The Israeli Persecution initiated, since the beginning of July, a new policy in occupied East Jerusalem, resulting in keeping hundreds of Palestinians, including dozens of children, behind bars for extended periods, until concluding all “legal measures” against them.Israeli daily Haaretz said the new policy, used by Israeli prosecution, is resulting in keeping every detained Palestinian, believed to have thrown stones at the soldiers or settlers, or believed to have committed a violation, behind bars until all legal measures are concluded.
Such measures led to keeping dozens of children imprisoned for a month, and in many cases two months, before there were even sent to trial. Haaretz said the army and police have arrested 260 Palestinian children in the last two months.
It added that 58 Palestinian children from Jerusalem are currently detained by Israel for “participating in clashes with the army and police in Jerusalem.’
Several defense attorneys, and social workers, said most of the detained children actually “confess” to whatever the interrogators accuse them of, hoping to be able to see their families, and have their detention time reduced.
Haaretz said it closely examined the issue, and found out that, in many cases, Israeli courts respond to requests of alternative measures to prison when it comes to detained Jewish suspects, and largely denies similar requests when it comes to Arab prisoners.
Following the July 2nd kidnapping of Mohammad Abu Khdeir, 16, from Jerusalem, who was tortured and burnt to death by fanatic Israelis, and the resulting clashes in occupied Jerusalem, the police kidnapped 760 Palestinians, including 260 children.
Most of them face charges of “committing violent acts,” “throwing stones at the Police,” and “assaulting an officer,” therefore, any Arab person, even a child over 14 years of age, who is facing any sort of charges, is kept detained under interrogation for an extended period of time.
They are largely kept detained for 14 days, which are automatically renewed each time until the end of all legal measures against them.
Haaretz also stated that, because the detained children do not have relatives living outside of Jerusalem, and because there are no institutions to deal with such issues for Arab children in Jerusalem, the courts largely reject all appeals for placing them under house arrest, instead of prison, especially since ankle monitors do not function in occupied East Jerusalem.
Haaretz said these issues lead to releasing many Jewish prisoners, even those who committed more serious violations, while keeping Arab prisoners, including children, behind bars.
An example to that is the Sunday decision of the Israeli Supreme Court to release four Jewish-Israelis facing charges of torching a Palestinian coffee shop in Doura town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
The four conducted what is known as a “Price Tag” attack against the Palestinians. Such attacks refer to assaults carried out by Israeli fanatics against the Palestinians, their property and lands, allegedly “to avenge a certain attack,’ or “avenge the Israeli removal of an illegitimate settlement outpost,’ although very few outposts have actually been dismantled.
Under the Price Tag attacks, Israeli fanatics burnt and attempted to burn several mosques and churches, defaced many Islamic and Christians graveyards and holy sites, defaced cars and punctured their tires, among various other violations, including torching farmlands and orchards, cutting and bulldozing Palestinian trees.
PCHR Statement On Abduction And Murder Of Palestinian Child
