UN accuses Israel of torturing Palestinian children

A UN committee has accused Israel of torturing Palestinian children in the occupied territories. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child says that thousands of Palestinian children have been tortured, injured or used as human shields by Israel’s occupation authorities.

In its annual report, the UN body claims that during a ten year period up to 7,000 children have been arrested, interrogated or detained. Palestinian children in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the report notes, are routinely denied official registration of their birth and access to healthcare, decent schools and clean water.

It is alleged that Israeli occupation forces have used children as human shields as a punishment for throwing stones at soldiers. This is the reason why most Palestinian children are arrested; it can carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Israel responded to the report by saying that it is “recycled material” but it would investigate whether there are any grounds for the charges that the UN is levelling at the occupation authorities.