Demand Child Justice: Document Detention in the occupied Palestinian territories

Each year, approximately 500-700 Palestinian minors in the West Bank between the ages 12-17 are prosecuted in the Israeli military court system. Mistreatment of Palestinian youth within this system is widespread and well documented. Without access to their parents or a lawyer, youth often sign confessions of guilt in Hebrew, a language they likely cannot read or understand.

In November 2017, Representative Betty McCollum (MN) introduced historic legislation shining a light on the mistreatment of Palestinian youth entangled in the Israeli military detention system. HR 4391, Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Youth, seeks to ensure U.S. taxpayer funds to Israel are not used in a manner that violates the rights of Palestinian children. Palestinian youth under the age of 18 comprise nearly 50% of the total population. For there to be any hope of peace in Israel-Palestine, Palestinian youth must not live in fear of mistreatment at the hands of the Israeli military detention system.

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is excited to partner with Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P) for our Summer 2018 Campaign: Demand Child Justice: Document Detention in the occupied Palestinian territories. Your support will help DCI-P document individual cases of mistreatment experienced by Palestinian youth and will help CMEP raise awareness for HR 4391 on Capitol Hill.

(Statistics as of April 2016 as cited in H.R. 4391)

Make a Donation

Donations help support DCIP’s monitoring and documentation of child detentions, injuries and fatalities across the Occupied Palestinian Territory and will help CMEP raise awareness for HR 4391 on Capitol Hill. Choose an amount below to donate to a specific action, or donate an amount of your choice.

Covers the cost of one field visit to investigate an incident* + HR 4391 Awareness

Covers the cost of completely
documenting an incident + HR 4391 Awareness

 Covers the cost of completely documenting a series of incidents
+ HR 4391 Awareness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Incident refers to the apprehension/detention of a Palestinian minor within the Israeli military detention system

Webinar: “Document Detention: Justice for Palestinian Children”

Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, CMEP’s Executive Director, hosts a webinar conversation with Brad Parker and Farah Bayadsi from Defense for Children International-Palestine on the topic of child justice and the mistreatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention. More info available here.

 

Stories from the Field

Alaa Balata
Issue: Right to a Childhood



Read His Story

Fadel Abu Odwan
Issue: Injuries

 


Read His Story

Nadeem Nawara and Mohammad Mahmoud Odeh Abu Daher
Issue: Fatalities

Read Their Story

Learn More

A

Reports | Studies | Statistics

Minors in Jeopardy: Violation of the Rights of Palestinian Minors by Israel’s Military Courts [B’Tselem, 2018]
“The changes Israel has made [to its military justice system] have had no more than a negligible impact on minors’ rights. It would seem that they have far more to do with improved appearances than with what happens in actual practice. The reports – spanning a period of years, published by a variety of groups and agencies, relying on diverse methodologies – all point to the same factual findings which demonstrate that minors’ rights are regularly and systematically violated.” Read More

Statistics on Palestinian minors in the custody of the Israeli security forces [B’Tselem, 2018]  
Monthly statistics on child military detentions from 2008-2017, broken down by age and legal status as reported by the Israel Prison Service. Read More

Unprotected: Detention of Palestinian Teenagers in East Jerusalem [B’Tselem and HaMoked, 2017]
Testimony from 60 affidavits collected by B’Tselem and HaMoked from teenage boys who had been arrested and interrogated between May 2015 and October 2016 in East Jerusalem. Read More

Year-in-Review: Worst Abuses Against Palestinian Children in 2017 [Defense for Children International–Palestine, 2017]
A comprehensive look at issues facing Palestinian children, including the electricity crisis in Gaza, policy brutality, and military detention. Read More

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016: Israel and the Occupied Territories [U.S. Department of State, 2016] 
Findings from U.S. Department of State report on human rights in Israel and the Occupied Territories, citing reports of abuse within the Israeli military detention system. Read More

Children in Israeli Military Detention: Observations and Recommendations [UNICEF, 2013] 
Following an increasing number of allegations of ill-treatment of children in military detention, UNICEF conducted a review of practices related to children who come into contact with the military detention system. The review considers whether the military detention system is in conformity with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Read More

Churches for Middle East Peace is grateful for our partnership with Defense for Children International – Palestine and for their work with us on this campaign. Donations help support DCIP’s monitoring and documentation of child detentions, injuries and fatalities across the Occupied Palestinian Territory and support the advocacy work of CMEP.