26 july 2016
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday night kidnapped four Palestinian children from their homes in Zabuba village, west of Jenin city.
The detainees were identified as Ahmed and Ali Niyaz (two brothers), Nour Fouad and Mohamed Sa'ied. All of them from the family of Jaradat.
The IOF carries out raids on homes and arbitrary arrests every day in different areas of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
The detainees were identified as Ahmed and Ali Niyaz (two brothers), Nour Fouad and Mohamed Sa'ied. All of them from the family of Jaradat.
The IOF carries out raids on homes and arbitrary arrests every day in different areas of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
25 july 2016
Medical staff of Martyr Mohammed al-Dura hospital for children in Gaza staged a sit-in at hospital and asked the international community to protect health care rights of Palestinian children.
The Director of the hospital Dr. Jamil Salman delivered a speech during the sit-in which was conducted in order to mark the second anniversary of the Israeli attack on the hospital.
He said the children of Gaza were not spared in the Israeli aggression even while in the laps of their mothers, at school, play yards or even at hospital.
Israeli forces bombed the hospital in the aggression of 2014 leading to the martyrdom of child Ibrahim al-Sheikh Omar while he was receiving treatment in the hospital's intensive care unit, he said, adding that many of the hospital’s sections were damaged as well.
The Director of the hospital Dr. Jamil Salman delivered a speech during the sit-in which was conducted in order to mark the second anniversary of the Israeli attack on the hospital.
He said the children of Gaza were not spared in the Israeli aggression even while in the laps of their mothers, at school, play yards or even at hospital.
Israeli forces bombed the hospital in the aggression of 2014 leading to the martyrdom of child Ibrahim al-Sheikh Omar while he was receiving treatment in the hospital's intensive care unit, he said, adding that many of the hospital’s sections were damaged as well.
24 july 2016
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) opened on Saturday its annual Gaza summer camp under the theme “Let us have fun, a glance of hope mid of desperation”.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza Dane Bo Shack along with a large number of UNRWA’s officials and deputies on civil institutions and UN organizations in addition to the NGOs in Gaza.
The events, to last for three weeks, will be attended by around 165,000 children and teens in 120 locations in the Gaza Strip and its refugee camps.
Bo Shack said the events aim at enhancing the psychological health program for children in Gaza in order to overcome problems resulting from Israeli aggression and siege.
The program offers at least 2100 temporary job opportunities for the new graduates. It is launched in cooperation with and financing of the EU and American Friends of UNRWA as well as the UNICEF and the Palestinian Contractors Union, according to the UNRWA.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza Dane Bo Shack along with a large number of UNRWA’s officials and deputies on civil institutions and UN organizations in addition to the NGOs in Gaza.
The events, to last for three weeks, will be attended by around 165,000 children and teens in 120 locations in the Gaza Strip and its refugee camps.
Bo Shack said the events aim at enhancing the psychological health program for children in Gaza in order to overcome problems resulting from Israeli aggression and siege.
The program offers at least 2100 temporary job opportunities for the new graduates. It is launched in cooperation with and financing of the EU and American Friends of UNRWA as well as the UNICEF and the Palestinian Contractors Union, according to the UNRWA.
20 july 2016
Palestinian youth convicted of throwing stones in Jerusalem are starting to feel the effects of the changes in Israeli legislation and policy guidelines between 2014 and 2015.On June 13, an Israeli judge sentenced Omar T., Nour al-Din H., and Seif T., all three of them 16 years old, to 26 months in prison. They also received a 12-month suspended sentence for two years after their release.
According to court records retrieved by Defense for Children International - Palestine, a Jerusalem court in March sentenced Saleh E.,16, to 39 months and Murad A.,14, to 36 months in prison. In the same case, Mohammad J.,14, Mohammad T.,17, and Ziad T., 15, were sentenced to 28 months. Yazan A.,15, was sentenced to 14 months while Omar Y.,14, was sentenced to 12 months. All seven also received suspended sentences of 10 months for three years.
According to affidavits taken from two of the teenagers, Saleh E. and Murad A., both had maintained their innocence and confessed only after they had experienced physical and psychological abuse.
“A policeman … took me to a bathroom inside the police station and began beating me hard while I was still handcuffed,” said Saleh E. “He kicked me, and punched me in the face.”
