Israel Ill-Treatment of Palestinian Minors 'Systematic', Says U.N.
The ill-treatment of Palestinian minors held within the Israeli military detention system is "widespread, systematic and institutionalized," a report Wednesday by the U.N. children's fund found.
UNICEF in the 22-page report that examined the Israeli military court system for holding Palestinian children found evidence of practices it said were "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment."
"Ill-treatment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalized," it concluded, outlining 38 recommendations to improve the protection of children in custody.
Over the past decade, Israeli forces have arrested, interrogated and prosecuted around 7,000 Palestinian children aged between between 12 and 17, most of them boys, the report said, noting the rate was equivalent to "an average of two children each day."
"In no other country are children systematically tried by juvenile military courts that, by definition, fall short of providing the necessary guarantees to ensure respect for their rights," it said.
The vast majority of arrests are for throwing stones, which is considered an offense under Section 212 of Military Order 1651.
Although the maximum sentence for children of 12 and 13 is six months, the penalty rises dramatically from the age of 14 when a child can face a maximum penalty of between 10 and 20 years depending on the circumstances, it said.
In a step-by-step analysis of the procedure from arrest to trial, the report said the common experience of many children was being "aggressively awakened in the middle of the night by many armed soldiers and being forcibly brought to an interrogation center tied and blindfolded, sleep deprived and in a state of extreme fear."
Many were subjected to ill-treatment during the journey, with some suffering physical or verbal abuse, being painfully restrained or forced to lie on the floor of a vehicle for a transfer process of between one hour and one day.
In some cases, they suffered prolonged exposure to the elements and a lack of water, food or access to a toilet.
UNICEF said it found no evidence of any detainees being "accompanied by a lawyer or family member during the interrogation" and they were "rarely informed of their rights."
"The interrogation mixes intimidation, threats and physical violence, with the clear purpose of forcing the child to confess," it said, noting they were restrained during interrogation, sometimes for extended periods of time causing pain to their hands, back and legs.
"Children have been threatened with death, physical violence, solitary confinement and sexual assault, against themselves or a family member," it said.
Most children confess at the end of the interrogation, signing forms in Hebrew which they hardly understand.
It also found children had been held in solitary confinement for between two days and a month before being taken to court, or even after sentencing.
During court hearings, children were in leg chains and shackles, and in most cases, "the principal evidence against the child is the child's own confession, in most cases extracted under duress during the interrogation," it found.
"Ultimately, almost all children plead guilty in order to reduce the length of their pretrial detention. Pleading guilty is the quickest way to be released. In short, the system does not allow children to defend themselves," UNICEF concluded.
11 years
Sadly people like you must be extremely disturbed and imbalanced in life to gladly write such a comment, assuming there are no consequences to what you say. Being a child separates you from being associated to any race or religion, being a war child separates you from any judgement, and what the Palestinian people have endured due to the lack of justice in this world, and the existence of an illegal
occupation, gives you absolutely no right to impose us to your baleful lack of perception. Think of yourself as a child being stripped from everything that is rightfully yours, because of the existence of what is known to be the Zionist Industry, and then tell me about your ideals that children do not deserve empathy or affinity to their daily mental and physical affliction!
11 years
You are too soft, you should call them beasts and cannibals. Their influence and power in the Congress is unlimited. Well remember and study the power of AIPAC
11 years
A thuggish state doing what it knows best.
11 years
Israel is a criminal state. What about the regime of assad whose crimes are well documented by the UN and human rights organizations? Hypocrisy does not know bounds!
11 years
Mowaten - i have paid my dues defending palestinians so spare me your insinuation. My statement does not excuse the crimes that israel commits against palestinians, it simply point out the hypocrisy of assad lovers.
11 years
Mowaten - you fail to read my many posts in which it state that human rights organizations accused some rebel factions of committing attrocities. However they also point out that these pale in comparison to crimes committed by the regime.
I have always found it pointless to comment on these forums, and take part in petty bickering revolving around the same poisonous points that haunt us everyday. But for your deep and insightful comment ELTIGAR, I decided today will be different. Luckily to the Palestinian people they don't have scum like you empathizing with their everyday strife and struggle, under what most of the EDUCATED world describes as an oppressive regime.