The children were kept in a field near an illegal place in the West Bank and released after several hours.
Israeli forces arrested five Palestinian children for several hours after confronting Jewish settlers while gathering wild vegetables near a settlement in the West Bank, a human rights group said. Israel Thursday.
B’Tselem released a video of the arrest in the mountains of southern Hebron, in which Israeli soldiers with large arms are seen dragging the children away.
Earlier photos show the children collecting akoub, an artichoke-like plant, when two masked settlers emerge from a tree garden near the illegal Havat Maon settlement.
The center is near Masafer Yatta, a cluster of about 19 Palestinian villages. The area is often the target of attacks by Israeli militants and settlers.
“This is another example of the total disregard shown by Israeli authorities and forces on the ground for the well-being and rights of Palestinians, no matter how young or vulnerable,” AmT Gilutz’s B’Tselem arguments said.
“The youngest boy since yesterday’s incident is eight years old,” he said.
The children, aged from eight to 13, were detained for about five hours at a police station in the city of Kiryat Arba, according to Gaby Lasky, a human rights lawyer who represents them. The two eldest, aged 12 and 13, were ordered to return next week for further questioning because, under Israeli military law, they are thought to be old enough to face charges.
Earlier today, five Palestinian children aged 8–12 were detained by Israeli military soldiers after picking wildflowers, at the behest of Israeli settlers whose presence is in an illegally owned area. .
information and video through @btselem pic.twitter.com/SoaiamNHL1
– Ben White (@benabyad) March 10, 2021
The Israeli military said “several suspects” were detained after they “infiltrated into private house ownership.” They said they were handed over to Israeli police, who released their parents.
According to Defense for Children International, Israel prosecutes between 500 and 700 Palestinian children in armed courts each year. Addameer Prisoners’ Rights Group has said 140 Palestinian children are currently in prison with Israel.
Havat Maon is one of dozens of settlements established without Israeli government permission, as well as about 130 officially recognized settlements in the West Bank. The settlements, which range from remote hilltop locations to densely populated cities, are home to nearly half a million Israelis.
Lasky said it was “false” to accuse the children of crossing into an illegally constructed area.
The harassment of young Palestinian children by Israeli settlers and their frequent arrests and detention by Israeli forces implies a pattern of violations of international law – and may also violate again on U.S. law to the extent that U.S. military equipment is used https: // t. co / Z9l4q4oqR9
– Dylan Williams (@dylanotes) March 11, 2021
The Palestinians see every city as illegal and a major obstacle to their goal of achieving an independent state including the West Bank, which Israel captured in war 1967. The international community also largely sees the settlements as illegal and a barrier to peace.
On Thursday, a group of Israeli settlers fired their guns at two Palestinian children in Masafer Yatta. The two children, aged 12 and 13, were not injured in the attack.
Rateb Jabour, coordinator of the Wallon and Settlement Challenge Commission in Hebron, told Palestinian news agency WAFA that the settlers opened fire to the children while grazing sheep in an area. Masafer Yatta.
Many of the settlements were established by religious nationalists who are hostile to the local Palestinian people. B’Tselem has reported an increase in the violence of settlers in recent months and said Israeli militants often turn a bad eye.