1_March 2019, Ramallah – On the occasion of the International Women’s Day (8 March), a week-long joint campaign “My Rights, Our Power” was launched today in Palestine to raise awareness on women’s fundamental human rights. The joint effort, with participation from over 30 national and international partners from civil society organizations, media outlets, and international development agencies, targets youth, women, and men in various geographic areas in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza to promote women’s human rights in Palestine.

The campaign comes at a crucial moment when the anticipated adoption of the Family Protection Bill is at a standstill, raising concerns among national and international stakeholders about the consequences of such delay on safeguarding women’s fundamental human rights in Palestine. According to the Palestine report of the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), nearly one in five Palestinian men (17 percent) surveyed said they had perpetrated act of physical intimate partner violence against female partners, while 21 per cent of women surveyed reported having experienced such violence.

“Family violence, usually committed by a family member who has social or economic power over others in the family, causes enormous pain and suffering to all members of the family, especially the women and children,” said a spokesperson from civil society, which has vigorously initiated the development of the Family Protection Bill (FPB), and has strongly pushed its adoption since 2004.

“The violation of women’s human rights manifests in various levels and should be also understood from economic, cultural, and social aspects,” the spokesperson added, highlighting the lack of opportunities and freedom of choice, as well as limited access to justice and services that women in Palestine still experience.

The joint campaign aims to raise awareness of the general public, especially youth, women, and men on women’s fundamental rights in line with international standards and embedded in the Family Protection Bill draft endorsed by the previous Cabinet at the end of December 2018. Five key messages, addressing women’s right to a life free of violence, right to achieve justice and seek help in case of violation of such life, as well as the right to equal opportunities and right to make one’s own choices, will be distributed through various channels such as radio, social media, helpline (121), outreach activities, and on-site events. The closing event of the joint campaign will take place on 8 March in Jerusalem and will celebrate women’s achievements using TED-style talks, followed by art performances.

“My Rights, Our Power” joint campaign is part of the global International Women’s Day 2019 campaign under the theme of “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change”. The theme focuses on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure, echoing the theme of the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 63) taking place in New York on 11-22 March 2019.

The participating organizations of the “My Rights, Our Power” are (in alphabetical order): 17 Palestinian women’s organizations represented by Al-Muntada (coalition), British Consulate-General, Business Women Forum, CARE International, Consulate General of Sweden, Consulate General of Belgium, EUPOL COPPS, EU Representative Office, FAO, General Union of Palestinian Women, Government of Japan, CowaterSogema/GROW Project, International Labour Organization, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Ma’an TV, MIFTAH, Netherlands Representative Office, Nisaa FM, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development, Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association, Representative Office of Canada, Representative Office of Denmark, SAWA, Sawasya II, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, Sports for Life, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Representative Office of Norway, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNOPS, UN Women, Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling, Women’s Studies Center.

For more information, please contact Eunjin Jeong at UN Women via eunjin.jeong@unwomen.org or 059 2321 308, Majd Beltaji at UNESCO via m.beltaji@unesco.org or 059 4501 506.

Mr. President,

We thank France for organizing this important meeting and extend our appreciation to the Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary General, the Executive Director of UN Women, the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security and the Secretary-General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie for their efforts and important briefings.

The issue before us is of relevance not only for half the planet, but to all, given the role and contribution of women in the fields of peace and security and the untapped potential that could be unleashed by mainstreaming their participation. Since the adoption by consensus of resolution 1325 by this Council, a lot has happened, and yet we are still far from the goal of full and equal participation, including in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building, and from ensuring the protection and empowerment of women. Gender equality and non-discrimination remain prerequisites for the fulfilment of the purposes and principles of this organization and all of our lofty, collective commitments, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The State of Palestine welcomes the Secretary General’s report and his commitment to implementing the women and peace and security agenda, including by placing gender at the centre of his prevention platform and surge in diplomacy. We appreciate all efforts by the UN in this regard, including by UN Women, OHCHR and UNDP, notably in the field of human rights, capacity building, employment and rule of law. We urge UN bodies, notably those operating in Palestine, including the Special Representative, to intensify their engagement and collaboration with women organizations.

Mr. President,

I wish to highlight some of Palestine’s own important efforts in this regard. The Palestinian women’s movement is one of the oldest and strongest in the region and beyond, with institutional and representative structures established as early as the 19th century. Within the PLO, the General Union of Palestinian Women was among the first unions to be established. A coordination of women frameworks within PLO political parties and other organizations has also been established as the “Women’s Affairs Technical Committee” in the aftermath of the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference.

