Israel Detaining and Imprisoning Palestinian Children for Political Reasons

By: Stephen_Lendman

Israel doesn’t just violate inviolable international laws. It smashes, tramples on and ignores them, writing its own rules, setting its own standards, doing whatever it pleases, consistently justifying the unjustifiable - longstanding rogue state practice.

It treats children like adults, already abducting, detaining and imprisoning them for political reasons.

America and Israel are the only two nations incarcerating young children for life without parole (LWOP). It’s a 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) signatory, mandating protection for their rights, safety and welfare - “without discrimination of any kind,” regardless of “race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status," including their "right to life…survival (and) development.”

Children are defined as any boy or girl under age 18. All measures must be taken to protect them from physical or mental abuse, ill-treatment, exploitation, or imprisonment, except as a last resort when no acceptable options are available. Even then, they deserve extra care and protection, held separately from adults for the shortest amount of time possible

Israel ignores CRC provisions. Under Military Order No. 132 applicable only to Palestinians, not Jews, minors are considered children under age 12, youths from 12 - 14, young adults from 14 - 16, and adults age 16 or older - in flagrant violation of international law.

Palestinian children aged 12 and younger, not Jewish ones, are imprisoned - brutally interrogated for days and weeks in isolation, denied contacts with parents, other family members and legal counsel.

They can be detained, incarcerated or held administratively indefinitely - uncharged and untried. When prosecuted, it’s usually for stone-throwing, with or without evidence, military judges empowered to dispense injustice.

The right to appeal is virtually nonexistent. Rare exceptions prove the rule, another example of how Palestinians are denied their fundamental rights, including young children, some not old enough to understand abuses against them or why imposed.

Things may get worse. Israel’s (in)justice ministry drafted legislation authorizing children young as 12 imprisoned longterm or for life if convicted of murder, attempted murder or manslaughter - true or false.

Jews when charged are tried in civil courts, Occupied Palestinians only in military ones. Prosecutions are kangaroo proceedings almost entirely for political reasons. Guilt by accusation is standard practice. So-called secret evidence is withheld from counsel.

At best, plea bargains, if struck, moderately lessen harsh sentences. Once arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned, Palestinians of all ages are vulnerable to rearrest, including women and young children - on bogus charges or none at all.

The new draft proposal ostensibly applies to Israeli and Palestinian Jerusalem residents. In fact, it’s for Palestinians only throughout the Territories, Jews exempted, including extremist settlers.

They’re allowed to terrorize Arabs with impunity - murder not punished. Three Dawabsha family member immolations on July 31 is Exhibit A, along with virtual daily examples of settler abuses.

Jews killing Arabs is OK. Justifiable Palestinian resistance and self-defense are considered terrorism. Put nothing past Israel’s fascist Knesset and ruling coalition, the most vicious in its history, racist lunatics making policy.

Current Israeli law prohibits subjecting children under age 12 to criminal prosecutions. Palestinian children of any age face abuses and ill-treatment no different from adults, too often summary judgment imposed, including longterm or life sentences, other times death by assassinations - commonplace rogue state practices.

Israel National Council for the Child (NCC) executive director Yitzhak Kadman expressed opposition to the proposed measure, saying ongoing violence “pressure(s) (government officials) to find quick solutions” - no matter how unjust.

Palestinians alone are victimized for wanting to live free from longstanding Israeli viciousness.

By Stephen Lendman
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com

His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

He lives in Chicago and can be reached in Chicago at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Global Research News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday through Friday at 10AM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national topics. All programs are archived for easy listening.

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