Palestinian-American boy, 14, locked up in Israeli military jail

[oohpartiv 484]

These are all drug dealers, convicted under laws that affect anyone arrested in those countries for drugs.

Actually, no, they're not. There are a number of cases where people were kidnapped (the FARC, Abu Sayyaf, etc) or put in jail for some extraordinary reason (one man was arrested in the Philippines because his new bride's ex boyfriend was enraged to find out that she was pregnant with the American's baby). The US did nothing in any of these cases, and in many instances the people lost loved ones who were with them during the ordeal to beheadings or torture, or were simply forced to sit out the unfair prison sentence.

I'm not saying the Palestinian boy should be forgotten, but I'm saying the US seems to not care too much in general in these instances, and it's not just because he's Palestinian that he's being ignored. The US seems to take a "eeny meeny miney mo" approach to helping Americans abroad.

[Karee 4,190]

I'm not saying the Palestinian boy should be forgotten, but I'm saying the US seems to not care too much in general in these instances, and it's not just because he's Palestinian that he's being ignored. The US seems to take a "eeny meeny miney mo" approach to helping Americans abroad.

I'd agree with that. In most cases you're on your own once you leave the U.S. despite what many people think. I remember I was living in Thailand in 2004 when the Tsunami happened. Seemed like all the other country's embassies were trying to do things to help their citizens in Thailand, while the U.S. pretty much did nothing. Granted the U.S. came through with alot of aid for the victims etc., but I'm referring specifically to American Citizen Services in country.

[oohpartiv 484]

I'd agree with that. In most cases you're on your own once you leave the U.S. despite what many people think. I remember I was living in Thailand in 2004 when the Tsunami happened. Seemed like all the other country's embassies were trying to do things to help their citizens in Thailand, while the U.S. pretty much did nothing. Granted the U.S. came through with alot of aid for the victims etc., but I'm referring specifically to American Citizen Services in country.

In 2010, there was a military coup in Ecuador, and for several days the entire country was pretty much chaos. The British embassy told its citizens that if things go too out of hand, they would set up areas in major cities where they could go, and from there be evacuated by the embassy. The Americans told us that there was nothing they could do or suggest, and to lock our doors. Granted, I wasn't expecting them to swoop down and individually pick up each American at their house, but I was under the impression that it was the embassy's job to have some sort of plan in those crisis situations.

Anyway.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Actually, no, they're not. There are a number of cases where people were kidnapped (the FARC, Abu Sayyaf, etc) or put in jail for some extraordinary reason (one man was arrested in the Philippines because his new bride's ex boyfriend was enraged to find out that she was pregnant with the American's baby). The US did nothing in any of these cases, and in many instances the people lost loved ones who were with them during the ordeal to beheadings or torture, or were simply forced to sit out the unfair prison sentence.

I'm not saying the Palestinian boy should be forgotten, but I'm saying the US seems to not care too much in general in these instances, and it's not just because he's Palestinian that he's being ignored. The US seems to take a "eeny meeny miney mo" approach to helping Americans abroad.

I agree that the US is inconsistent in applying pressure on cases involving Americans in foreign custody. It decides when and where it will say something publicly, or even do something privately.

However, what is entirely consistent is US support of Israeli policies, no matter what, even when US citizens are maimed or killed as a result of those policies.

Americans may experience all kinds of abuses if they want to go to Palestine (which you can't get to without crossing through some kind of Israeli checkpoint - including if you're not even setting foot inside Israel.) This is what they did to the 80-year-old Holocaust survivor who dares to support justice for Palestinians:

The intent is clear: harass these people in such a disgusting, degrading manner in order to make them afraid to come back, so that Israel may continue its oppression of the Palestinians without pesky foreigners taking pictures of it and coming back to the US and telling what they witnessed.

In 2010, there was a military coup in Ecuador, and for several days the entire country was pretty much chaos. The British embassy told its citizens that if things go too out of hand, they would set up areas in major cities where they could go, and from there be evacuated by the embassy. The Americans told us that there was nothing they could do or suggest, and to lock our doors. Granted, I wasn't expecting them to swoop down and individually pick up each American at their house, but I was under the impression that it was the embassy's job to have some sort of plan in those crisis situations.

