Torture of Palestinian children...& more from IMEU
Palestinian swimmers race through the water during a regional swimming competition in the West Bank town of Beit Sahour. (Magnus Johansson, Maan Images)
The Institute for Middle East Understanding provides journalists with quick access to information about Palestine and the Palestinians, as well as expert sources, both in the U.S. and the Middle East. Need story assistance? Contact us. New to the issue? See our Background Briefings.
Israeli forces injure and arrest journalists at protest against Wall
Palestine News Network (Apr 14, 2007)
The People's Committee against the Wall expressed dismay at the brutal attack on demonstrators. A statement issued Friday said that by targeting the nonviolent resistance Israeli forces aim to suppress and discourage the continuing struggle against the Wall and settlements. A major condemnation was also issued against assaulting and arresting journalists who “reflect the truth.” Israeli forces are accused of trying to dissuade journalists from covering events in Bil'in.
The Israeli Wall and settlements exist in direct contravention to international law.
Olmert mulling talks with Arab League working group
Reuters (Apr 14, 2007)
Palestinian village celebrates lettuce festival
Ynet News (Apr 14, 2007)
Resilient plant
Palestinian village celebrates lettuce festival
Thirteenth Annual Artas Lettuce Festival kicks off near Bethlehem; includes competitions, performances tackling social issues
Ynet
The Thirteenth Annual Artas Lettuce Festival opened on Thursday in the village of Artas, south of the West Bank City of Bethlehem, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported.
Artas has a unique history of female foreigners residing in the village. The photographs taken by one particular Finnish anthropologist, Hilma Granqvist, who lived in Artas in the early 20th century, will also be exhibited.
Israel suspends officer for use of Palestinians as human shields
The Associated Press (Apr 13, 2007)
1 in 5 Palestinians imprisoned since 1967
Maan News (Apr 13, 2007)
UN envoy on children says Israel broke international law
Ynet News (Apr 13, 2007)
MK Bishara confirms intent to resign
Haaretz (Apr 13, 2007)
A boycott by any other name...
James Bowen, Haaretz (Apr 13, 2007)
Nora Barrows-Friedman, Inter Press Service, Apr 14, 2007
This article was originally published by the Inter Press Service and is republished with the author's permission.
Mohammed Mahsiri, a resident of Dheisheh refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, sits in a crowded café, a red kuffiyeh wrapped around his neck and an iconic portrait of Che Guevara emblazoned on his black t-shirt.
About a year and a half ago, he tells IPS, he and his friend were walking down the street when Israeli military jeeps surrounded them, shouted at them in Hebrew to stop, and forced them inside a jeep.
"I was taken to a detention centre and interrogated," Mohammed says. "The interrogation would begin at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and would finish after eleven pm. I was beaten all the time, especially if the soldiers did not get the answers they wanted.
"I was sent to be beaten by other soldiers and forced to stand in the rain with only thin clothes on. They would try to convince me that I did something that I did not do in order to get the confession they wanted. After being tortured at the detention centre for one month, I was in prison for 13 months."
Shocking photographs of torture at U.S. military bases and detention centres in Iraq and Afghanistan outraged people across the globe, but Palestinians say they have endured similar treatment inside Israeli interrogation centres since the 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
But Mohammed Mahsiri's story is different. He endured considerable physical and psychological torture by Israeli interrogators and prison guards when he was just short of 17 years old.
What is being witnessed and documented within the detention centres and prison camps is widespread, systematic violation of international laws experienced by Palestinian children under 18 years old, including torture, interrogation, physical beatings, deplorable living conditions and no access to fair trial, according to reports by human rights groups and legal observers.
Under Israeli military orders in force inside the occupied West Bank and Gaza, any Palestinian over the age of 16 is considered an adult, while inside Israel the age of an adult is 18 -- even though Israel is a signatory to the International Convention of the Rights of the Child, which defines all children as under 18 years old.
Moreover, Palestinian children over 14 years old are tried as adults in an Israeli military court, and are often put into prisons with adults. These are also direct violations of international law.
According to the latest figures offered by an independent group, there are 398 Palestinian children currently inside Israeli detention centres and prisons. Ayed Abuqtaish, research cocoordinator with Defence for Children International's Ramallah offices, told IPS that the youngest child being held in prison is just 14 years old.
"Usually, the Israeli troops invade the child's house in the middle of the night, in order to frighten the child and his family," Abuqtaish told IPS. "Many Israeli soldiers and vehicles surround the house, and other soldiers invade or force their way into the house.
"They intimidate the child to prepare him for interrogation. When the child arrives at the interrogation centre, they employ different methods of torture."
There are widespread reports of physical beatings, Abuqtaish says, "but currently, they concentrate mainly on psychological torture like sleep deprivation, or depriving him of food or water, or putting him in solitary confinement, or threatening him with the demolition of his home or the arrest of other family members. Children have also reported that the Israeli interrogators have threatened to sexually abuse them."
Israel has consistently defended its policies of interrogation inside detention centres and prisons, saying that it is a necessary tool against the war on terror. In 1987, according to Israel's Landau Commission of Inquiry into interrogation policies, the state determined that "a moderate degree of pressure, including physical pressure, in order to obtain crucial information, is unavoidable under certain circumstances."
