Some 450 Palestinian children have been detained by Israel since the start of 2022, the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs (CDA) said in a report published on Tuesday.
Most of the child detainees are from east Jerusalem, numbering 353, while others are from remaining villages, towns, and cities across the occupied West Bank, the report said.
The commission stated that Israeli occupation authorities are currently holding 170 children across prisons and detention centers, in addition to those who are no longer minors and have now become adults, notably Ahmed Manasra, a 20-year-old Palestinian young man who was detained by Israeli forces at the age of 13 and sentenced to 12 years in prison on terrorism charges.
450 Palestinian children were detained by Israeli occupation forces in occupied West Bank, mostly from occupied Jerusalem, so far in 2022. pic.twitter.com/W9SKIX1jkY
— Chris Hutchinson (@ChrisHu34451470) June 15, 2022
Those charges were recently dropped amid international outcry.
Moreover, the commission stressed that Israeli forces do not respect nor adhere to standard rules regarding the treatment of young Palestinian detainees, due to reports of harassment, abuse and lengthy periods spent in detention centers. The commission also said that by doing so, Israel aims to “distort children’s realities” and “destroy their future”.
The report pointed out that Israeli forces routinely arrest minors from their homes during overnight raids, as they play in the streets, or on their way to school, often for “throwing stones”.
Israeli occupation forces use arbitrary methods such as torture in order to extract false confessions, the commission added.
"Israel detained 450 Palestinian children since the start of the year, including 353 from occupied East Jerusalem, today said the Commission of Prisoners Affairs."
Article from @WAFANewsEnglish https://t.co/GePgLOOTTz pic.twitter.com/lpV5tCBAcG
— Palestine Deep Dive (@PDeepdive) June 14, 2022
The Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs also urged the international community and global institutions specializing in children’s rights to work on providing protection for Palestinian minors who are subjected to arbitrary detentions at the hands of Israeli forces.
Israel is the only global entity that puts Palestinian children on trial before military courts every year, with an estimate of 500 to 700 minors. Israel maintains a military judicial system across the occupied West Bank which targets both Palestinian adults and children, drawing condemnation from human rights organizations.
(The New Arab, PC, Social Media)