The interrogator accused Saleh E. of throwing stones at Israeli vehicles. “I denied it and told him I was on the way to the mosque to pray with my friends. He began shouting at me … He told me to tell him the truth if I wanted to go home,” said Saleh E. “He then pulled my ear and claimed that my friends ratted on me and said I was throwing stones with them. I told him I threw one stone at the vehicles near the mosque. I told him each one of my friends threw one stone each at the vehicles.”
Murad A. reported a similar experience. In Murad A.’s affidavit, he said he was choked after being handcuffed during his arrest and beaten while handcuffed inside a bathroom.
“[The police officer] took me out of the bathroom, but another police officer slammed the door against my face,” said Murad A.
He too maintained his innocence until further threats. “He began shouting at me and calling me a liar, claiming my friends had already told him I threw stones with them. So, I told him I tried to pick up some stones, but they had already caught me,” Murad A. stated.
Despite the extraction of a confession in a milieu of physical and verbal violence, Salah E. and Murad A. were hit with lengthy sentences. Affidavits from the other teenagers showed the same level of abuse and disregard for due process rights.
“In the past, the average sanction for throwing stones was between two to four months of imprisonment,” said Iyad Misk, director of the Legal Affairs Department at the Palestinian Commission on Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs. “The recent amendments to the Israeli criminal law have a direct impact on the level of sanction on Palestinians from East Jerusalem.”
These sentences come after a series of changes to the Israeli penal code and policy guidelines between 2014 and 2015 to increase customary punishment.
The amendments to the Israeli penal code in 2015 included stricter penalties in mandatory sentencing laws such as a maximum 10 year sentence for throwing a stone, or other object, at traffic, without intent to cause injury, and 20 years for throwing a stone, or other object, at traffic with intent to cause injury. While the 20-year maximum sentencing existed prior to 2015, the word “stone” was added to specifically target Palestinian society.
Minimum penalties for stone-throwing offenses, one-fifth of the maximum penalty, were also added to the penal code. In a controversial decision, the Knesset, or Israeli parliament, added to the scope of punishment the denial of National Insurance benefits to families whose members have been convicted of throwing stones.
According to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), proposals are also in the works to impose life sentencing for children under the age of 14.
“It is evident that the changes in legislation and policy disregard the spirit of the Israeli Youth Law, a law which was put in place to bring Israel up to the standards of the Convention of the Rights of the Child,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director at DCIP. “The changes in the penal code and policy guidelines since 2014 are discriminatory and target Palestinians, specifically youth. Israel is a signatory to the Convention of the Rights of the Child and we call on them to uphold their responsibilities.”
According to ACRI, the Israeli Youth Law was constructed to protect minors from customary punishment and to ensure the legal principles of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as well as Israel’s Basic Law: human dignity and liberty. The CRC explicitly states that only as a last resort should children face incarceration.
ACRI says that as a result of the series of legislative changes and guidelines, the basic principle of the Youth Law has lost its relevance.
“This alarming trend is contrary to the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and erodes the provisions and principles of the Youth Law,” said Nisreen Alyan, an attorney for ACRI.
ACRI outlines in their 2016 report, Arrested Childhood, that the minimum sentencing laws are a determining factor in the length of sentencing for Palestinian youth, despite there being a provision in the Youth Law that should shield them from minimum sentencing laws: “[T]his temporary provision sends a clear sign to judges and to the State Prosecutor’s Office that they should impose stricter sentences on minors suspected of throwing stones. This message has already permeated through into the rulings of the Jerusalem District Court.”
Provisions in the Israeli Youth Law should have steered the sentencing of the court into rehabilitation with minimal incarceration in the cases of Saleh E., Murad A., and other Palestinian children. ACRI argues in their report that section 25(b) of the Israeli Youth Law should protect minors' freedom.
However, the Israeli Supreme Court in several decisions has held that judges have discretion and are not bound by the Israeli Youth Law.
In State of Israel v. Anonymous (2015), the court argued that the recent amendments to the penal code applied to minors, and in this specific case, referenced the minimum sentencing laws as a form of deterrence.
In an earlier case, State of Israel v. Anonymous (2006), the Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed against a sentence of 25 years' imprisonment imposed on a minor. The argument of the appeal relied on Section 25(b) to the Youth Law that stipulates that there is no obligation to impose life imprisonment, mandatory imprisonment, or a minimum penalty on a minor. However, the court upheld the decision and stressed that the legislator's purpose in enacting Section 25(b) of the Youth Law was to broaden the scope of punishments that can be imposed on minors.
