Israel’s onslaught against the Palestinian people has systematically targeted children in both Gaza and the West Bank. The result is a war against an entire generation.
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.”
Rep. Betty McCollum and 16 cosponsors have reintroduced a bill prohibiting Israel from using US aid to detain Palestinian children, destroy Palestinian homes, or unilaterally annex Palestinian land.
Hamza Ashqar, 16, reportedly threw a piece of metal towards the army vehicles almost 100 feet away, when an Israeli soldier fired two fatal shots at him from inside one of the vehicles.
Last week the U.S. State Department called for an investigation into the death of a 7-year-old Palestinian boy after an Israeli raid in his village. This week State walked the demand back, in its effort to demand zero accountability from Israel for the deaths of dozens of Palestinian children in the occupied territories this year.
United Nation’s Special Rapporteur’s Francesca Albanese and Mary Lawlor condemn Israel’s attacks on Palestinian civil society organizations.
Days after the Israeli army raided and shuttered seven Palestinian civil society organizations, Israel is escalating its attacks on the groups, with Israeli intelligence officials reportedly threatening two of groups’ directors with arrest after calling them in for interrogation.
In a blatant attempt at intimidation, Israel is claiming that providing legal representation to Palestinian civil society organizations violates anti-terrorism laws.
Nine European Union states announced their support for the Palestinian civil society organizations that were arbitrarily deemed “terrorist institutions” by the Israeli government last year. The EU states rejected the Israeli designation, citing lack of proof.
The European Commission has restored funding to the Palestinian human rights groups Al-Haq despite an Israeli attack on it and five other Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations as having supposed terrorist links. “They can do anything they want. They can confiscate [our laptops and files]; they can close the office; they can arrest people; they can arrest me and criminalize me,” Shawan Jabarin of Al-Haq says. “We will not give up. I assure you we will not give up, and we will not step back.”