Anyway.

They only do something when they feel like it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/17/AR2006071701421.html

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Actually, no, they're not. There are a number of cases where people were kidnapped (the FARC, Abu Sayyaf, etc) or put in jail for some extraordinary reason (one man was arrested in the Philippines because his new bride's ex boyfriend was enraged to find out that she was pregnant with the American's baby). The US did nothing in any of these cases, and in many instances the people lost loved ones who were with them during the ordeal to beheadings or torture, or were simply forced to sit out the unfair prison sentence.

I'm not saying the Palestinian boy should be forgotten, but I'm saying the US seems to not care too much in general in these instances, and it's not just because he's Palestinian that he's being ignored. The US seems to take a "eeny meeny miney mo" approach to helping Americans abroad.

Sorry, it was only the majority of the Banged Up Abroad shows that were about drug cases:

Episodes

Series 1 (2006)

Episode 1: Costa Rica/Mexico (Scott and Lucy's Story)

Scott Campbell and Lucy Baker are British travellers arrested in Mexico. [For some reason this entry does not mention that they were caught with 16kg of cocaine]

Episode 2: Thailand (The Sandra Gregory Story)

Sandra Gregory is arrested in Thailand trying to smuggle heroin into Japan.

Episode 3: Sydney (Mark's Story)

Mark is arrested in Sydney after attempting to smuggle cocaine from the U.S. to Australia.

Episode 4: Venezuela/Margarita Island (Denis and Donald's Story)

Donald MacNeil, a yachtsman, is arrested after being pressured to collect an enormous, 30-million-pound shipment of cocaine.

Series 2 (2007)

Episode 1: Venezuela (James and Paul's Story)

Jim Miles and Paul Loseby, two British teenagers, are arrested in Venezuela for trying to smuggle drugs.

Episode 2: Peru (Krista and Jennifer's Story/Peruvian Prison Nightmare)

Krista Barnes and Jennifer Davis are two American women arrested for trying to smuggle cocaine out of Peru.

Episode 3: Nepal (Piers' Story)

Piers Hernu, a British traveller, is arrested trying to smuggle gold in from Hong Kong to Nepal.

Episode 4: Colombia (Glen's story)

Glen Heggstad, an American adventurer, is kidnapped by the Colombian National Liberation Army.

Series 3 (2008)

Episode 1: Kuwait (Scott's Story)

Scott White is arrested in Kuwait for selling hashish, then escapes from jail during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

Episode 2: Peru 2/Lima

Russell Thoresen, an American traveller, is arrested in Peru for trying to smuggle cocaine.

Episode 3: Bangladesh

Lia McCord, an American teenager, is arrested in Bangladesh for trying to smuggle heroin.

Episode 4: Pakistan

Amardeep Bassey, a British journalist on the way to Afghanistan for an assignment, is arrested in Pakistan and accused of being a spy.

Episode 5: Peru 3/Cuzco

Sarah Jackson convinces her friend Simon to go to Peru with her in order to serve as her unwitting drug-smuggling accomplice. Jackson is currently serving a seven-year sentence.[2]

Episode 6: Taiwan

Taiwan's most-wanted criminal breaks into the house of McGill Alexander, a South African army colonel, and takes him and his family hostage.

Episode 7: Ecuador

An American, Daniel Van De Zendrewe, is arrested trying to smuggle cocaine from Ecuador to Europe.

Episode 8: South Korea

Cullen Thomas, working with his girlfriend "Rocket", is arrested trying to smuggle hashish from the Philippines to South Korea.

Series 4 (2009)

Episode 1: Caracas/Venezuela Blues

David Evans is arrested trying to smuggle drugs from Venezuela to Amsterdam.

Episode 2: Philippines/Terror Island/Kidnapped in the Philippines

Church volunteer Greg Williams is kidnapped and tortured by members of Abu Sayyaf. A gripping and well reconstructed account.

Episode 3: Puerto Vallarta/Mexican Justice

Jake Libbon gets arrested in Mexico for selling marijuana, then is falsely accused of shooting two police officers.