Even though the Israeli Youth Law is supposed to safeguard a child’s freedom, acknowledging their protected status, judges are not bound by that body of law in issuing judgments.
In addition to changes in the Israeli penal code to increase customary punishment, Palestinian youth have been impacted by changes in several policy guidelines.
On June 29, 2014, the Israeli government published Decision No. 1776, Strengthening Enforcement in Offenses of Stone Throwing, which according to ACRI, instructed the Ministry of Justice to act to legislate amendments and enact policy guidelines concerning stone throwing, specifically citing the security of East Jerusalem.
This decision was enacted prior to and not in response to the current round of violence, which is most often attributed to the time around both the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank and the kidnapping and murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammad Abu Khdeir.
In August 2015, the Israeli State Prosecutor’s Office updated the policy guidelines on stone throwing to request that defendants remain in detention until the end of proceedings. According to ACRI, after the change in policy guidelines, requests for detention until the end of the proceedings had risen from 210 requests in 2014 to 310 in 2015.
During these sweeping changes, the guidelines governing the use of live-fire were also updated. According to Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, in December of 2015 the Israeli police live-fire regulations became much more aggressive. Adalah said the new police regulations give the authority to use live-fire directly on an individual who appears to be throwing or is about to throw a firebomb, shoot off fireworks, or using a sling-shot.
"The new regulations allow officers to act in an unchecked and criminal manner,” said Adalah attorney Mohammad Bassam. “[I]t is clear that the regulations do not refer to just any stone throwers but that they were written specifically regarding Palestinian youths."
DCIP is deeply concerned that these changes to the Israeli penal code and policy guidelines will continue to target Palestinian youth. These changes are almost exclusively applied to Palestinians. Israeli extremists and settlers are rarely prosecuted under the same standards of the law.
According to court records retrieved by Defense for Children International - Palestine, a Jerusalem court in March sentenced Saleh E.,16, to 39 months and Murad A.,14, to 36 months in prison. In the same case, Mohammad J.,14, Mohammad T.,17, and Ziad T., 15, were sentenced to 28 months. Yazan A.,15, was sentenced to 14 months while Omar Y.,14, was sentenced to 12 months. All seven also received suspended sentences of 10 months for three years.
According to affidavits taken from two of the teenagers, Saleh E. and Murad A., both had maintained their innocence and confessed only after they had experienced physical and psychological abuse.
“A policeman … took me to a bathroom inside the police station and began beating me hard while I was still handcuffed,” said Saleh E. “He kicked me, and punched me in the face.”
The interrogator accused Saleh E. of throwing stones at Israeli vehicles. “I denied it and told him I was on the way to the mosque to pray with my friends. He began shouting at me … He told me to tell him the truth if I wanted to go home,” said Saleh E. “He then pulled my ear and claimed that my friends ratted on me and said I was throwing stones with them. I told him I threw one stone at the vehicles near the mosque. I told him each one of my friends threw one stone each at the vehicles.”
Murad A. reported a similar experience. In Murad A.’s affidavit, he said he was choked after being handcuffed during his arrest and beaten while handcuffed inside a bathroom.
“[The police officer] took me out of the bathroom, but another police officer slammed the door against my face,” said Murad A.
He too maintained his innocence until further threats. “He began shouting at me and calling me a liar, claiming my friends had already told him I threw stones with them. So, I told him I tried to pick up some stones, but they had already caught me,” Murad A. stated.
Despite the extraction of a confession in a milieu of physical and verbal violence, Salah E. and Murad A. were hit with lengthy sentences. Affidavits from the other teenagers showed the same level of abuse and disregard for due process rights.
“In the past, the average sanction for throwing stones was between two to four months of imprisonment,” said Iyad Misk, director of the Legal Affairs Department at the Palestinian Commission on Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs. “The recent amendments to the Israeli criminal law have a direct impact on the level of sanction on Palestinians from East Jerusalem.”
These sentences come after a series of changes to the Israeli penal code and policy guidelines between 2014 and 2015 to increase customary punishment.
The amendments to the Israeli penal code in 2015 included stricter penalties in mandatory sentencing laws such as a maximum 10 year sentence for throwing a stone, or other object, at traffic, without intent to cause injury, and 20 years for throwing a stone, or other object, at traffic with intent to cause injury. While the 20-year maximum sentencing existed prior to 2015, the word “stone” was added to specifically target Palestinian society.
