The scenes being described on the ground are heartbreaking.
How could leaders of so-called civilised countries have abstained or voted against a ceasefire in the UN?
“They’ve the blood of thousands on their hands,” says Holly Cairns TD. Footage taken from Leaders’ Questions debate between Holly Cairns, Leader of the Social Democrats, and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on 13 December, 2023.
This 12-year-old Palestinian was taken to an Israeli interrogation centre without a lawyer or parent, after being accused of throwing stones at Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank.
A 12-year-old Palestinian in the Occupied West Bank has been detained for hours at an Israeli interrogation centre before being released. He told Al-Jazeera about the intimidation, fear and threats he faced.
Israel has over 7,000 Palestinians in prison, most held without charges. The others faced long sentences for gathers of 10 or more for what Israel calls political expression. Palestinians are banned from displaying their flag or political symbols. Again a 10 year prison sentence. 10 years if a Palestinian orally attempts to influence public opinion in a way Israel thinks would harm public peace. Remember, these rules only apply to the Palestinians, not the Israeli settlers in Palestinian territory. Life in prison for any act that Israel determines a disturbance or a danger to the security of the area or threats the security of the IDF (military). That includes kids throwing rocks at the illegal wall Israel built in Palestinian territory. Of course the laws are written very vague so they can be applied to anything a Palestinian does that someone in Israel doesn’t like. Remember that while Israeli media and people held huge events celebrating the return of their family members, the Palestinians were warned they would be all be arrested if there was a similar celebration of returning family members.
Do you not see the Palestinians are kept in an open air prison with every aspect of their lives under the military control of Israeli IDF and at the mercy of any Jewish citizen who harms them. I recently watched a video of an illegal Jewish settler walk up to a Palestinian man who was unarmed and just shoot him. A few feet away was an Israel Soldier who did nothing. On the Palestinian’s land, he was a farmer shot on his own property. The Jewish man was never charged. There is more in the video. Hugs. Scottie
Israel has been engaged in harrowing negotiations to recover the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza following the October 7 attack. In exchange for their release, the Israeli government has a bargaining chip that is extremely valuable to Palestinians: the thousands of Palestinian prisoners locked up in Israeli prisons.
Each one of these Palestinian prisoners has been processed by Israel’s military court system, which exists completely separate from the civilian court system that Jewish Israelis interact with. This system and the military orders that govern it have their origins in the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1967.
In this video, two experts explain Israel’s military court system, why it’s been a focus of outcry from human rights organizations and why hostage negotiations have historically involved the exchange of Palestinian prisoners.
A possibly disturbing, but very accurate Parody about Ron Desantis’ version of public education. Lyrics and production work by The Freedom Toast – Video design and editing by Cinebot Video. Created for Parody Project Executive Producers for Parody Project Don Caron and Jerry Pender
This is the last one I am going to post this morning on Palestinian kids being abused by the Israeli military. They simply don’t see these kids and the other Palestinians as humans like themselves. They feel they alone have a right to the land and all on it. They feel entitled to it despite it belonging to someone else, so they feel they have a right to just take it while abusing those that might be on it. Hugs. Scottie
Some of the abuses are sexual in nature, in addition to being beaten, handcuffed and blindfolded, a report says.
Human rights groups in Israel have denounced the use of unnecessary force to arrest or detain Palestinian children and other violations [File: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images]
Palestinian minors arrested by Israeli forces face immense emotional and physical abuse, according to the rights group Save the Children, which has revealed the tragedy minors go through as detainees in a new report.
In the report published on Monday, the group said some of the former child detainees it spoke to reported violence of a sexual nature, while many others were beaten, handcuffed and blindfolded in small cages in detention centres and upon being moved between centres.
Jason Lee, Save the Children’s country director in the occupied Palestinian territory, said Palestinian children are the only ones in the world to experience systematic prosecution in military courts.
There is a marked increase in the number of former child detainees who suffer nightmares and insomnia and have difficulty returning to their normal life, with many reporting a decrease in hope for their futures.
The study said 86 percent of the 228 former child detainees surveyed were beaten in detention, and 69 percent were strip-searched, adding that 42 percent were injured at the point of arrest, including gunshot wounds and broken bones.
They were also interrogated at unknown locations without the presence of a guardian or caregiver and are often deprived of food, water and sleep, the report says.
In addition, they were often refused access to legal counsel, according to the research.
Save the Children said the former child detainees surveyed were from across the occupied West Bank and had been detained for one month to 18 months.
The report says: “The main alleged crime for these detentions is stone-throwing, which can carry a 20-year sentence in prison for Palestinian children.”
Palestinian children are the only ones in the world to experience systematic prosecution in military courts [File: Getty Images]
The new research comes as the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 presents evidence on Monday to the Human Rights Council on Palestinian children in detention.
It is estimated that between 500 and 1,000 children are held in Israeli military detention each year.
Former detainee accounts
Osama Arabi, a former detainee who is now 44 years old, said he was strip-searched when he was arrested as a minor.
“I did not understand what they were searching for. They didn’t say. It was humiliating; it made me very angry,” Osama, who was arrested as a 14-year-old, told Al Jazeera.
Save the Children said these practices are a serious and longstanding human rights concern and called for the government of Israel to end the detention of Palestinian children under military law and their prosecution in military courts.
Khalil, who was arrested when he was 13, said he did not receive essential healthcare.
Save the Children quoted him as saying: “I had an injury in my leg. I had a cast and had to crawl to be able to move. I felt my body being torn apart. I had no canes to help me walk, I kept asking soldiers for help during the transfer, but no one helped me.”
Country director Lee said: “Our research shows – once again – that they [Palestinian children] are subject to serious and widespread abuse at the hands of those who are meant to be looking after them.”
Scottie's Playtime 