There have been many achievements thereafter. Among them: In 2012, Palestine inaugurated a High-Level National Committee for the implementation of resolution 1325, led by the Ministry of Women Affairs in partnership with relevant Ministries and NGOs. In 2016, the State of Palestine was among the 68 countries and areas that adopted a National Action Plan on women, peace and security.

This Action Plan (2017-2019), adopted by both the Government and civil society organizations, identifies three primary objectives: 1. ensuring protection for women and girls both domestically and in the face of the Israeli occupation; 2. ensuring accountability through national and international mechanisms, with a particular focus on crimes and violations committed by the occupation; and 3. furthering women’s political participation in decision making at the national and international level. The State of Palestine also joined core IHL and human rights instruments, including CEDAW, without reservations. Women’s participation and empowerment are also important and cross-cutting objectives in the context of the National Policy Agenda (2017-2022).

We are, however, conscious that, despite all these efforts, much more work remains to be done. Only in 2009 was a women elected to the highest executive body of the PLO. Quotas are still decisive in allowing women’s election to Parliament and local councils. And while women organizations were among the strongest advocates of national reconciliation, they have been unfairly absent from reconciliation talks. The relevant legislative framework applicable in Palestine is also outdated and must be revised to ensure consistency with Palestine’s international commitments and obligations and avail women the protection and rights they are entitled to and the opportunities they deserve.

Mr. President,

The Palestinian women’s movement since its establishment over a century ago pursued the struggle on two fronts – the struggle for the independence of Palestine and the struggle for women’s rights and empowerment – a dual struggle the movement continues to pursue to this day. The Israeli occupation remains the main source of the violations of our women’s rights and their vulnerability and violence against their person. We have repeatedly called for protection of the Palestinian people, especially women and children. We have also called for accountability, a key element of resolution 1325, the first resolution to address the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women, as the only way to put an end to violations and crimes.

While Palestine stands ready to do its part to advance women rights and the role of women in the fields of peace and security, it is clear that the enjoyment of these rights in our country necessitates ending the Israeli occupation. We will thus continue to work for an end of the occupation and true progress on the path to independence, justice and peace, with the equal and full involvement of women, leading to an independent State of Palestine ensuring human rights for all its citizens without discrimination.

On the occasion of the ICC Prosecutor’s Office to Palestine, the Palestinian Women Coalition of UNSCR 1325, which consists of twelve different Palestinian women’s organisations, is urging the Prosecutor’s Office to take concrete actions towards investigating war crimes committed against Palestinians. The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom remains deeply concerned with the complete impunity of Israeli war crimes and firmly supports the Coalition’s call for a just accountability mechanism for Palestinian victims. WILPF also calls on the international community to recognise and fully support Palestinian women’s organisations substantial role in paving the paths to justice, accountability and peace. Read the statement of the Palestinian Women Coalition of UNSCR 1325 below.

We, the Palestinian Women Coalition of UNSCR 1325,welcome the visit of the delegation of the ICC Prosecutor’s Office as a step in the right direction. But we are deeply disappointed that the purpose of this visit was restricted to preliminary examination, while Palestinian victims of Israeli war crimes, including women, continue to suffer and urgently await justice and an end to Israel impunity.

We do not understand the decision to exclude the Gaza Strip from this visit, when Gaza has been the site of the most war crimes and where women have been most systematically impacted by Israeli collective punishment policies; a prolonged imposed siege and a severe humanitarian deterioration resulting from Israeli military aggressions .

We are further disappointed that women who have been systematically impacted, and their women’s organisations, have been excluded from the delegation’s agenda.

We call upon all future delegations of the ICC Prosecutor’s Office to include on their agenda meetings with women’s organisations and women who have experienced direct and indirect impacts of Israeli crimes.

We, the Palestinian Women Coalition of UNSCR 1325, have seen in UNSCR 1325, 2242, and other UN Resolutions a commitment to hold the Israeli perpetrators accountable for their war crimes.

We look to the ICC as the most important mechanism to end impunity for all war crimes committed, finally bringing justice for the Palestinian people. Yet, we are very concerned that the preliminary examinations will be an endless process.

Therefore, we urge, Ms. Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the ICC, to conclude the preliminary examination and move to investigations into Israeli war crimes, bringing justice to Palestinians.

We have paid the price of non-accountability and impunity of Israeli war crimes for too long. “Delaying justice is justice denied.”

Palestinian Women Coalition of UNSCR 1325: The General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW), the Women’s Affairs Technical Committee (WATC), Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD), MIFTAH, Filastinyat, Women Media and Development (TAM), Women Stu Dies Center, Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling (WACLAC), the National, YWCA of Palestine, Center for Women’s Legal Research and Consulting (CWLRC), the Culture and Free thought Association(CWLRC) and Women’s Affairs Center (GWAC).