Minimum penalties for stone-throwing offenses, one-fifth of the maximum penalty, were also added to the penal code. In a controversial decision, the Knesset, or Israeli parliament, added to the scope of punishment the denial of National Insurance benefits to families whose members have been convicted of throwing stones.
According to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), proposals are also in the works to impose life sentencing for children under the age of 14.
“It is evident that the changes in legislation and policy disregard the spirit of the Israeli Youth Law, a law which was put in place to bring Israel up to the standards of the Convention of the Rights of the Child,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director at DCIP. “The changes in the penal code and policy guidelines since 2014 are discriminatory and target Palestinians, specifically youth. Israel is a signatory to the Convention of the Rights of the Child and we call on them to uphold their responsibilities.”
According to ACRI, the Israeli Youth Law was constructed to protect minors from customary punishment and to ensure the legal principles of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as well as Israel’s Basic Law: human dignity and liberty. The CRC explicitly states that only as a last resort should children face incarceration.
ACRI says that as a result of the series of legislative changes and guidelines, the basic principle of the Youth Law has lost its relevance.
“This alarming trend is contrary to the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and erodes the provisions and principles of the Youth Law,” said Nisreen Alyan, an attorney for ACRI.
ACRI outlines in their 2016 report, Arrested Childhood, that the minimum sentencing laws are a determining factor in the length of sentencing for Palestinian youth, despite there being a provision in the Youth Law that should shield them from minimum sentencing laws: “[T]his temporary provision sends a clear sign to judges and to the State Prosecutor’s Office that they should impose stricter sentences on minors suspected of throwing stones. This message has already permeated through into the rulings of the Jerusalem District Court.”
Provisions in the Israeli Youth Law should have steered the sentencing of the court into rehabilitation with minimal incarceration in the cases of Saleh E., Murad A., and other Palestinian children. ACRI argues in their report that section 25(b) of the Israeli Youth Law should protect minors' freedom.
However, the Israeli Supreme Court in several decisions has held that judges have discretion and are not bound by the Israeli Youth Law.
In State of Israel v. Anonymous (2015), the court argued that the recent amendments to the penal code applied to minors, and in this specific case, referenced the minimum sentencing laws as a form of deterrence.
In an earlier case, State of Israel v. Anonymous (2006), the Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed against a sentence of 25 years' imprisonment imposed on a minor. The argument of the appeal relied on Section 25(b) to the Youth Law that stipulates that there is no obligation to impose life imprisonment, mandatory imprisonment, or a minimum penalty on a minor. However, the court upheld the decision and stressed that the legislator's purpose in enacting Section 25(b) of the Youth Law was to broaden the scope of punishments that can be imposed on minors.
Even though the Israeli Youth Law is supposed to safeguard a child’s freedom, acknowledging their protected status, judges are not bound by that body of law in issuing judgments.
In addition to changes in the Israeli penal code to increase customary punishment, Palestinian youth have been impacted by changes in several policy guidelines.
On June 29, 2014, the Israeli government published Decision No. 1776, Strengthening Enforcement in Offenses of Stone Throwing, which according to ACRI, instructed the Ministry of Justice to act to legislate amendments and enact policy guidelines concerning stone throwing, specifically citing the security of East Jerusalem.
This decision was enacted prior to and not in response to the current round of violence, which is most often attributed to the time around both the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank and the kidnapping and murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammad Abu Khdeir.
In August 2015, the Israeli State Prosecutor’s Office updated the policy guidelines on stone throwing to request that defendants remain in detention until the end of proceedings. According to ACRI, after the change in policy guidelines, requests for detention until the end of the proceedings had risen from 210 requests in 2014 to 310 in 2015.
During these sweeping changes, the guidelines governing the use of live-fire were also updated. According to Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, in December of 2015 the Israeli police live-fire regulations became much more aggressive. Adalah said the new police regulations give the authority to use live-fire directly on an individual who appears to be throwing or is about to throw a firebomb, shoot off fireworks, or using a sling-shot.
"The new regulations allow officers to act in an unchecked and criminal manner,” said Adalah attorney Mohammad Bassam. “[I]t is clear that the regulations do not refer to just any stone throwers but that they were written specifically regarding Palestinian youths."
