Early morning, March 2007, a school bus ferrying high school students to school from al Aroub refugee camp was stopped by Israeli soldiers. Allegedly a coke can was thrown from the bus window near where Israeli soldiers where standing. The female students were forced to walk the remaining distance to school, while the bus driver was told to drive the thirteen boys to Gush Etzion military detention centre. The boys were individually interrogated, threatened, insulted and beaten to encourage them to sign a statement written in Hebrew confessing to throwing stones at the soldiers. They were released at midnight without charge. The five boys photographed were on the bus that day.

 

Since the beginning of 2001, Israel has detained around 5,000 Palestinian children, according to Defense for Children International, for participation or ‘suspected participation’ in Palestinian resistance. According to the Palestine Monitor, “...Palestinian children are being arrested as the first resort and imprisoned for long periods of time.”

 

Children, oftentimes arbitrarily arrested, are not protected in the Israeli military court system and are often denied access to legal counsel and intimidated into collaboration with Israeli intelligence. Children are often held without charge or trial in administrative detention, and sometimes in facilities in Israel, in contravention to international law.