The IDF Must Stop Arresting Children

[Purveyor]

The unbearable ease with which the IDF, police and Border Police arrest small children shows that Israel is blatantly flouting both UNICEF’s report and its own laws.

Haaretz Editorial | Mar.31, 2013

Twenty-seven Palestinian children were ambushed and arrested by Israel Defense Forces soldiers in Hebron on March 20. Eighteen of them were less than 12 years old, the minimum age at which they can legally be held responsible for a crime.

This large-scale roundup was arbitrary. Soldiers arrested every child they saw on the street ? including first- and second-graders no older than 7 or 8 ? on suspicion of throwing stones at roadblock 160, which separates Palestinians from settlers.

Among them was 8-year-old Ahmed Abu Remeila, who was quoted by Gideon Levy in Haaretz on Friday as saying he was abducted by soldiers on his way to school from the grocery store, where he had bought himself a biscuit, and that he was held at the police station for almost two hours.

All 18 children under the age of 12 were eventually released, but their arrest was nevertheless utterly reprehensible. Under Israeli law, they should not have been arrested at all. In fact, the law forbid authorities from interrogating the older children as well, unless their parents and attorneys were present. This was not the case.

MORE...

http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/the-idf-must-stop-arresting-children.premium-1.512697

[Jefferson23]

1. It takes a great deal of courage to bully and terrorize little kids, all the while ignoring the law.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

2. Hey, give em a break.

The IDF can't always be torturing, shooting in the back, bulldozing homes or spraying skunk.

Sometimes they just want to take it easy and spread fear and hatred.

[muxin]

3. Sounds like Apartheid to me

[King_David]

4. Really which part ?

Just interested in what Apartheid means to you ?


Interesting that everything is Apartheid .

Got a feeling you don't know wtf apartheid is.

[muxin]

6. Yeah like you said.. Everything

Thousands of children were imprisoned without trial in South Africa under apartheid for minor mistakes, while it was unlawful to arrest white children. Same thing here.

[shira]

5. The OP is bullshit and here's why....

An open letter to B’Tselem spokesperson Sarit Michaeli and to Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy


Dear Sarit Michaeli and Gideon Levy

I am writing to seek your advice.

In the March 31 Jerusalem Post article “IDF releases video of Hebron kids throwing stones” you, (Ms. Michaeli) are quoted as saying

“Even if they (minors under 12) are throwing stones, they cannot be arrested.. there are other ways to deal with children that throw stones“.

http://www.jpost.com/National-News/IDF-releases-video-of-Hebron-kids-throwing-stones-308226

And Mr. Levy, there is a serious contradiction in your Haaretz article under the headline “Aged eight, wearing a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt, and placed in Israeli custody“. which first states that the arrests were made INDISCRIMINATELY and later states that when handed over to the Palestinian police and asked who had participated in the stone throwing all raised their hands in affirmative, from which it is obvious that the arrests were NOT INDISCRIMINATE.

http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/twilight-zone/aged-eight-wearing-a-mickey-mouse-sweatshirt-and-placed-in-israeli-custody.premium-1.512461

Similarly, the allegation on B’Tselem’s web site that there was mass detention of youths for unspecified suspicions is highly irresponsible and unsustainable. http://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20130320_minors_detained_in_hebron

More importantly, the Israelis showed due consideration to the ages of the youths. As you point out, most of the young children were released within a few hours and handed over to the Palestinian police who called the parents to come and collect them.

Not only I, but I’m sure the Israel government and the IDF would be very grateful to learn your secret about how to effectively deal with hate-indoctrinated kids who hurl rocks and stones like those thrown last Thursday at a car near Hebron, critically injuring an Israeli mother and her baby who is still fighting for her life as well as the rocks that injured another motorist on the same day near Na’alin.

more...
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/open-letter-to-btselem-spokesperson-sarit-michaeli-and-to-haaretz-columnist-gideon-levy/

[azurnoir]

7. Thanks shira for the opinion piece from international Coalition of Hasbara Volunteers

too little way too late the only possible believability in this is if it was the first time anyone ever heard about this

[shira]

8. Read the bolded part, see the video, and compare.

B'tselem and Gideon Levy were wrong. Those weren't indiscriminate arrests based on unspecified suspicions. The video couldn't be more clear. But the headlines worked, as the lie made it around the world before the truth even got its pants on.

Here's ElectronicIntifada's bullshit take on it:
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/video-obama-lands-israeli-soldiers-violently-arrest-palestinian-8-year-olds-their

The IDF, just arresting innocent kids on their way to school....



Deliberate demonization.