DCIP is deeply concerned that these changes to the Israeli penal code and policy guidelines will continue to target Palestinian youth. These changes are almost exclusively applied to Palestinians. Israeli extremists and settlers are rarely prosecuted under the same standards of the law.
The Israeli Central Court sentenced the Jerusalemite child Adham Zaatari, 14, to eight months imprisonment for allegedly being involved in a stone-throwing attack.
Family sources affirmed to Quds Press that Adham was sentenced to eight months after accusing him of throwing stones at Israeli targets.
Adham is currently held in Megiddo prison after being earlier transferred from an Israeli correctional institution, the sources pointed out.
Adham’s father said that the Israeli court also accused his son of allegedly infiltrating into a settler’s house and attacking his family with pepper gas. A court hearing has been set for September 27 to decide over the new charge, the father clarified.
Adham was arrested for four times, most recently was in November 2015 during clashes that erupted in al-Ram town north of occupied Jerusalem.
There are currently 7,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails including 70 women and more than 400 children held amid very difficult detention conditions.
Family sources affirmed to Quds Press that Adham was sentenced to eight months after accusing him of throwing stones at Israeli targets.
Adham is currently held in Megiddo prison after being earlier transferred from an Israeli correctional institution, the sources pointed out.
Adham’s father said that the Israeli court also accused his son of allegedly infiltrating into a settler’s house and attacking his family with pepper gas. A court hearing has been set for September 27 to decide over the new charge, the father clarified.
Adham was arrested for four times, most recently was in November 2015 during clashes that erupted in al-Ram town north of occupied Jerusalem.
There are currently 7,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails including 70 women and more than 400 children held amid very difficult detention conditions.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers kidnapped, at dawn Wednesday, at least sisteen Palestinians, including former political prisoners, in different parts of the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
The PPS said the soldiers invaded the town of Silwad, east of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, searched homes and kidnapped three Palestinians, including two former political prisoners.
The kidnapped Palestinians have been identified as Abdul-Rahman Mustafa Hamed, Abdul-Rahim Bassam Hammad, and Ibrahim Abdul-Aziz Hamed.
Also in Ramallah, the soldiers searched homes in Deir Abu Mashal village, after invading it, and kidnapped Omar Ahmad al-Makin.
In Tulkarem, in the northern part of the West Bank, the soldiers kidnapped a former political prisoner, identified as Moayyad al-Jallad, who previously spent nineteen years in Israeli prisons, and Laith al-Ashqar, from Saida town.
The Nablus office of the PPS said the soldiers also invaded several homes in the district, and kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Ahmad Raed ‘Ameera.
In occupied Jerusalem, the soldiers invaded the al-‘Eesawiyya town, east of the city, searched homes and kidnapped three Palestinians, identified as Abdullah Mustafa Hamed, Mohammad Amer Mustafa and Mohammad Nasser Mahmoud.
Also at dawn, several Israeli military jeeps invaded the town of Teqoua’, east of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, kidnapped three young Palestinian men and summoned another for interrogation.
The kidnapped men have been identified as Shadi Nayef al-‘Amour, Saber Rebhi al-‘Amour, and Jom’a Khaled Abu Mfarreh.
In Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, the soldiers kidnapped Mohammad Ahmad al-Qazzaz, in addition to a child, identified as Yousef Maher Masalma, 14, from Beit Awwa town, and Khaled Nasser al-Faqeeh from Doura town, south of Hebron.
The PPS said the soldiers invaded the town of Silwad, east of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, searched homes and kidnapped three Palestinians, including two former political prisoners.
The kidnapped Palestinians have been identified as Abdul-Rahman Mustafa Hamed, Abdul-Rahim Bassam Hammad, and Ibrahim Abdul-Aziz Hamed.
Also in Ramallah, the soldiers searched homes in Deir Abu Mashal village, after invading it, and kidnapped Omar Ahmad al-Makin.
In Tulkarem, in the northern part of the West Bank, the soldiers kidnapped a former political prisoner, identified as Moayyad al-Jallad, who previously spent nineteen years in Israeli prisons, and Laith al-Ashqar, from Saida town.
The Nablus office of the PPS said the soldiers also invaded several homes in the district, and kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Ahmad Raed ‘Ameera.
