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

[erynaught 43]

Glad to see you're slowly recuperating from your bizarre obsession with accuracy ...

... and nobody gives a ####### about them either.

Based on this thread alone, it is evident that you and others care. More likely others too.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Israeli Abuse Of Palestinian Children In Prison 'Systematic,' Says UN Report

The ill-treatment of Palestinian minors held within the Israeli military detention system is "widespread, systematic and institutionalised," a report Wednesday by the UN children's fund found.

UNICEF in the 22-page report that examined the Israeli military court system for holding Palestinian children found evidence of practices it said were "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment."

"Ill-treatment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalised," it concluded, outlining 38 recommendations to improve the protection of children in custody.

Over the past decade, Israeli forces have arrested, interrogated and prosecuted around 7,000 Palestinian children aged between between 12 and 17, most of them boys, the report said, noting the rate was equivalent to "an average of two children each day."

"In no other country are children systematically tried by juvenile military courts that, by definition, fall short of providing the necessary guarantees to ensure respect for their rights," it said.

The vast majority of arrests are for throwing stones, which is considered an offence under Section 212 of Military Order 1651.

Although the maximum sentence for children of 12 and 13 is six months, the penalty rises dramatically from the age of 14 when a child can face a maximum penalty of between 10 and 20 years depending on the circumstances, it said.

In a step-by-step analysis of the procedure from arrest to trial, the report said the common experience of many children was being "aggressively awakened in the middle of the night by many armed soldiers and being forcibly brought to an interrogation centre tied and blindfolded, sleep deprived and in a state of extreme fear."

Many were subjected to ill-treatment during the journey, with some suffering physical or verbal abuse, being painfully restrained or forced to lie on the floor of a vehicle for a transfer process of between one hour and one day.

In some cases, they suffered prolonged exposure to the elements and a lack of water, food or access to a toilet.

UNICEF said it found no evidence of any detainees being "accompanied by a lawyer or family member during the interrogation" and they were "rarely informed of their rights."

"The interrogation mixes intimidation, threats and physical violence, with the clear purpose of forcing the child to confess," it said, noting they were restrained during interrogation, sometimes for extended periods of time causing pain to their hands, back and legs.

"Children have been threatened with death, physical violence, solitary confinement and sexual assault, against themselves or a family member," it said.

Most children confess at the end of the interrogation, signing forms in Hebrew which they hardly understand.

It also found children had been held in solitary confinement for between two days and a month before being taken to court, or even after sentencing.

During court hearings, children were in leg chains and shackles, and in most cases, "the principal evidence against the child is the child's own confession, in most cases extracted under duress during the interrogation," it found.

"Ultimately, almost all children plead guilty in order to reduce the length of their pretrial detention. Pleading guilty is the quickest way to be released. In short, the system does not allow children to defend themselves," UNICEF concluded.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/israeli-abuse-of-palestinian-children-systematic_n_2817231.html

And that's how Israel's military courts achieve a stunning 99.88% conviction rate in cases involving Palestinian children.

Of course Jewish children who are accused of the same crime are not treated this way - it would be an outrage, and the Israeli public would be in an uproar if they did.

But apparently, systematically abusing Palestinian kids helps Israelis sleep better at night.

Glad to see you're slowly recuperating from your bizarre obsession with accuracy ...

Based on this thread alone, it is evident that you and others care. More likely others too.

I was talking about the US government and the Israeli government. If you care, God bless you for having a human heart.

[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.

It's Israel that gives Palestinian children "special treatment" - Jewish children accused of the same crime are not subjected to these types of egregious human rights abuses.

[duraaraa 203]

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.

Yes, this is my point. Being American has nothing to do with it. If he were a Jewish American, he would be treated the Jewish way. If he is Palestinian American, he is treated the Palestinian way. If the way the Palestinians are treated were not so bad, this would not have happened to the boy. I don't see his American nationality having anything to do with it. I guess that is my point.

I think we are saying the same thing in different ways.

Personally, I am against all of the violence in the world, and all of the inequality people have to live with. I initially went to Mongolia because of the inequality there between the rich and the poor. Things like this make me very sad.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Yes, this is my point. Being American has nothing to do with it. If he were a Jewish American, he would be treated the Jewish way. If he is Palestinian American, he is treated the Palestinian way. If the way the Palestinians are treated were not so bad, this would not have happened to the boy. I don't see his American nationality having anything to do with it. I guess that is my point.

I think we are saying the same thing in different ways.

Personally, I am against all of the violence in the world, and all of the inequality people have to live with. I initially went to Mongolia because of the inequality there between the rich and the poor. Things like this make me very sad.

Absolutely correct: his American nationality has absolutely no impact on how Israel treats him - they are free to abuse him just as they would abuse any other Palestinian child.

It helps Israelis sleep better at night.

[himher 634]

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.

YES: A US citizen should be treated exactly as every other citizen in a foreign country. In this case a US citizen rock-thrower should be treated as an Israeli rock-thrower However instead was treated worse than an Isreali murderer. This is because in their elitist society the Isreali murderer has a higher value.

That is not OK and does not follow our values or interests and no number of sentences put together will ever make it OK. They have the right to set their own laws yes, however since they happen to depend on the welfare of the same US citizens that they think they can sh-t on whenever they want to they need to also have some consideration for the values of the people they leech off of or demonstrate their superior value by showing that they can survive on their own without sucking off of the american taxpayers.

