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Israeli forces arrest two Palestinian minors

Thursday, 30 April 2015 10:29 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 01 May 2015 2:43 AM ]

File photo shows Israeli forces taking a detained Palestinian child in East al-Quds.

Israeli plainclothes officers have detained and interrogated a six-year-old Palestinian boy and his 12-year-old brother in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

Ma’an news agency reported on Wednesday that the undercover operatives stopped their patrol car near the children in Wadi al-Joz neighborhood on April 28, at around 7:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT) and arrested the two minors.

Meanwhile, an Israeli police spokesperson was quoted by Israeli daily Haaretz as saying that the children were detained for alleged rock throwing.

According to the Haaretz report, the six-year-old was interrogated for roughly eight hours, and not released until Wednesday, 3:30 a.m local time (0030 GMT).

In 2014, Palestinian children spent an average of 15 days in solitary confinement following their arrest, children’s rights group Defense for Children International - Palestine reported.

Moreover, research by the group demonstrated that over 75 percent of the detained Palestinian children often arrive at Israeli interrogation centers blindfolded, bound and physically abused.

Although minors under 12 years of age are not allowed to be arrested or detained under Israeli law, they are not immune to being made prisoners for allegations of throwing rocks at Israeli forces.

Israeli soldiers arrest a young Palestinian protester during clashes at Hawara checkpoint, east of the West Bank city of Nablus, January 1, 2015 . © AFP

In November 2014, Israeli leadership passed a bill, under which an individual may be jailed for up to 20 years if convicted of stone throwing. The move was reportedly designed to target Palestinian youths in the midst of intensifying violence in al-Quds at the time.

Rights groups say the Israeli detention of Palestinian minors involves harsh interrogation and conditions that violate international law.

A Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) report shows that Israel has detained over 10,000 Palestinian children below the age of 15 since 2000. In 2014 alone, 1,266 minors were detained in occupied East al-Quds and the West Bank.

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