In occupied Jerusalem, the soldiers invaded the al-‘Eesawiyya town, east of the city, searched homes and kidnapped three Palestinians, identified as Abdullah Mustafa Hamed, Mohammad Amer Mustafa and Mohammad Nasser Mahmoud.
Also at dawn, several Israeli military jeeps invaded the town of Teqoua’, east of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, kidnapped three young Palestinian men and summoned another for interrogation.
The kidnapped men have been identified as Shadi Nayef al-‘Amour, Saber Rebhi al-‘Amour, and Jom’a Khaled Abu Mfarreh.
In Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, the soldiers kidnapped Mohammad Ahmad al-Qazzaz, in addition to a child, identified as Yousef Maher Masalma, 14, from Beit Awwa town, and Khaled Nasser al-Faqeeh from Doura town, south of Hebron.
19 july 2016
Israeli soldiers kidnapped, earlier on Tuesday, four Palestinians, including a former political prisoner and two teenagers, in the West Bank district of Bethlehem, and six others, including a child, in occupied East Jerusalem. On Tuesday evening, the soldiers kidnapped three Palestinians, including a woman.
The Bethlehem office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said the soldiers invaded and searched homes in Teqoua’ town, east of the city, kidnapped Mousa Mohammad al-‘Amour, 16, and Mohammad Salim Abu Mfarreh, 17.
It added that the army also invaded the Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, and kidnapped a former political prisoner, identified as Ghassan Zawahra, in his thirties, after searching his home, and several other homes.
Clashes took place in between the invading soldiers and many local youths, who hurled stones on the military jeeps, while the soldiers fired gas bombs and concussion grenades.
Furthermore, the soldiers invaded the al-Khader town, west of Bethlehem, and kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Hussein Ali, after searching his home.
Also, several military vehicles invaded the Qalandia refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, searched homes and kidnapped four Palestinians, identified as Moath Oleyyan, Mohammad Samir Mteir, Haitham Adwan and Mohannad Kanaan.
In Jerusalem city, the army kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Mohammad Samer Mahmoud, after invading his home and searching it.
The Jerusalem office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society said the soldiers kidnapped a child, identified as Mohammad Samer Mahmoud, 14, from his family’s home in the al-‘Eesawiyya town, in the center of occupied Jerusalem.
In addition, the army kidnapped five Palestinians in the northern West Bank district of Nablus, after the soldiers invaded a number of homes and searched them.
Also at dawn, the soldiers kidnapped one Palestinian near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, searched a store and many homes in Hebron city, in addition to the towns of Yatta and Doura.
On Tuesday evening, the soldiers kidnapped two students of the Najah National University in Nablus.
They have been identified as Abdul-Hafith Shehada from Orif village, who was taken prisoner at the Huwwara roadblock, south of Nablus, and As’ad Tawil from Far’ata village.
Furthermore, the soldiers kidnapped a Palestinian woman, identified as Samaher Abdul-Qader Masalma, from Beit Awwa town, west of Hebron, while visiting her imprisoned husband Yousef Masalma in the Negev Prison.
The Bethlehem office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said the soldiers invaded and searched homes in Teqoua’ town, east of the city, kidnapped Mousa Mohammad al-‘Amour, 16, and Mohammad Salim Abu Mfarreh, 17.
It added that the army also invaded the Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, and kidnapped a former political prisoner, identified as Ghassan Zawahra, in his thirties, after searching his home, and several other homes.
Clashes took place in between the invading soldiers and many local youths, who hurled stones on the military jeeps, while the soldiers fired gas bombs and concussion grenades.
Furthermore, the soldiers invaded the al-Khader town, west of Bethlehem, and kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Hussein Ali, after searching his home.
Also, several military vehicles invaded the Qalandia refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, searched homes and kidnapped four Palestinians, identified as Moath Oleyyan, Mohammad Samir Mteir, Haitham Adwan and Mohannad Kanaan.
In Jerusalem city, the army kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Mohammad Samer Mahmoud, after invading his home and searching it.
The Jerusalem office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society said the soldiers kidnapped a child, identified as Mohammad Samer Mahmoud, 14, from his family’s home in the al-‘Eesawiyya town, in the center of occupied Jerusalem.
In addition, the army kidnapped five Palestinians in the northern West Bank district of Nablus, after the soldiers invaded a number of homes and searched them.
Also at dawn, the soldiers kidnapped one Palestinian near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, searched a store and many homes in Hebron city, in addition to the towns of Yatta and Doura.