Episode 4: Brazil/Brazil's Worst Prison/Busted in Brazil

Hollywood "party animal" Brendan Cosso and three friends are arrested trying to smuggle cocaine out of Brazil.

Episode 5: Indonesia/Escape from Hell/Busted In Bali

Chris Parnell is arrested in Indonesia after being accused of smuggling hashish.

Episode 6: Mexico/Boy From The Ghetto/Busted in Mexico

American teenager Alex Silva is arrested trying to smuggle marijuana from Mexico into the U.S.

Episode 7: Cuba/What's in The Bag

American Kahlilah Saleem is forced by her boyfriend to smuggle cocaine through Cuba in order to see her daughter.

Episode 8: Iraq/Kidnapped In Iraq

Journalists Scott Taylor and Zeynep Tugrul are kidnapped by insurgents who accuse them of being American spies.

Episode 9: Barbados/Busted and Pregnant

British teen Zara Whittaker is arrested at an airport trying to smuggle cocaine out of Barbados.

Episode 10: Ecuador/Master of Deception/Betrayed in Ecuador

Zoe McGarry, an Irish woman living in London, receives an eight-year prison sentence in Ecuador after the rucksack she was carrying is found to contain drugs. She was duped by someone who asked her for help.

Episode 11: Sierra Leone/Jungle Siege

Major Phil Ashby tasked with disarming rebel fighters became trapped and attempted a daring escape.

Episode 12: Jamaica/Jamaican Getaway

T.K. White and her girlfriend are sent to Kingston's notorious central prison after attempting to smuggle marijuana.

Episode 13: India/Delhi/Party Girl

Clare Matthews, a British woman on extended vacation in Goa, ends up in an Indian prison after attempting to mail hashish from Delhi.

Series 5 (2010)

Episode 1: Istanbul/The Real Midnight Express

The 1977 book Midnight Express, and the Oscar-winning 1978 film on which it was based, also called Midnight Express, told the story of 20-year-old college student Billy Hayes – his imprisonment for drug smuggling and his escape from a prison in Istanbul, Turkey. But for legal reasons, the book, which Hayes co-wrote, was not completely accurate; and the film version strayed even further from the truth, for artistic reasons. In this episode, Billy tells the full story of being sent to the infamous Turkish Sagmalcilar prison and eventually escaping.

Episode 2: Iraq/Saddam's Iraq

When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, Tom Lynch and his fellow contractors decided to get out of Iraq while they still could, but were captured by Iraqi soldiers and taken to a notorious prison in Baghdad, where they must listen to inmates being tortured to death.

Episode 3: Tokyo/Tokyo Takedown

After accepting an offer to work as a hostess in Japan, Jackie Nichols meets a charming Israeli drug smuggler and agrees to smuggle hashish with him. She gets away with it four times, but the fifth time, she's not so lucky.

Episode 4: Bangkok/Bangkok Underworld

A 28 year old English teacher named Tim Schrader agrees to smuggle 8 kilos of heroin into the U.S. to solve his financial problems. Although he knows he could receive the death penalty, the money is too tempting to resist.

Episode 5: Spain/Smuggler Makeover

With his girlfriend pregnant, musician Michael Morey agrees to smuggle cocaine from Quito to Spain. He barely makes it through Ecuadorian customs, but when he lands and goes through Spanish customs, he's not so lucky.

Episode 6: Panama/Columbia Ambush

Young American backpacker Mark Wedeven and his companions decide to cross from Panama to Colombia through the jungles of the Darién Gap, where they are kidnapped by a paramilitary group.

Series 6 (2011)

Episode 1: USA/The Real Goodfella

Henry Hill, the inspiration behind Martin Scorsese’s movie, relives his descent from Mafia wise guy to a spell in Terminal Island Penitentiary. [This entry does not mention that Hill was arrested numerous times for narcotics-trafficking and other narcotics-related charges]

Episode 2: Saudi Arabia/Saudi Bootlegger

Gordon Malloch's bootleg booze racket fuelled a party lifestyle in Saudi Arabia, until he got caught and found himself facing four years in jail.

