Israel detains 835 Palestinian youths for hurling stones

OVER the past five years, Israel’s military has detained more than 800 Palestinian youths and children for pelting rocks at Israeli soldiers, and has interrogated and jailed many of them, a rights group said in a new report.

Drawing on military statistics and interviews for its 70-page report, the Israeli rights group B’Tselem counted 835 minors who were taken into custody from 2005 to early 2011, including 34 children who were 13 or younger.

B’Tselem said an 8-year-old was seized in the West Bank in February. Soldiers released the boy after realising he was not the child they were after, they wanted his 9-year-old brother. Troops handcuffed the 9-year-old, blindfolded him and took him to a detention centre where he was interrogated and held for five hours. Israeli forces released the boy after it was determined he was a minor.

A military spokeswoman said around 160 civilians and soldiers were wounded in violent attacks by minors. Some 10 were wounded when Palestinian youths threw projectiles.

Of the more than 800 minors charged with hurling rocks, one youth was found guilty in a trial. The other 93% were given jail terms after making plea bargains, agreeing mostly because they feared being detained while they waited for their cases to reach trial.