A controversial bill that would allow the imprisonment of Palestinian children as young as 12 passed a major hurdle Sunday, and is now set to be debated by legislators. The bill has now been approved by Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislation, meaning it will head to the Knesset to be voted on. The proposed legislation will specifically impact Palestinian children in occupied East Jerusalem, where authorities cannot imprison children with Israeli-issued residency permits younger than 14. Palestinian children 12 years and older living under Israel's military occupation of the West Bank can already be imprisoned by Israeli forces. Advocates of the bill say it will only allow for the imprisonment of children charged with violent crimes of a “nationalistic” nature, such as stabbings targeting Israeli settlers. However, human rights groups have warned the bill will move civilian law more in line with harsh measures implemented in the West Bank by the military occupation. "Israel's (civilian) penal laws are becoming more and more similar to military laws in the occupied West Bank," Rafat Sub Laban from the Addameer Prisoner Support Network told Al Jazeera. Over 150 Palestinian children were in Israeli prisons as of August this year, according to the latest figures from Israeli human rights group B'Tselem. According to the human rights organization, “Minors have more difficulty than adults in dealing with the law enforcement system.” “The separation from their families, the interrogation, the punishment—all are much more intense and have more significant and longer term impact on the lives of minors,” B'Tselem has warned. Source URL |
