Alarming rise in Israeli attacks on Palestinian children

Ma'an -- The Palestinian Authority on Sunday warned that Israel's attacks on Palestinian children were escalating at "an alarming rate" and urged the UN to step in.

Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed nine children so far in 2011, and almost 200 children have been injured by settler violence and the Israeli military, a statement by the Government Media Center said.

"Hundreds of children are being illegally rounded up monthly by Israeli forces and detained, abused, and imprisoned without due process of law and in direct violation of international, Israeli, and Palestinian laws," the PA added.

The statement referred to a recent event caught on camera in which young Palestinians were kidnapped by masked, armed Israeli forces while playing football.

One of the children in the video, 13-year-old Islam Jaber, was taken to a graveyard and beaten up, the PA said, adding that he suffered severe anxiety attacks since the incident.

The PA said Israel attempted to bypass humanitarian law by applying "military orders" against Palestinians. The government urged the UN to implement resolution 1998 which protects the right of children in conflict.

The resolution notes that "certain parties persist in committing violations and abuses against children and expresses its readiness to adopt targeted and graduated measures against persistent perpetrators."

The PA urged the UN and non-governmental organizations to take legal action and end Israel's impunity, noting that Israel had been violating and abusing Palestinian children "for decades now."