Episode 3: Philippines/Prisoner Of Love

Briton David Scott tells the story of finding his soulmate in the Philippines – and risking a 14-year prison sentence for adultery.

Episode 4: Mexico/Funny Money

After heading to Mexico with a suitcase of fake money to buy drugs, Californian bodybuilder Jeremy found himself behind bars and in big trouble.

Episode 5: Mauritius /Heroin Sting

After being caught with a kilo of heroin in Mauritius, Brigene Young faced 45 years in jail (eventually serving 7 years) – unless she could help catch the drug traffickers.

Episode 6: Spain/Daredevil Drug Runner

The tale of Chris Chance, whose daredevil life smuggling cannabis into the UK concealed in a rubber body suit led to a nasty prison sentence.

Episode 7: Argentina/The Cocaine Trap

Stephen Sutton got caught up when he was offered $15,000 to transport cocaine disguised as gold – leading to an 11-year jail sentence.

Episode 8: Peru/Drug Dealer Revenge

Company director Robert Pringle got seven years in a violent South American lock-up after being pressured into drug smuggling by his dealer.

Episode 9: Colombia/Teenage Drug Smuggler

Vivian Carrasquillo faced a crash diet in jail after an attempt to raise funds for gastric bypass surgery by becoming a drug mule backfired.

Episode 10: Thailand/Backstabbed In Thailand

Military veteran Kim Hood faced a life behind bars in a squalid Thai prison after being caught smuggling 14 kilos of heroin with a friend.

Series 7 (2012)

Episode 1: Peru/Cocaine Mule Mum

A middle-aged mother of three decides to smuggle drugs to survive

Episode 2: Argentina/Escape From Argentina

Lucy Wright, a crack-addicted nursing student faces 25 years in prison when she's caught trying to smuggle cocaine from Argentina to the UK

Episode 3: Saudi Arabia/Dangerous Liaison

Revealing how British nurse Stephen Comiskey drew the unwelcome attention of the Saudi religious police after a series of illicit gay affairs

Episode 4: Guyana/Guadeloupe/Caribbean Nightmare

David and Jayne Bladen dreamed of a new life overseas but a nightmare journey of drug smuggling and violence culminated in 20 months behind bars

Episode 5: Japan/The Juggler Smuggler

Travelling magician Mark Greening juggled a young family with a budding hash-smuggling business after moving to Japan – but he soon got caught.

Episode 6: Pakistan/From Hollywood To Hell

When young actor Erik Audé discovers that he was tricked into smuggling opium out of Pakistan, he has to fight to clear his name and stay alive

Episode 7: Mexico/Black Palace Of Horrors

After a horrific spell in Mexico's notorious Black Palace prison, would-be drug smuggler Dwight Worker vowed to escape – or die trying

Episode 8: Columbia/Colombian Kidnap

After eight backpackers are snatched by guerrillas in Colombia, they adopt different survival strategies: cooperation versus outright resistance.

Episode 9: Brazil/Hasidic King Of Coke

Orthodox Jew Samuel Leibowitz dreamt of making millions as a drug kingpin in Brazil, leading to a terrifying spell in the deadly Carandiru Penitentiary.

Episode 10: Nicaragua/I Am Not A Terrorist

Duane Wollum was about to make some easy money smuggling cocaine – until an airport security check revealed that he was concealing a package.

Episode 11: China/My Dad The Smuggler

Scott Campbell can't wait to take a trip to China with his estranged father. Little does he know that his father has something else planned [entry does not mention that he was imprisoned on drug smuggling charges]

Episode 12: Iraq/Son Of Saddam

The incredible story of how an Iraqi soldier was forced to become a body double for Uday Hussein, Saddam's highly volatile eldest son.

Episode 13: Chile/Chilean Prison Break

The gripping story of Tom Hanway who fled a Chilean jail with a fellow prisoner, taking a dangerous and fatal escape route across the desert [entry does not mention that he was imprisoned on drug smuggling charges]

Episode 14: Panama/The Orchid Hunters

The shocking story two British backpackers who were ambushed and held to ransom by a guerilla group while crossing the notoriously dangerous Darien Gap.

