UNICEF: Israel violates international law in treatment of Palestinian children

In its annual report entitled "Children in Israeli Military Detention Observations and Recommendations", UNICEF has said that Israeli treatment of Palestinian children is "in violation of international law".

"Since March 2013, UNICEF has been engaging in a dialogue with the Israeli authorities on children's rights while in military detention and on specific actions that can be undertaken to improve the protection of these children," the report states.

UNICEF said it met with several senior Israeli officials and related departments in the Israeli ministries to procure information about the treatment of child detainees.

It said: "The dialogue focuses on what a child experiences when arrested and detained for alleged security offences in the West Bank."

According to the report, UNICEF's Working Group on Grave Violations against Children found that children had often been subjected to multiple violations throughout the arrest, transfer, interrogation and detention phases.

The report found that 162 children reported being blindfolded during transfer from the place of arrest to the police station; 189 children reported being painfully hand-tied upon arrest; and 171 children reported being subjected to physical violence during arrest, interrogation and/or detention.

The Working Group also found that 144 children reported being subjected to verbal abuse and intimidation during arrest, interrogation and/or detention; while 89 children reported being transferred from the place of arrest to the police station on the floor of the vehicle.

In addition, it said that 163 children reported not being adequately notified of their legal rights, in particular the right to counsel and the right to remain silent. A further 148 children reported being strip-searched at the police station and 76 children reported being strip-searched upon arrival and transfer to Israeli Prison Services' detention facilities.

The report concluded that the "[i]ll-treatment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalised." Adding that, "[t]hese practices are in violation of international law that protects all children against ill-treatment when in contact with law enforcement, military and judicial institutions."

Source : https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/17274-unicef-israel-violates-international-law-in-treatment-of-palestinian-children

Israeli soldiers set dogs on Palestinian youth

A leaked video showing a 16-year old Palestinian being attacked by two canines, while being held by two IDF soldiers, was posted on Facebook on Monday by former Knesset member and far-rightist Michael Ben-Ari (who later removed it). It quickly spread around the web and made headlines in Israel.

Source : http://972mag.com/watch-soldiers-taunt-set-dogs-on-palestinian-teen/103625/

THE GREAT WALL OF ISRAEL

Israel settlers torch W. Jerusalem Christian school

Israeli settlers torched the rooms of a Christian school and wrote offensive words regarding Jesus Christ.

World Bulletin / News Desk

Israeli settlers on Thursday torched one of the rooms of a Christian religious school in West Jerusalem and inscribed phrases offending to Jesus Christ on its walls.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement that unidentified people had committed a crime of "national proportions."

She added that fire was set to the school room and a toilet used by priests and students of Christianity inside the school.

Samri noted that the attackers also wrote phrases offending to Jesus Christ on walls near the room.

"Firefighters had put off the fire, which caused material damage in the place," Samri said, noting that the fire had not caused any human casualties.

A member of the Revolutionary Council of the Palestinian Fatah movement, meanwhile, said Muslim and Christian places of worship were being increasingly targeted by Jews.

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fully responsible for these crimes," Dimitri Diliani said in a statement.

Diliani called on the United Nations to offer protection for Palestinians and their places of worship.

On Wednesday, a group of Jewish settlers set fire to a mosque near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem and sprayed racist phrases against Arabs and Muslims on its walls, according to a Palestinian official.

Several attacks, called the "price tag," by Jewish settlers targeting Muslim houses of worship have recently been reported in areas across the self-proclaimed Jewish state and the occupied West Bank.

Source : http://www.worldbulletin.net/palestine/155757/israel-settlers-torch-w-jerusalem-christian-school

Suspend EU-Israel treaty, urge dozens of MEPs

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini

A group of 63, cross-party MEPs have urged EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

The Agreement is the main treaty between the EU and Israel that has facilitated trade since 2000, and allows Israel to participate in a wide range of EU initiatives.

The MEPs' letter notes how "Amnesty International and Palestinian organisations have documented that Israel deliberately targeted civilians and committed other war crimes during its recent onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza."

"These are serious violations of international law and international humanitarian law that cannot be tolerated", they add.

The MEPs "call on the Commission to consider the suspension of Association Agreement with Israel unless Israel takes substantial and immediate steps to bring its conduct in line with international law", and point out how

the EU's lack of substantial action with regards to Israel appears out of step with the speed at which it has implemented restrictive measures on Russia with regards to the Ukraine crisis in recent months, as well as the restrictive measures implemented against more than 30 other countries.

In September 2014, Palestinian civil society organisations made a similar plea for suspension to the then- foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, and a similar appeal was also made in November, by more than 300 human rights groups, trade unions and political parties from across Europe.

Source : https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/16594-suspend-eu-israel-treaty-urge-dozens-of-meps

Video : How Israeli Police arrest Palestinians. Very disturbing.

Australian MP exposes Israeli propaganda in Australia about Palestine : David Shoebridge

David Shoebridge

1. Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council