Wednesday March 13, 2013, Israeli soldiers detained a Palestinian child, 14, after claiming that she hurled stones at their jeep west of Bethlehem city. The child was released later on.The soldiers claimed that the child was among a group of young Palestinians who hurled stones and empty bottles at army jeeps in Aqabat Hasan area.
Following the kidnapping of the child, the Palestinian District Coordination Office repeatedly contacted the Israeli side demanding the army to release the child. The army then let the child go.
The army repeatedly detains, kidnaps and imprisons Palestinian children under different claims, and many of the kidnapped children face charges, imprisonment and high fines.
Last week, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) issued a report stating that Israel is mistreating Palestinian children it is holding in its detention and interrogation centers, and added that the abuse against the children is systematic.
In its 22-page report, the UNICEF said that Palestinian children, aged 12-17, mainly males, are being kidnapped, interrogated and imprisoned by the Israeli army, the Police and the security services, every year in the occupied West Bank.
There are dozens of Palestinian children who are still imprisoned by Israel, deprived of basic rights such as the right to legal representation, education, proper health services, and many other essential issues guaranteed by International Law.