Episode 15: Venezuela/Venezuela Hustle

Desperate to keep his family afloat, Paul Keany agrees to smuggle 6 kilos of cocaine from Venezuela back to Dublin but it turns out to be the worst decision of his life.

Episode 16: Iraq/Highway to Hell

Adventure-seeker Thomas Hamill took a job driving trucks in Iraq, leading to a terrifying spell in captivity after being kidnapped by insurgents.

Episode 17: Egypt/Not Without My Baby

When Susan Haglof forged a birth certificate after a shady adoption in Egypt, she faced the possibility of being imprisoned and losing her baby.

Episode 18: Somalia/Nightmare in Somalia

The terrifying story of photojournalist Nigel Brennan and reporter Amanda Lindhout who were held hostage for 15 months by a criminal gang in Somalia.

Episode 19: Thailand/Busted in Bangkok

Thrown into a notorious Bangkok prison for attempting to smuggle heroin, Angela Carnegie has an epiphany while nursing a fellow inmate with a drug addiction.

Episode 20: Russia/Escape from the Gulag

Caught trying to smuggle heroin, Jerry Amster found himself facing a lengthy spell in one of Russia's toughest labour camps.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banged_Up_Abroad

[GandD 5,966]

Sorry, it was only the majority of the Banged Up Abroad shows that were about drug cases:

You're pretty much the reference master.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

You're pretty much the reference master.

I know, I know... this bizarre obsession with accuracy is a sickness

[duraaraa 203]

I don't think the problem is that America isn't doing anything. I think the problem is that Israel is treating children this way in the first place. It's common sense that such things will never lead to peace.

[oohpartiv 484]

Sorry, it was only the majority of the Banged Up Abroad shows that were about drug cases:

There's a separate mini-series from the same producers called "kidnapped abroad", where the people are victims instead of drug smugglers.

Episode 1: Uganda/Death in the Jungle - Safari guide Mark Ross and his tour group are kidnapped by Hutu rebels in Uganda.

Episode 2: Chechnya/Nightmare in Chechnya - Camilla and Jon, who run a children's centre in Grozny, are kidnapped by Chechnyan soldiers, then raped and tortured.

Episode 3: India/Hostage to Terror - Rhys Partridge and Béla Nuss are kidnapped by Pakistani terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh while travelling in India.

Episode 4: Philippines: Fatal Mission/Kidnapped by Terrorists - Gracia and Martin Burnham are Christian missionaries in the Philippines who are kidnapped by members of Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim fundamentalist group.

Malaysia - Monique and Callie Strydom, while vacationing in Malaysia, are kidnapped by a Muslim militant group and held hostage for four months in the Philippines.

And while some of those "drug smuggling" people were rightfully taken to jail, there are a few cases where it was more injustice on part of the "smuggler" and faulty justice systems that condemned them, which could have been remedied if they'd had access to a reliable embassy/consul. There was one in particular that I remember where a woman borrowed a suitcase from a friend to fly home, and the friend had lined her suitcase with cocaine without her knowing. She (stupidly) signed a confession in Spanish (which she didn't speak) because the local police force told her she'd be let go if she did, which got her eight years in jail. If she'd had an embassy rep there with her, it wouldn't have happened.

Granted, not all of those cases are American, either - once in a while they'll toss in someone from the UK or Australia - but, I will say that those cases are usually the ones where the victims' situations are resolved quickly, or they are at least in constant contact with their embassy to help resolve the matter. In most of the American cases it seems like they're pretty much on their own. Not saying it should be that way, but welcome to reality, I guess.

Edited April 16, 2013 by oohpartiv

[oohpartiv 484]

I don't think the problem is that America isn't doing anything. I think the problem is that Israel is treating children this way in the first place. It's common sense that such things will never lead to peace.

Well, that's the main issue, but it all comes down to this: if an American citizen is being treated unfairly by other nation's legal/"justice" system, they should be able to rely on their American representatives in that country to come to their aid. It's disgusting the boy was treated that way to begin with, but it's even more shameful that it seems to have been ignored by the Americans.

