Australian news report on detained Palestinian children angers Israel

Australia’s ABC station aired a televised report on Palestinian children detained by the Israeli army, angering Israel. The report said children are treated with brutality when they are arrested from the streets or abducted from their parents’ homes.

ABC’s Middle East correspondent John Lyons prepared the report for the programme Four Corners. Lyons said: “The Israeli army has always been a feared fighting force. Today; it is the focus of accusations of ill-treatment of Palestinian children in the West Bank.”

The report reveals interviews with Palestinian youth describing ill-treatment, intimidation and threats they suffered while in detention. The youth claim that many of their relatives were abducted from their homes by the armed forces.

Israel’s international spokesman, Yigal Palmor told the documentary workers: “The natural reaction is that these are intolerable cases, and I would like my authorities to do their utmost to make sure that this will not be repeated and this will change. I believe this is what we are doing.”

However, settlers claimed “the Australian report ignores the settlers’ need for security and to ensure that children will not assault them.”