Israel detains over 400 Palestinian children in 2020
Around 470 Palestinian children have been arrested since the beginning of this year
By Yara Younes
As the world community marks International Children’s Day, Israeli authorities have arrested over 400 Palestinian children under 18 both boys and girls in the first 10 months of 2020.
In a statement released by The Palestinian Prison Society (PPS), a nongovernmental organization (NGO):
“The Israeli occupation authorities have arrested 400 Palestinian children under the age of 18 since the beginning of this year, most of them from East Jerusalem.”
“Israel is committing various violations against Palestinian children during their detention, including preventing them from completing their studies, depriving some of them of family visits in prison, and isolating them in individual cells.”
Children are often arrested with no charge or trial, they are often not allowed an attorney or a parent present. The most common charge against Palestinian children is stone-throwing, for which they could spend up to 20 years in prison.
Since 2015, Israel has passed new laws that would legalize the issuance of higher prison sentences for children, in some cases up to life imprisonment.