"Israel is a state party to the International Convention Against Torture," Abuqtaish said. "In its reports to the committee, Israel always says that their use of 'moderate physical pressure' is consistent with the obligation of the treaty, but, needless to say, 'moderate physical pressure' is obviously torture in itself."
Palestinian children in the Israeli prison system are not given any legal advocacy and are denied most of their rights, involved lawyers say.
Arne Malmgren, a Swedish lawyer, has worked as a legal observer inside Israeli military courts during trials of Palestinian children. "The Israeli court system does not look like any other court system in the world," Malmgren told IPS. "Israeli military staff, the judge, the prosecutor, the interpreter -- they are all in military uniform. There are plenty of soldiers with weapons inside the courtroom.
"The small children come into the courtroom in handcuffs and full chains; there can be up to seven children at the same time in the courtroom. One lawyer described it as a cattle market. The trial is more like a plea bargain -- before the proceedings, the prosecutor and the lawyer have already agreed on the child's sentence, and then they just ask the judge if he agrees, and he almost always does.
"There are no witnesses, nothing. And the worst thing is what happened before the child arrives at the courtroom -- when they interrogate these young boys and girls to get them to sign confessions to things they may or may not have done."
As negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli officials move forward this week in a possible prisoner exchange deal that may include the release of all imprisoned Palestinian women and children in a swap for an Israeli occupation soldier captured by Palestinian groups in Gaza last June, many Palestinians, including Mohammed Mahsiri, are hoping to see relatives, friends and loved ones come home.
"When I was released from prison, it was the best day of my life," Mahsiri tells IPS. "We were beaten every day. The food was very bad. It was the hardest thing we had to face. No child should ever have to experience that."
Israeli forces injure and arrest journalists at protest against Wall
Palestine News Network (Apr 14, 2007)
The People's Committee against the Wall expressed dismay at the brutal attack on demonstrators. A statement issued Friday said that by targeting the nonviolent resistance Israeli forces aim to suppress and discourage the continuing struggle against the Wall and settlements. A major condemnation was also issued against assaulting and arresting journalists who “reflect the truth.” Israeli forces are accused of trying to dissuade journalists from covering events in Bil'in.
The Israeli Wall and settlements exist in direct contravention to international law.
Olmert mulling talks with Arab League working group
Reuters (Apr 14, 2007)
Palestinian village celebrates lettuce festival
Ynet News (Apr 14, 2007)
Resilient plant
Palestinian village celebrates lettuce festival
Thirteenth Annual Artas Lettuce Festival kicks off near Bethlehem; includes competitions, performances tackling social issues
Ynet
The Thirteenth Annual Artas Lettuce Festival opened on Thursday in the village of Artas, south of the West Bank City of Bethlehem, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported.
According to the report, the festival organizers said that the lettuce is "a fitting symbol, not only of the special fertility of the Artas Valley land but also the resilience of the Palestinian people … and the spirit of sumud or steadfastness in the face of adversity."
"For this plant has the power to survive the bitter cold and heavy rains of winter and to emerge fresh and green in the spring," the festival leaflet says.
According to the report, there will be opportunities to pick and taste Artas' famous lettuce. Other home-grown foods and crafts will also be displayed during the festival, such as during the farmers' market on Thursday afternoon. Home-cooked traditional meals will also be on offer.
Artas lettuce (Photo: AFP)
Many dramatic and folkloric performances are planned, including of the traditional Palestinian folk dance 'dabke', said the Ma'an report.
There will be three plays – St. George and the Dragon', 'Ya Baladi' and 'The Story of Muna' – and two puppet shows during the festival. Many of the shows address the issue of Palestinian movement restrictions, such as St. George tackling the Wall and lettuce farmers attempting to reach the Jerusalem market. 'The Story of Muna' and the 'Dreams of Halima' puppet show tackle the issue of early marriage and honor killings.
There will also be recitals of traditional poetry and a Bedouin goat-haired tent where festival-goers can experience the sounds of the 'rababa' string instrument, the report added.
There will be many events aimed at children, including games, competitions, puppet shows and dancing. There will also be a drawing competition during the festival, in which the top prize will be $500.
Allowing Palestinians to reconnect with their land
According to Ma'an, foreign artwork will also be displayed during the four-day festival, including Sufi texts of the Turkish philosopher and poet Mevlana Celaleddin-i Belhi-Rumi, displayed by the Turkish Cultural Centre in Jerusalem.Textiles, objects and photos from Uzbekistan will also be displayed thanks to the Uzbek Cultural Centre in Jerusalem.
The festival organizers are planning guided walks and hikes which are aimed at promoting enjoyment and appreciation of the Palestinian countryside.
According to the festival organizers, the festival is the "first agrarian festival in modern Palestine". This festival "honors the Palestinian peasant and allows Palestinians to reconnect with their land, heritage, and each other".