On Tuesday evening, the soldiers kidnapped two students of the Najah National University in Nablus.
They have been identified as Abdul-Hafith Shehada from Orif village, who was taken prisoner at the Huwwara roadblock, south of Nablus, and As’ad Tawil from Far’ata village.
Furthermore, the soldiers kidnapped a Palestinian woman, identified as Samaher Abdul-Qader Masalma, from Beit Awwa town, west of Hebron, while visiting her imprisoned husband Yousef Masalma in the Negev Prison.
18 july 2016
A 14-year old Palestinian boy was sentenced Sunday to 6.5 years in prison for allegedly attacking an Israeli security guard in Jerusalem last November.
Moawiya Alqam was accused of trying to stab an Israeli security guard at the entrance to the illegal Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev, along with his 12-year old cousin Ali Alqam. Ali was shot 3 times and badly wounded in the incident.
The sentence on Sunday was based on a plea agreement negotiated by Alqam’s lawyer. The case did not go to trial.
In addition to serving 6.5 years in adult prison, the 14-year old child will be required to serve 3 years of probation, which includes a 10-year suspended sentence if he has any parole violations.
Also, Alqam’s family was ordered to pay the Israeli occupation government a fine of nearly $7,000 (This equals more than one year of wages for the average Palestinian). The boy was charged with attempted murder and possession of a knife.
He is one of 414 Palestinian children currently imprisoned by Israel. Most of the children are imprisoned for charges of throwing stones at invading Israeli soldiers.
Moawiya Alqam was accused of trying to stab an Israeli security guard at the entrance to the illegal Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev, along with his 12-year old cousin Ali Alqam. Ali was shot 3 times and badly wounded in the incident.
The sentence on Sunday was based on a plea agreement negotiated by Alqam’s lawyer. The case did not go to trial.
In addition to serving 6.5 years in adult prison, the 14-year old child will be required to serve 3 years of probation, which includes a 10-year suspended sentence if he has any parole violations.
Also, Alqam’s family was ordered to pay the Israeli occupation government a fine of nearly $7,000 (This equals more than one year of wages for the average Palestinian). The boy was charged with attempted murder and possession of a knife.
He is one of 414 Palestinian children currently imprisoned by Israel. Most of the children are imprisoned for charges of throwing stones at invading Israeli soldiers.
14 july 2016
Prominent Palestinian figures denounced on Wednesday Israeli executions of Palestinian children, calling for both documenting and prosecuting such crimes.
Speaking during a press conference held by anti-violence association AVAC, Secretary General of the National Initiative Movement, Mustafa Barghouthi, spoke out against the field executions perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian children, dubbing them “barbaric crimes” that require both documentation and prosecution.
Barghouthi added that Israeli cold-blooded murder of the youngster Mahmoud Shaalan, among others, is an instance of the tragedy endured by the Palestinians across the occupied territories.
Lawyer Nader Jayoussi, from AVAC, also said the group documented the execution of 16-year-old Shaalan, a holder of an American citizenship, by collecting eyewitness accounts and live proofs.
Postmortem autopsy found out that seven bullets hit the casualty’s body from the back and right side despite the fact that he was at a distance from the Israeli soldiers and, thus, posed no threat to them.
He said such eyewitness affidavits contradict Israeli claims that Shaalan attempted to stab soldiers.
Israel refused to hand to the Palestinian Liaison the surveillance cameras that recorded the crime from beginning to end.
AVAC’s director, Seyam Nawara, called for the need to document Israeli crimes and field executions against Palestinian civilians.
Speaking during a press conference held by anti-violence association AVAC, Secretary General of the National Initiative Movement, Mustafa Barghouthi, spoke out against the field executions perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian children, dubbing them “barbaric crimes” that require both documentation and prosecution.
Barghouthi added that Israeli cold-blooded murder of the youngster Mahmoud Shaalan, among others, is an instance of the tragedy endured by the Palestinians across the occupied territories.
Lawyer Nader Jayoussi, from AVAC, also said the group documented the execution of 16-year-old Shaalan, a holder of an American citizenship, by collecting eyewitness accounts and live proofs.
Postmortem autopsy found out that seven bullets hit the casualty’s body from the back and right side despite the fact that he was at a distance from the Israeli soldiers and, thus, posed no threat to them.