[azurnoir]

9. Read the bolded parts saw the vids

thanks for attempting to justify IDF jailing little kids

[shira]

10. So you believe the IDF just indiscriminately arrested kids on their way....

...to school, based on unspecified suspicions?

Yes or No?

If you were a journalist writing about this NOW, that's how you'd report it?

[azurnoir]

11. I believe IDF rounded up kids and no it was not completely indiscriminate

as they only arrested Palestinian kids

[shira]

12. So your headline & reporting would be no different, right? n/t

[azurnoir]

13. Nope not much different IDF still arrested an 8 year old

but please do continue to attempt to make that somehow okay

but as I said it was not indiscriminate at all as IDF only seems to detain 8 year old children if they are Palestinian

[shira]

14. So you agree with the deceit and BS....

A better description of the events is that the kids were throwing rocks and they were arrested due to that. Say what you will about procedures WRT children. But no, not good enough...

Better to portray the IDF, Israel, or Zionists as something way beyond that. Better to make them look malicious, irrationally evil. Demonize, defame, delegitimize and of course dehumanize them....whatever it takes.

That's what it's all about, right?

[azurnoir]

15. Did Israel arrest young children yes or no?

now you can attempt to make that somehow okay if it comforts you but that is the main point, it doesn't matter where they were going quibble the details all you wish it does not change the fact that Israel are4sts Palestinian children in the Occupied territories at a younger age than it does Israeli settler children

[shira]

16. Israel didn't do it indiscriminately as if there were no reason whatsoever.....

That's what those articles clearly state and they're all lying.

Why can't you admit that?

[azurnoir]

17. yes or no ? did israel arrest 8 years olds?

if that 8 year old had been a settler kid would they been arrested?

[shira]

19. Of course. Now answer me please. n/t

[azurnoir]

21. I already have answered you

but at least you are now admitting that Israel applies different standards in it's militarily occupied areas based on what ethnic/religious group the 'offending person' belongs to, what is that called again.........

[shira]

22. What answer? That you see no lie, no deception? n/t

[azurnoir]

18. Here is an example and these were not kids but they were settlers

At the beginning of March, K., a Palestinian resident of the village of Al Mughayer, took his herd to pasture. As readers of this blog may have noticed, many of the incidents reported here take place in pasture lands; it’s a part of the attempt by the settlers to prevent Palestinians from working their land or grazing it. As soon as the Palestinians abandon the land as a result of the terror campaign (the Israeli government at best does not hinder, and at worst, quietly supports the settlers), begins a process ends with the settlers taking over the land.

K. said he encountered a group of about 10 men, who he thought were settlers. They were not hooded. Another person at the scene, Y., noted that some of the settlers were armed; Y. is certain he can identify them.

The settlers began throwing stones at K., hit him in the head, and he collapsed. Y. saw them approaching K. and throwing another stone at his head, even after he fell. This shouldn’t be surprising: a similar incident was documented in June, 2005 (Hebrew). Settlers threw one stone after the other at the head of an unconscious Palestinian boy, while IDF soldiers on the scene did little. This incident, noted mostly because it was captured on film, caused some outrage at the time; then, as usual, it was forgotten. Israelis are good at forgetting such incidents.

Y. rushed to help K., since he feared for the latter’s life. As a result, he says, the settlers began stoning him too. He retreated and the settlers used the opportunity to try and drive some of his sheep towards Adei Ad, an outpost adjacent to the pasture land. Some of them preferred killing the sheep: one of the settlers threw stones at the heads of the sheep, while another slaughtered some with a blade. Some of K.’s sheep were stabbed to death; some of Y.’s were wounded by stones, and may die.

http://972mag.com/when-the-stones-fly-the-wrong-way/68595/

[shira]

20. We're talking 2 different things. We can agree or disagree on the kids....

But the other thing is the lie about Israel arresting these kids for no reason, as if they were going to school like innocents, not bothering a soul....

Total lie.

You disagree?

[azurnoir]

23. can you prove that each and every young child Israel arrested was throwing rocks?

and the fact that had these children been 'settlers' they would not have ever been arrested still stands

[shira]

24. Stick to one thing please. This isn't about settlers. That's another subject....

I find it amazing that you are incapable of admitting that those claims of indiscriminate arrests are misleading.

The only reason must be that you agree with the very obvious & deliberate campaign going on which demonizes, dehumanizes, and delegitimizes Israel, Israelis, Zionists, Zionism....

That's hate.

[azurnoir]

25. I used the settler adults getting away with what an young Palestinian child would be detained for

as an example of exactly what I'm talking about here and once again no the arrests were not indiscriminate they are aimed at Palestinians and only Palestinians