Israel suspends officer for use of Palestinians as human shields
The Associated Press (Apr 13, 2007)
1 in 5 Palestinians imprisoned since 1967
Maan News (Apr 13, 2007)
UN envoy on children says Israel broke international law
Ynet News (Apr 13, 2007)
MK Bishara confirms intent to resign
Haaretz (Apr 13, 2007)
A boycott by any other name...
James Bowen, Haaretz (Apr 13, 2007)
Nora Barrows-Friedman, Inter Press Service, Apr 14, 2007
This article was originally published by the Inter Press Service and is republished with the author's permission.
 |
| Salah Abu Rayeh, a Palestinian teenager from the Alarob refugee camp who was tortured in Israeli prisons. (Maan Images) |
About a year and a half ago, he tells IPS, he and his friend were walking down the street when Israeli military jeeps surrounded them, shouted at them in Hebrew to stop, and forced them inside a jeep.
"I was taken to a detention centre and interrogated," Mohammed says. "The interrogation would begin at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and would finish after eleven pm. I was beaten all the time, especially if the soldiers did not get the answers they wanted.
"I was sent to be beaten by other soldiers and forced to stand in the rain with only thin clothes on. They would try to convince me that I did something that I did not do in order to get the confession they wanted. After being tortured at the detention centre for one month, I was in prison for 13 months."
Shocking photographs of torture at U.S. military bases and detention centres in Iraq and Afghanistan outraged people across the globe, but Palestinians say they have endured similar treatment inside Israeli interrogation centres since the 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
But Mohammed Mahsiri's story is different. He endured considerable physical and psychological torture by Israeli interrogators and prison guards when he was just short of 17 years old.
What is being witnessed and documented within the detention centres and prison camps is widespread, systematic violation of international laws experienced by Palestinian children under 18 years old, including torture, interrogation, physical beatings, deplorable living conditions and no access to fair trial, according to reports by human rights groups and legal observers.
Related stories
|
Under Israeli military orders in force inside the occupied West Bank and Gaza, any Palestinian over the age of 16 is considered an adult, while inside Israel the age of an adult is 18 -- even though Israel is a signatory to the International Convention of the Rights of the Child, which defines all children as under 18 years old.
Moreover, Palestinian children over 14 years old are tried as adults in an Israeli military court, and are often put into prisons with adults. These are also direct violations of international law.
According to the latest figures offered by an independent group, there are 398 Palestinian children currently inside Israeli detention centres and prisons. Ayed Abuqtaish, research cocoordinator with Defence for Children International's Ramallah offices, told IPS that the youngest child being held in prison is just 14 years old.
"Usually, the Israeli troops invade the child's house in the middle of the night, in order to frighten the child and his family," Abuqtaish told IPS. "Many Israeli soldiers and vehicles surround the house, and other soldiers invade or force their way into the house.
"They intimidate the child to prepare him for interrogation. When the child arrives at the interrogation centre, they employ different methods of torture."
There are widespread reports of physical beatings, Abuqtaish says, "but currently, they concentrate mainly on psychological torture like sleep deprivation, or depriving him of food or water, or putting him in solitary confinement, or threatening him with the demolition of his home or the arrest of other family members. Children have also reported that the Israeli interrogators have threatened to sexually abuse them."
Israel has consistently defended its policies of interrogation inside detention centres and prisons, saying that it is a necessary tool against the war on terror. In 1987, according to Israel's Landau Commission of Inquiry into interrogation policies, the state determined that "a moderate degree of pressure, including physical pressure, in order to obtain crucial information, is unavoidable under certain circumstances."
"Israel is a state party to the International Convention Against Torture," Abuqtaish said. "In its reports to the committee, Israel always says that their use of 'moderate physical pressure' is consistent with the obligation of the treaty, but, needless to say, 'moderate physical pressure' is obviously torture in itself."
Palestinian children in the Israeli prison system are not given any legal advocacy and are denied most of their rights, involved lawyers say.
Arne Malmgren, a Swedish lawyer, has worked as a legal observer inside Israeli military courts during trials of Palestinian children. "The Israeli court system does not look like any other court system in the world," Malmgren told IPS. "Israeli military staff, the judge, the prosecutor, the interpreter -- they are all in military uniform. There are plenty of soldiers with weapons inside the courtroom.
"The small children come into the courtroom in handcuffs and full chains; there can be up to seven children at the same time in the courtroom. One lawyer described it as a cattle market. The trial is more like a plea bargain -- before the proceedings, the prosecutor and the lawyer have already agreed on the child's sentence, and then they just ask the judge if he agrees, and he almost always does.
"There are no witnesses, nothing. And the worst thing is what happened before the child arrives at the courtroom -- when they interrogate these young boys and girls to get them to sign confessions to things they may or may not have done."
As negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli officials move forward this week in a possible prisoner exchange deal that may include the release of all imprisoned Palestinian women and children in a swap for an Israeli occupation soldier captured by Palestinian groups in Gaza last June, many Palestinians, including Mohammed Mahsiri, are hoping to see relatives, friends and loved ones come home.
"When I was released from prison, it was the best day of my life," Mahsiri tells IPS. "We were beaten every day. The food was very bad. It was the hardest thing we had to face. No child should ever have to experience that."
posted by annie at 6:02 AM
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