Tag: Child Arrest - Page 6 - International Solidarity Movement

Palestinian children continue to be imprisoned

9th March 2014| International Solidarity Movement, Team Khalil| Hebron, Occupied Palestine

On Tuesday 4th March, 14-year-old Wassem Rajabi from the Jabal Johar area of Hebron (al-Khalil), was detained and driven away by Israeli soldiers on his way back from school. This Thursday, after nine days in prison, his family will go to the police station to find out his fate. Recently, more than 50 children from the area have been arrested and imprisoned. In the last week alone, between 15-20 children were arrested, all under the age of 18.

Wassem Rajabi is from a family with few resources. His father died eight years ago in a work-place accident inside the 1948 areas, and he now lives with his mother, an older brother and two younger sisters. When Wassen did not come home from school last Tuesday, his family discovered he was taken by the Israeli military, imprisoned and transferred to Ramallah. He was charged with throwing stones at Israeli forces. His family have stated that he was at home at the time the incident were supposed to have occurred. As Wassem is only 14-years-old, he is too young to be imprisoned according to the United Nation’s declaration of human rights. However, Israeli forces detain and prolong detentions for children on a regular basis.

Wassem’s family has been told that he will spend 10 days in prison and will have to pay 2000 shekel, an amount impossible to raise by the family. If they do not pay this money, Wassem he could be facing as much as six months in prison. This coming Thursday the court will give their decision.

The Jabal Johar area is in the southern part of Hebron, very close to several illegal settlements. The children of the area need to pass one or more checkpoints to travel to their school, and are often subject to attacks from tear gas canisters, stun grenades and other forms of harassment by the Israeli army. International groups have reports of children as young as seven-years-old being detained by the Israeli military, and each week children as young as four have to pass through clouds of tear gas to reach their classes.

17 years old arrested at school in Al Sawiya

5th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Team Nablus | Al Sawiya, Occupied Palestine

On Monday March 3^rd, in the early afternoon, Obada Muhammad Saleh, a 17 years old Palestinian was arrested by the Israeli Forces in his school in Al Sawiya.

Four youth detained by the checkpoint ( Photo via ISM archives)

Around 1pm last Monday, was school children were leaving Al Sawiya’s school, ten Israeli soldiers invaded the school’s courtyard and threw stun grenades and tear gas grenades at the children in order to arrest Obada Muhammad Saleh, who was quietly walking out of his class. Soldiers blindfolded and handcuffed him in the back, before bringing the teenager to their jeep. Teachers who were trying to protect Obada were verbally assaulted by Israeli soldiers on the scene. The young 17 year old is now facing charges of “stone throwing.”

It is not the first time a minor gets arrested in Al Sawiya school located next to road 60, in Area C. Out of 413 students coming there from Al Sawiya, Al Lubban and ‘Ammuriya, twenty got arrested in the last 3 years. Out of necessity, teachers need to walk the kids to school everyday due to the constant presence of the army around the school.

Thirteen-year-old boy attacked by settlers then arrested at Checkpoint 56 in Hebron

25th January 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

On Saturday, January 25th at around 2:30 p.m., when a group of around 30 settlers were passing by Checkpoint 56 on Al-Shuhada Street in Hebron, two 13-year-old boys were attacked by five settlers. One of the boys, his father and a photographer were taken to the police station where they were interrogated for three hours by the police before being released.

Yazan Al-Sharabate, the boy who was arrested, left from his home on Al-Shuhada Street at 2:30 p.m. in the direction of Checkpoint 56. On his way, five settlers between the ages of 15 and 24 were harassing him. The five settlers caught up with Yazan and began to beat him. Yazan’s friend who was passing by was also assaulted when he tried to intervene to end the attack. Yazan’s father arrived and stopped the assault, but when a group of Israeli soldiers arrived they pushed Yazan to the ground and handcuffed him while the settlers ran away.

