Israeli settler colonialism and apartheid is based on the extermination of the indigenous population and the elimination of their hope of living freely. Palestinian children represent that hope.
Israeli prison authorities refuse to end Ahmad Manasra’s solitary confinement, despite his serious risk of suicide and self-harm. In doing so, Israel is effectively condemning him to a slow death.
The Israeli assault on Palestinians continues to intensify as Israel has arrested at least 42 people across the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the last three days and carried out a military invasion of Ramallah.
A new report from Defense for Children International – Palestine concludes, “From the widespread ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children to the systematic denial of their due process rights emerges a system of control that masquerades as justice.”
Shadi Khoury is just one of the countless Palestinian children to be imprisoned by the Israeli army and put in front of Israel’s colonial military court system, with a conviction rate of 99.8 percent.
Ahmad Manasra’s childhood was stolen from him by Israeli military courts. His life mirrors those of thousands of Palestinian children who have been targeted by Israel since birth.
The Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem rallies around Athal al-Azzeh, a 14-year-old Palestinian boy arrested by the Israeli occupation.
In February a Rochester, NY, radio station aired a wonderful panel, of pro-Palestinian activists, one of whom deplored children being “taken from their parents” in nighttime raids. Pro-Israel groups attacked the station for the allegedly antisemitic charge that Israeli soldiers “rip children from their parents’ arms.” Well, they do rip children from their parents arms. And the silence of local progressive activists in the face of the antisemitism claim is dismaying.
On Jan 28 about 30 activists showed up at the office of Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) to protest the congressman’s “lack of support for
Palestine.” The California Democrat has not signed onto the McCollum bill aimed at protecting Palestinian children and has publicly opposed the BDS movement.
On Wednesday, Israeli forces arrested five Palestinian children, ranging between the ages of 8 and 13, in the South Hebron Hills as they picked the seasonal wild flowers to bring back home to their families. Eyewitnesses say the children were first attacked by Israeli settlers, and then detained by Israeli soldiers at the settlers’ demand. “This was obviously an attempt by the settlers to intimidate the boys by using the soldiers,” eyewitness Basel Adrah tells Mondoweiss. “They didn’t steal or damage anything. All they were doing was picking akoub. Is this a crime?”