Parliamentary debate on the illegal military detention, transfer and treatment of Palestinian children by Israel

Press Release – 6 January 2016 – for immediate release

On 6th January 2016, Sarah Champion MP led a Parliamentary debate on the illegal military detention, transfer and treatment of Palestinian children by Israel and made a series of demands, among them that the UK government establish a watch list of those involved and make a commitment to arrest and prosecute them should they enter the UK.

In her address Sarah said:
“The issue of transferring detainees en-masse from occupied Palestinian territory is a standalone issue because it is a war crime… and after nearly half a century, it requires decisive action in accordance with our international legal obligations. The 4th Geneva Convention makes it clear that the UK has a positive legal obligation to search for persons accused of committing grave breaches and to ensure that if such persons enter the UK, they are arrested and prosecuted with all speed.”

Sarah also raised serious concerns about the treatment of Palestinian children at every stage of the Israeli criminal justice system, including reports of systemic abuse by Israeli authorities and the continued use of night raids on Palestinian homes in making arrests.

There are currently 407 12-17-year-olds held in Israeli prisons and figures released by Military Court Watch (MCW), an organisation of lawyers based in the region, show that the detention of children is at its highest since March 2009 and has increased by 138 per cent since September 2015.

Repeated reports have condemned the treatment, transfer and detention of children and adults in prisons held inside Israel. A UNICEF report in 2014 and later in 2015 made 38 recommendations, namely that: “In accordance with international law, all Palestinian children detained in the Israeli military detention system shall be held in facilities located in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
The policy of transferring Palestinian prisoners into Israel began in 1967. MCW report that in November 2015 59 per cent of children detainees were transferred to Israel, along with 86 per cent of adult prisoners.

The forcible transfer of people from occupied territories is considered a breach of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and is now considered a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Article 8(2)(a)(vii).

For more information contact: Bill Brown Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East (LFPME).

Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East (LFPME) is a voluntary group within the Labour movement that campaigns for peace and justice in the Middle East through the implementation of international law and respect for human rights. Email: info@lfpme.org – twitter: @lfpme

Notes to Editors:

MCW Palestinian ‘security’ prisoner figures
UNICEF updated report (Feb 2015) Children in Israeli Military Detention

Sarah Champion MP on Israel-Palestine
Gaza Is a Horrific Humanitarian Disaster That We Cannot Allow to Continue (29/9/2015)
How Israeli Settlements Are Impacting the Palestinians Rightfully Living There (2/10/2015)What Can We Personally Do to Get Lasting Peace Between Palestine and Israel? (21/10/2015)