Israel must stop arrests, 'abuse' of Palestinian minors, European MPs say
The Parliamentary Assembly of Europe voted on a report calling for Israel to stop detaining Palestinian minors.
By LAHAV HARKOVUpdated: OCTOBER 11, 2018 01:52MK Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid) at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, October 10, 2018 (Knesset Spokesman's Office)
Israel should stop administrative detentions of Palestinian minors, members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said Tuesday in Strasbourg, France.PACE voted 47-11 to approve a report calling on Israel to work with UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross to “change laws, practices and attitudes so as to fully protect the rights of Palestinian minors in the Israeli justice system.”Among those who voted against the report were representatives of the UK, Switzerland, Estonia and Moldova, who criticized it as unbalanced.Yesh Atid MK Aliza Lavie alleged the report was “one-sided and distorted,” because it failed to mention the participation of Palestinian minors in terrorism and violence, incitement in Palestinian textbooks, or the payments the Palestinian Authority makes to terrorists and their families.“While you worked on writing this report in an air-conditioned room, an Israeli was murdered in a shopping center by one of the minors you seek to protect,” Lavie stated, referring to the murder of Israeli father of four Ari Fuld by Palestinian 17-year-old Khalil Yusef Ali Jabarin last month.“While you condemn the arrests of potential terrorists, two more Israelis were slaughtered in their place of work,” Lavie added. “How many of the countries represented in this hall use administrative detentions to ensure their security? But when it comes to Israel, our right to defend ourselves is only on paper.”Lavie also referred to Palestinian youths being exposed to incitement: “Before you rush to condemn Israel, consider that Palestinian media frequently displays examples of encouraging hatred for Jews.”The report by Swiss MP Liliane Maury Pasquier argued abuse of Palestinians in Israeli military detention was “widespread, systematic and institutionalized” throughout the judiciary process. She called for an end to “all forms of physical or psychological abuse of children during arrest, transit and waiting periods, and during interrogations.”Minors should never be put in administrative detention or solitary confinement, and the age of criminal responsibility for children should be at least 14, the report stated.PACE is a forum of 47 states, which is older and broader than the 28-member European Union. It was founded in 1949, and includes countries such as Russia and Turkey, which are not in the EU. PACE focuses on human rights and democracy, and has parliamentary oversight over the European Court of Human Rights.