15 Palestinian minors charged with stone throwing

Israeli police have filed indictments against 15 Palestinian minors in recent weeks for allegedly throwing stones at Israeli settler vehicles, Israeli media reported yesterday.

According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, all the Palestinian youths were between the ages of 15 and 17 and were suspected of throwing stones near the illegal Israeli settlement of Gush Etzion in the southern occupied West Bank.

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Palestinian stone throwers face harsh penalties by Israeli authorities, with Israel passing a law in 2015 which allows for a 20 year prison term to be passed down if a defendant is found guilty of throwing stones at vehicles and a minimum of three years for the act of throwing a stone at an Israeli – legislation rights groups say was designed specifically to target Palestinians, as Israelis and settlers are rarely prosecuted under the same law.

Included in the legislation are provisions allowing Israeli authorities to strip stone throwers of their state benefits and cancelling access to national health insurance and social services for the families of the accused.

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A Palestinian youth was sentenced to 18 years in prison in January for allegedly throwing a rock at an Israeli vehicle – the harshest sentence ever handed down for stone throwing.