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Current Urgent Appeal
Violent Arrest of Palestinian Children of Silwan by Israeli Army and Police
Posted on: Friday, February 18, 2011
 

Alert

 

URGENT APPEAL: Ref: UA 03 / 11.
VIOLATIONS: Violent Arrest of Palestinian Children of Silwan by Israeli Army and Police
An appeal to end the use of violence by the Israeli army and police during the arrest of children from Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem.
The neighbourhood of Silwan is situated just outside the Old City walls of Jerusalem, located in the occupied east of the city. Approximately 16,500 Palestinians live in the central section of the neighbourhood. Although accepted as occupied territory under international law, Israel purported to annex the east of the city after occupation in 1967, and applies its own domestic law to the territory. The annexation has no legal validity under international law, and is not recognised outside Israel. According to the UN, Silwan has become one of the main centres of Israeli settlement activity and is currently home to 380 settlers, who live in properties taken over by various means from their original Palestinian residents.
In 2010, reports of a sharp increase in the number of children being arrested from Silwan and East Jerusalem have been recorded. According to Israel Police figures, between November 2009 and October 2010, the Jerusalem District opened 1,267 criminal files against Palestinian children living in East Jerusalem who were accused of throwing stones. During the same period, the Israeli NGO, B’Tselem reports that 81 children from Silwan have been arrested or detained for questioning, mostly on suspicion of stone throwing.
‘children and teenagers related that they had been dragged out of their beds in the middle of the night or arrested in their neighbourhoods by undercover detectives and special security forces; taken in for questioning while handcuffed and unescorted by their parents; in certain cases, the families were not notified of the arrest in real time; minors were asked to give names and incriminate friends and relatives as a condition of their release; were threatened and humiliated by their interrogators; and some of them were even subject to physical violence while taken in for questioning and under interrogation.’
 
Please press the TAKE ACTION BOX to send letter of protest to H.E. RADHIKA COOMARSASWAMY Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, H.E.RIYAD H.MANSOUR, Ambassador, Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine and H.E. MERON REUVEN, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations
and please request your mailing lists clickCurrent Urgent Appeal on www.palestinematters.com
 

Appeal

 

H.E. RADHIKA COOMARSASWAMY
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict,
 
Your Excellency
 
I am deeply concerned about the use of violence by the Israeli army and police during the arrest of children from Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem.
In 2010, reports of a sharp increase in the number of children being arrested from Silwan and East Jerusalem have been recorded. According to Israel Police figures, between November 2009 and October 2010, the Jerusalem District opened 1,267 criminal files against Palestinian children living in East Jerusalem who were accused of throwing stones. During the same period, the Israeli NGO, B’Tselem reports that 81 children from Silwan have been arrested or detained for questioning, mostly on suspicion of stone throwing.
In the four months between 18 October 2010 and 1 February 2011, Defence for Children International (DCI-Palestine) has investigated 31 cases from Silwan, and collected 25 sworn affidavits, 22 of which were taken from children. It found violations included -
Interrogation of children under 12 years - (15 percent):- Under Israeli law which is applied to occupied East Jerusalem, children under the age of 12 are not held criminally liable for their actions and must not be detained.
Violence during arrest, transfer or interrogation – (80 percent):- The types of violence reported to DCI-Palestine includes, punching, slapping, kicking, beating with a rifle, and in one case, throwing a pen at a child’s head during interrogation.
Painful hand ties – (60 percent):- Under section 10B of the Youth (Trial, Punishment and Modes of Treatment) Law, alternatives to restraints should always be considered and they should not be used beyond what is strictly necessary. Restraints should only be used to prevent escape or to prevent harm to others.
Interrogated in the absence of a parent – (75 percent):- Under Israeli law which is applied to occupied East Jerusalem, parents are entitled to be present during the interrogation of their children, except in special limited cases.
Threatened – (55 percent):- The types of threats reported to DCI-Palestine typically involved a threat to imprison the child for a long time.
Signed/shown documents written in Hebrew (30 percent were shown, or asked to sign, documents written in Hebrew, which is not the children’s mother tongue.
I urge you to use your good offices to demand that the State of Israel
1. immediately ends the use of violence by the Israeli army and police during the arrest of children;
2. ensures no child will be interrogated in the absence of their parents;
3. thoroughly and impartially investigates all credible allegations of ill-treatment and those found responsible for such abuse be brought promptly to justice; and
4. removes immediately all Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem as they violate international law and are a source of constant tension.
Sincerely
 
 
 
Justice for Palestine Matters, 2006.
Email: humanrights@aapt.net.au Sydney, Australia 		Powered by: Cybez