymeh, the youngest child released by Israeli authorities during the ceasefire. Ahmad, just 14 years old, was arrested last May for throwing stones at a Jewish settlement in occupied East Jerusalem (which, like other settlements, is illegal under international law). Despite the joy, his family was ordered by Israeli forces not to celebrate his return. He was not allowed to leave his home or display any banners, with a warning that breaking any of these rules would send him back to prison.
The report also noted that dozens of Palestinians released during the prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel in 2011 were re-arrested by 2014, and their previous sentences reinstated. This indicates that the re-arrest of previously imprisoned children is a real possibility, as informed by Brad Parker, a lawyer and senior policy advisor at Defense for Children International, an independent organization providing legal aid to detained Palestinian children.
A Palestinian youth is arrested by Israeli soldiers for throwing stones during a protest against the Jewish settlement of Karmei Tzur, near the West Bank town of Hebron, on October 23, 2010. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
Parker mentions that whether they were included in the exchange or not, many children face the threat of re-arrest as they are previous offenders with suspended sentences and movement restrictions, and have slim chances of being granted travel permits.
Mistreatment in Detention
While their counterparts in the Israeli settlements can expect a phone call or a summon for interrogation by the police, usually taking place during daytime with the presence of parents or guardians at the station, they are also more likely to be released on bail. In 2015, Human Rights Watch found that Israeli military courts in the West Bank denied bail to Palestinian children in 72% of the cases, while civil courts denied bail to Israelis in only 17.9% of them.
Many Palestinian children are arrested during nighttime raids, and some are held in administrative detention without trial. Palestinian human rights lawyers state there are “a tremendous number of serious rights concerns” with such practices.
The situation in prison for these children often involves being held in cramped cells with too many occupants for the number of beds, sharing with other young detainees.
The grim reality of children facing charges in the occupying power’s courts and the disparity between their treatment and that of Israeli settlers is a pressing human rights issue that demands attention and action.
