The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has accused Israel of systematic ill-treatment of Palestinian children detained in the West Bank in violation of international law.
Unicef estimated that 700 Palestinian children aged 12-17, most of them boys detained for throwing stones, are arrested, interrogated and held by the Israeli military, police and security agents every year, an average of two a day.
A 22-page report issued yesterday, based on more than 400 cases of detention and ill-treatment documented since 2009, identified practices that “amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”, according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture.
According to the report, ill-treatment of Palestinian minors typically begins with the arrest itself, often carried out in the middle of the night by heavily armed soldiers, and continues all the way through prosecution and sentencing.
“The pattern of ill-treatment includes. . . the practice of blindfolding children and tying their hands with plastic ties, and physical and verbal abuse during transfer to an interrogation site, including the use of painful restraints.”
Most children confess at the end of the interrogation, signing forms in Hebrew which they hardly understand, the report says.
“Ultimately, almost all children plead guilty in order to reduce the length of their pre-trial detention. Pleading guilty is the quickest way to be released. In short, the system does not allow children to defend themselves,” Unicef concluded.
Unicef was also critical of what it termed the inadequacy of the Israeli military court system for processing Palestinian juvenile detainees in an appropriate manner for their age.
Unicef noted some positive changes introduced by Israel in recent years: hand-tying procedures were changed to prevent pain and injury; police are now required to notify the parents of detained children; and children are informed of their right to consult a lawyer.
Israel’s foreign ministry stressed the improvements that were welcomed by Unicef and promised to study the report’s conclusions and work to implement them through cooperation with Unicef.
An Israeli army officer said the military was considering videotaping interrogations, and that, from next month, a minor will only be held for a maximum of 48 hours before appearing before a judge.
Qadoura Fares, chairman of the Palestinian prisoners’ society, which is in touch with the prisoners and their families, praised the report and called for Israel to be held accountable.