He said such eyewitness affidavits contradict Israeli claims that Shaalan attempted to stab soldiers.
Israel refused to hand to the Palestinian Liaison the surveillance cameras that recorded the crime from beginning to end.
AVAC’s director, Seyam Nawara, called for the need to document Israeli crimes and field executions against Palestinian civilians.
Palestinian Prisoner Society revealed that Israeli authorities issued 24,000-shekels fines against Palestinian detained minors during the month of June only.
The lawyer of the Society quoted the representative of the juvenile captives as saying that the number of the detainees who are sentenced during June reached nine minors and their sentences ranged between three to seven months of actual imprisonment.
161 Palestinian children and minors are held in Ofer jail, while the number of juvenile prisoners in Megiddo and other detention centers as well as those held under house arrest and who are detained in criminal detention centers is 192 captives.
The lawyer of the Society quoted the representative of the juvenile captives as saying that the number of the detainees who are sentenced during June reached nine minors and their sentences ranged between three to seven months of actual imprisonment.
161 Palestinian children and minors are held in Ofer jail, while the number of juvenile prisoners in Megiddo and other detention centers as well as those held under house arrest and who are detained in criminal detention centers is 192 captives.
10 july 2016
Israeli Central Court of Jerusalem on Sunday put on trial the youngest prisoners in the world: the two 12-year-old Palestinian children Shadi Farrah and Ahmad al-Zaatari.
Israeli forces arrested both minors on January 30 this year when they were on their way home after school in Kafr Aqeb neighborhood in Occupied Jerusalem after an alleged charge of holding knives.
Israel forces held the two children in a jail for minors in full disregard of the law which prohibits the arrest of minors.
They are held with prisoners charged with criminal and moral wrongdoings which is dangerous to their lives.
Israeli forces arrested both minors on January 30 this year when they were on their way home after school in Kafr Aqeb neighborhood in Occupied Jerusalem after an alleged charge of holding knives.
Israel forces held the two children in a jail for minors in full disregard of the law which prohibits the arrest of minors.
They are held with prisoners charged with criminal and moral wrongdoings which is dangerous to their lives.
8 july 2016
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) detained late Thursday five Palestinian children for few hours before releasing them.
Local sources affirmed that five boys from Zabouba town west of Jenin were detained for few hours for an alleged stone-throwing attack.
The detained minors were taken for investigation in Salem military camp before being released.
Israeli Soldiers Kidnap Three Children In Huwwara, Near Nablus
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Thursday evening, the town of Huwwara, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and kidnapped three Palestinian children.
Local sources said the kidnapped children have been identified as Mohammad Anis Odah, Qussai Mohammad Odah, and Shuaib Nafez Sa’id; all are only eleven years of age.
The soldiers claimed the children participated in throwing stones on a car of an Israeli settler, driving near the main road of the town.
In addition, the army closed Huwwara and Za’tara roadblocks and prevented the Palestinians from crossing.
The soldiers said the closure was a punitive measure after some Palestinian youngsters hurled stones at Israeli cars and army vehicles.
In addition, the soldiers detained five Palestinian children from Zabbouba village, west of Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank.
The children were playing in Palestinian lands, close to the Annexation Wall.
The soldiers interrogated the children for several hours, after initially accusing them of hurling stones on military vehicles, but released them later.
Local sources affirmed that five boys from Zabouba town west of Jenin were detained for few hours for an alleged stone-throwing attack.
The detained minors were taken for investigation in Salem military camp before being released.
Israeli Soldiers Kidnap Three Children In Huwwara, Near Nablus
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Thursday evening, the town of Huwwara, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and kidnapped three Palestinian children.
Local sources said the kidnapped children have been identified as Mohammad Anis Odah, Qussai Mohammad Odah, and Shuaib Nafez Sa’id; all are only eleven years of age.
The soldiers claimed the children participated in throwing stones on a car of an Israeli settler, driving near the main road of the town.
In addition, the army closed Huwwara and Za’tara roadblocks and prevented the Palestinians from crossing.
The soldiers said the closure was a punitive measure after some Palestinian youngsters hurled stones at Israeli cars and army vehicles.
In addition, the soldiers detained five Palestinian children from Zabbouba village, west of Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank.
The children were playing in Palestinian lands, close to the Annexation Wall.
The soldiers interrogated the children for several hours, after initially accusing them of hurling stones on military vehicles, but released them later.