Edited April 17, 2013 by himher

[Karee 4,191]

YES: A US citizen should be treated exactly as every other citizen in a foreign country. In this case a US citizen rock-thrower should be treated as an Israeli rock-thrower However instead was treated worse than an Isreali murderer. This is because in their elitist society the Isreali murderer has a higher value.

That is not OK and does not follow our values or interests and no number of sentences put together will ever make it OK. They have the right to set their own laws yes, however since they happen to depend on the welfare of the same US citizens that they think they can sh-t on whenever they want to they need to also have some consideration for the values of the people they leech off of or demonstrate their superior value by showing that they can survive on their own without sucking off of the american taxpayers.

+1000

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Not throwing stones is one possible solution.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Not throwing stones is one possible solution.

Of course ! 99.88% of them end up convicted in Israel's kangaroo courts, therefore they must all be guilty.

So why worry your pretty little head if Palestinian children are being dragged from their beds in the middle of the night, abused in Israeli custody, deprived of their right to legal counsel, deprived of food, water, medical attention or even a bathroom for lengthy periods of time, etc. etc. etc. It's not like they're the same as Jewish kids who throw stones.

[duraaraa 203]

YES: A US citizen should be treated exactly as every other citizen in a foreign country. In this case a US citizen rock-thrower should be treated as an Israeli rock-thrower However instead was treated worse than an Isreali murderer. This is because in their elitist society the Isreali murderer has a higher value.

That is not OK and does not follow our values or interests and no number of sentences put together will ever make it OK. They have the right to set their own laws yes, however since they happen to depend on the welfare of the same US citizens that they think they can sh-t on whenever they want to they need to also have some consideration for the values of the people they leech off of or demonstrate their superior value by showing that they can survive on their own without sucking off of the american taxpayers.

I am not trying to justify the treatment of the boy... I think he was not treated right at all!!

What I am saying is, everyone living in Israel is entitled to the same treatment... American citizen or not.

I will put it this way:

Person 1 is a Jewish Israeli. Person 2 is a Palestinian. Person 3 is a Jewish American citizen. Person 4 is a Palestinian American. And Person 5 is (insert random country here)

All five throw rocks. They should be treated the same.

So rather than the U.S. seeking some kind of better treatment for Person 4 because he is an American citizen, they should be seeking better treatment for everyone.

In no way do I justify anything against Palestinians. I have never been to Israel, but knew someone who lived in Palestine, and called the people there the friendliest he had ever met. I know some friendly Israelis too. I wish they could see each other as brothers.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I am not trying to justify the treatment of the boy... I think he was not treated right at all!!

What I am saying is, everyone living in Israel is entitled to the same treatment... American citizen or not.

I will put it this way:

Person 1 is a Jewish Israeli. Person 2 is a Palestinian. Person 3 is a Jewish American citizen. Person 4 is a Palestinian American. And Person 5 is (insert random country here)

All five throw rocks. They should be treated the same.

So rather than the U.S. seeking some kind of better treatment for Person 4 because he is an American citizen, they should be seeking better treatment for everyone.

In no way do I justify anything against Palestinians. I have never been to Israel, but knew someone who lived in Palestine, and called the people there the friendliest he had ever met. I know some friendly Israelis too. I wish they could see each other as brothers.

Of course they should be treated the same - that's pretty much what has already been stated over and over in this thread. But they aren't treated the same. That's what people are objecting to. But the US won't do anything about it, because of The Lobby effect.

And of course there are friendly people in every country. But an apartheid system where equal rights are denied to one ethnicity does not foster brotherhood.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Of course none of this addresses the fact that Israeli soldiers have no right to be doing what they're doing in Silwad in the first place, much less kidnapping children.

Does anyone here know what that is ?

Edited April 17, 2013 by wife_of_mahmoud

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Fighting with Palestinians in defense of illegal settlements.

[himher 634]

Not throwing stones is one possible solution.

Not being on or around property that doesn't belong to you is another. Problem solved. The Palestinians certainly aren't on Israeli lands or Israeli property throwing stones. Another one of our core fundamental values is right to protect our life and property and if someone resorts to throwing stones against armed soldiers to do that then I guess they are doing exactly what one of us would do aren't they?

[himher 634]

I am not trying to justify the treatment of the boy... I think he was not treated right at all!!

What I am saying is, everyone living in Israel is entitled to the same treatment... American citizen or not.

I will put it this way:

Person 1 is a Jewish Israeli. Person 2 is a Palestinian. Person 3 is a Jewish American citizen. Person 4 is a Palestinian American. And Person 5 is (insert random country here)

All five throw rocks. They should be treated the same.

So rather than the U.S. seeking some kind of better treatment for Person 4 because he is an American citizen, they should be seeking better treatment for everyone.

In no way do I justify anything against Palestinians. I have never been to Israel, but knew someone who lived in Palestine, and called the people there the friendliest he had ever met. I know some friendly Israelis too. I wish they could see each other as brothers.

Thank you. Imposing / tying values like equal protection under the law and rights to protect one's property to welfare funding would, as all rising tides, lift Palestinian boats and in doing so restore dignity to all peoples. It might even be a start towards some dam peace.

As to special treatment of Americans - in addition to equal treatment under the law for everyone the American boy should, after serving the same light to none sentence that an Israeli rock-thrower would serve, be lifted in a chair on the shoulders of 4 IDF soldiers like Roman dignity and carried through the streets while the people on the streets kiss the bottom of his feet while everyone looks on in awe and admiration while they chant thanks to America and Americans for their very existance.

Edited April 17, 2013 by himher