[duraaraa 203]

Well, that's the main issue, but it all comes down to this: if an American citizen is being treated unfairly by other nation's legal/"justice" system, they should be able to rely on their American representatives in that country to come to their aid. It's disgusting the boy was treated that way to begin with, but it's even more shameful that it seems to have been ignored by the Americans.

Wasn't an American boy recently murdered by an American drone strike? America doesn't seem to really care for the American citizens who choose to be in 'hostile' territory. Really, it's too complicated of a situation for me to even suggest fixing, but I want, more than anything, for everyone to get along.

Yes, the fact that America doesn't seem to care about this kid is horrible, but it's also somewhat uncomfortable to think that the only thing that separates him from another 14 year old kid, and entitles him to special treatment in the same situation is that he holds an American passport.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I don't think the problem is that America isn't doing anything. I think the problem is that Israel is treating children this way in the first place. It's common sense that such things will never lead to peace.

Exactly - this is the main point of the article.

Thousands of Palestinian children are abused by Israeli soldiers and "border police," and nobody gives a ####### about them either. Every single one of those children will remember for the rest of their lives how they were treated.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

[/size]

There's a separate mini-series from the same producers called "kidnapped abroad", where the people are victims instead of drug smugglers.

And while some of those "drug smuggling" people were rightfully taken to jail, there are a few cases where it was more injustice on part of the "smuggler" and faulty justice systems that condemned them, which could have been remedied if they'd had access to a reliable embassy/consul. There was one in particular that I remember where a woman borrowed a suitcase from a friend to fly home, and the friend had lined her suitcase with cocaine without her knowing. She (stupidly) signed a confession in Spanish (which she didn't speak) because the local police force told her she'd be let go if she did, which got her eight years in jail. If she'd had an embassy rep there with her, it wouldn't have happened.

I believe it - no argument from me on that.

Granted, not all of those cases are American, either - once in a while they'll toss in someone from the UK or Australia - but, I will say that those cases are usually the ones where the victims' situations are resolved quickly, or they are at least in constant contact with their embassy to help resolve the matter. In most of the American cases it seems like they're pretty much on their own. Not saying it should be that way, but welcome to reality, I guess.

The US does get involved when it feels like it - I posted a couple of examples; there are more. But it's true that most of the time, it will do nothing.

However, the US will never ever intercede in cases where a US citizen is abused, imprisoned, maimed or murdered by Israel. This has pretty much been the case since at least the USS Liberty.

It's only thanks to the efforts of the Turkish government that the family of the American-Turkish citizen murdered on the Mavi Marmara will ever see any compensation from the Israeli government. The US did nothing, not even launching an investigation. Instead, it once again accepted that the accused party should "investigate" itself, and of course fully "exonerate" itself of any blame. Same routine when Rachel Corrie was bulldozed to death.

Wasn't an American boy recently murdered by an American drone strike? America doesn't seem to really care for the American citizens who choose to be in 'hostile' territory. Really, it's too complicated of a situation for me to even suggest fixing, but I want, more than anything, for everyone to get along.

Yes, the fact that America doesn't seem to care about this kid is horrible, but it's also somewhat uncomfortable to think that the only thing that separates him from another 14 year old kid, and entitles him to special treatment in the same situation is that he holds an American passport.

Only he didn't get any special treatment because of his passport - the US government and the Israeli government couldn't care less.

Edited April 16, 2013 by wife_of_mahmoud

[duraaraa 203]

Only he didn't get any special treatment because of his passport - the US government and the Israeli government couldn't care less.

Yes. Generally, though, the U.S. says that people living in foreign countries are subject to their laws, etc. Why should he get special treatment because he's a U.S. citizen? There are other kids who are not U.S. citizens who go through the same thing. If someone asks for this kind of treatment to end, it should apply to all of the kids, not only those who hold a U.S. passport.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Yes. Generally, though, the U.S. says that people living in foreign countries are subject to their laws, etc. Why should he get special treatment because he's a U.S. citizen? There are other kids who are not U.S. citizens who go through the same thing. If someone asks for this kind of treatment to end, it should apply to all of the kids, not only those who hold a U.S. passport.

But Jewish children accused of the same crime (throwing stones) by the same government are not subjected to this abuse - they are treated in an entirely different way.