The Israeli police arrived and took the 13-year-old boy and his father to the police station. A Palestinian photographer, who had filmed some of the event, was also taken to the police station. At the police station the child was interrogated for more than an hour without the presence of his father before being released at 7:30 p.m.

Al-Shuhada street was previously the main market street of the Palestinian city of Hebron. In 1994, access was banned for Palestinian cars, and the restrictions continued to increase until the year 2000 when Palestinians were denied access to the street altogether. Only a few Palestinian families remain near the entrance to the street, settler attacks and harassment are not uncommon for those still living in this area, due to its close proximity to the illegal settlement of Beit Hadassah and the apartheid nature of this road.

Yazan Al-Sharabate just prior to his arrest (Photo by ISM)

Israeli soldiers restrain one of the settlers responsible for the attack (Photo by ISM)

VIDEO: Mornings in Khalil: child and adult detention

30th October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

This morning, Wednesday 30th October, as children made their way to school Israeli soldiers burst from an alleyway firing stun grenades and detained two 10-year-old boys. In a separate incident nearby, a Palestinian was detained and taken to a military base for unknown reasons.

This morning international activists were monitoring checkpoint 29 where many children pass through on their way to school, when approximately 6 Israeli soldiers ran from an alley, firing stun grenades directly at a group of children. The soldiers immediately grabbed one child (10-year-old) Nor and another (10-year-old) Mohammed, before firing another stun grenade towards the rest of the school children causing them to flee in panic.

Israeli soldiers marched the two young children to a nearby police station, refusing to answer why they were being taken when questioned by international activists. When a relative attempted to communicate with the boys, Israeli soldiers forcibly pushed him away and refused to answer his questions.

The children were detained inside the police station for approximately 45 minutes before being transferred to the Palestinian District Coordination Office (DCO) at 9:30.

Shortly after the young children were released, a Palestinian was questioned at a checkpoint on his way to work when he was aggressively pushed, handcuffed and taken to Tel Rumeida military base. No reason was given for this detention and the Palestinian was released shortly after.

Children in Khalil are routinely harassed on their way to school in this way; arrests and stun grenades are commonly used against them. Palestinians living under occupation experience regular detentions and arrests which are executed without just cause or reason.

Updated: Four children arrested on their way to school

7th October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

The children being detained by Israeli soldiers (photo by ISM).

Update 10th October: Two of the four children are now being held in Ofer Prison in Ramallah. They have been in custody since Sunday (6/10/13) morning. More updates will be published when they are available.

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Yesterday, Sunday the 6th of October, at 7:40 AM in Khalil, four children aged 12 and under (Sami Bent, Munif Darna, Muhammad Mussa Kremeri and one unconfirmed name) were arrested whilst on their way to school after a small gathering of children threw stones at Israeli soldiers.

At approximately 7:20 AM around 100 children were attempting to walk to school when they noticed 3 soldiers standing underneath a building. This was unusual behaviour from the soldiers and some of the youths and children present began to throw stones. Whilst these soldiers drew the attention of the children, 5 other soldiers approached from an alley. These soldiers then charged the crowd of children indiscriminately attempting to detain the nearest child regardless of whether they had thrown stones or not. As a result of this 4 young children were arrested.

International activists and local Palestinian’s challenged the legitimacy of these actions to no avail. After detaining these children behind army vehicles they subsequently released an 8 year old child from their custody. However shortly after this, they arrested Sami, a 12-year-old child.

These 4 children were then placed into the back of 2 army vehicles and driven away. Upon subsequent investigation the international activists who where present learnt they had been taken to a local police station located inside an illegal settlement. The activists then attended this site in an attempt to talk to an officer and notify them the children they had arrested where innocent of the alleged charges. The police officers would not interact with the activists and refused to bring a superior officer. It is currently unknown whether the children remain in custody, however activists groups were able to confirm they were still being held at 4pm yesterday afternoon.

The children of Khalil are regularly harassed by the Israeli forces; a recent incident was filmed where Israeli soldiers fired stun grenades and tear gas canisters towards crowds of school children.