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https://theconversation.com/children-in-palestine-and-israel-continue-to-suffer-as-international-law-is-routinely-ignored-215290>
"Among the hundreds already dead in the latest hostilities between Israel and
Hamas, very many are children. And despite the killing of children being
invoked by both sides as evidence of their enemy’s brutality, the death toll
will no doubt continue to rise.
Because for decades now, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown any willingness to
abide by a basic principle of international humanitarian law – that in the
context of warfare, every effort should be made to spare the young.
This aspect of the conflict rarely receives the attention it deserves from
politicians or the media. But it is a subject that has been central to my
research for many years.
A 1977 addition to the Geneva conventions (article 77) states that: “Children
shall be the object of special respect and shall be protected against any form
of indecent assault.”
It goes on to say that the opposing sides should provide children with “the
care and aid they require”. But there is scant evidence of this care being
shown by either Hamas or Israel.
The indiscriminate launch of rockets into Israel has exposed children there to
trauma, injury and death. In the recent attack, Hamas militants killed the
young alongside their parents.
Meanwhile, countless Palestinian children die in bombardments of the Gaza
Strip. In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the killing of Palestinian children
is a frequent occurrence that goes unpunished.
We also see a complete disregard for international law in the abduction of
children by enemy forces. Following the recent Hamas attack on Israel, shocking
reports have emerged of Israeli children taken hostage by Hamas and transported
into the Gaza Strip alone or with their parents.
Also shocking is the longstanding and routine abduction of Palestinian
children, some as young as 12. Arrest by Israeli forces typically takes place
in the middle of the night. Children are transferred to prisons, often within
Israel where are they are commonly assaulted by guards, and denied access to
legal representation and family.
Administrative detention often lasts for months, with release offered only
after signing a confession, typically for throwing stones. But those
confessions are obtained under threat of continued imprisonment.
Such violations continue with impunity. The mainstream media rarely report on
violations of Palestinian children’s basic rights, while political leaders look
the other way."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
