Israel tortures 14-year-old; has detained and abused 7,000 children since 2000

Ma’an - Israeli forces psychologically tortured a 14-year-old Palestinian detained in a night raid on his Ramallah village, a local rights group said.

…… On Saturday, Defence for Children International said Israel's military had detained around 7,000 Palestinian children since 2000.

In its annual report, submitted to the United Nations, DCI said it was rare for children, or their parents, to be told the reason for the arrest or where the children would be taken.

The arrests were frequently carried out by heavily armed soldiers in the middle of the night, the report said, and children were usually handcuffed and blindfolded before being taken away in a military vehicle.

"The arrest and transfer process is frequently accompanied by physical and verbal abuse," DCI reported.

"Children are frequently threatened and physically assaulted during interrogation often resulting in the provision of a coerced confession, or the signing of documents which the child has not had a chance to read or understand."

DCI noted that children as young as 12 were tried in military courts, and said most children ultimately plead guilty "whether the offence was committed or not, as this is the quickest way out of the system."

Further, Israeli military courts impose sentences on most children detained.

"In 2009, custodial sentences were imposed on children by the military courts in 83 percent of cases, in contrast to a custodial sentence rate of 6.5 percent in the Israeli civilian juvenile justice system," DCI found..Read more