Occupied Palestine

October 11, 2016

Palestinian Children Mark the Day of the Palestinian Child Under Siege

April 5, Palestinian Day of the Child, passes this year with the worst attack on children’s rights witnessed in over a decade. Despite massive demonstrations around the world in support of the Palestinian right to independence and calling for an immediate halt to Israel’s brutal siege on the Palestinian population, some world leaders and international organizations continue to utter vacuous platitudes calling on “both sides to halt the violence.”

Such statements misrepresent an already misunderstood situation, portraying the current situation as two groups on equal footing, engaged in a senseless spiral of violence without cause or reason. This characterization is not only false, but also deliberately obscures the fact that the situation is really one of an occupied population subjected to over 34 years of indiscriminate government sanctioned abuse. To cast the Israeli military occupation in such an “invisible” light as these statements attempt to do, is to make reality equally hard to see.

DCI/PS stresses with the utmost force the root cause of violence and instability in the region is the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Palestinian society has been encircled, beaten and strangled by this occupation for decades. The years since the signing of the Oslo Accords have seen the acceleration of this occupation despite the illusion of sovereignty given by formal Israeli redeployment from Palestinian cities. The form of occupation may have changed but the content has remained the same. It is this content that lies at the heart of the conflict.

It is an occupation that the international community has allowed for over 34 years by its failure to act and ensure that Israel comply with UN resolutions calling for withdrawal from the occupied territories. It is an occupation that has been perpetuated by an international community that fails to intervene to ensure that Israel comply with its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law. And it is statements such as these from the international community that obfuscate the root cause of the problem and enable the brutal occupation regime to continue laying siege to an imprisoned population.

This state-sponsored terror against an entire civilian population must be opposed by anyone genuinely interested in resolving the current crisis. Terminating this occupation is the sole task of the day.

Palestinian children are currently entering the second week of imprisonment in their homes. Over 53% of the Palestinian population are children and they form the primary victims of an occupation that systematically denies them the right to a decent future. The urgent humanitarian crisis in Palestinian towns and villages resulting from the conscious severing of water lines, cutting of electricity supplies, targeting of ambulances and medical staff and the violent military bombardment of residential areas directly targets Palestinian children as the most vulnerable sector of the population.

Still under siege, DCI/PS staff continues to gather information about the effect of the current situation on Palestinian children. Below are two case studies which illustrate the conditions to which Palestinian children are subjected. The case studies are merely a sample of the general conditions faced by every Palestinian child at present.

1. In a 3 April press release, DCI/PS reported the shooting of 14 year old Kindi Qutteineh as he was walking down the street during the lifting of the curfew on Tuesday, 2 April. DCI/PS has received additional information about children living in the same building compound as Kindi. The compound in which the families are living is located in downtown Ramallah. This is their story: During the lifting of the curfew in Ramallah on Tuesday, 2 April, one of the female members of a family living in the compound went out to buy supplies. When she was returning to her house, she heard a shot ring out. Her back was to Kindi as he was heading towards town to buy food. She was about 20 meters away from Kindi when he was shot. According to Kindi, he heard the shot, felt something warm on his leg, looked down, and saw a hole in his trousers, and saw blood. He began screaming, “I’ve been shot, I’ve been shot.” People in the vicinity brought the boy into the courtyard of the compound in which he is living. It took 45 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. Meanwhile the four other children in the compound saw him lying in pools of his own blood, including the women’s niece, 10 year old Juman. The children range in age from three months to 12 years.

Juman’s family live near Arafat’s compound. They moved to the other apartment for fear of their safety. By the time of the lifting of the curfew, they had heard that their home had been damaged so a friend offered to drive them over to check on it during the lifting of the curfew. At this point 10 year old Juman became very upset at the thought of her mother or any family members leaving. She wanted all the family members to stay together. So, they gathered her with them and went to check out the house. They tried several unsuccessful routes but were unable to reach the house because the roads have been torn up. So they decided to head back to where they were staying. On their way back they were stopped when an Israeli soldier accosted the car, pointing his gun at the passengers, including 10 year old Juman. According to her aunt, Juman had an intense physical reaction to this. She began shaking, but she did not scream. Later she told her mother: “Mommy, I was screaming from the inside, but I couldn’t get it out.”

Today, 5 April 2002 Israeli soldiers invaded the compound in which they are living. At around 9:30am they heard soldiers trying to break down the main gate of the compound. Neighbors went and opened the gate. Around 12 fully armed soldiers entered the compound, pointing their guns in all directions and yelling at the people to go inside their homes. They entered Juman’s home. Juman’s aunt asked them to be gentle because her mother is staying with her and is elderly. The soldiers replied: ‘Oh, your mother is here. Maybe I’ll kill her.

All of these events have happened within a period of three days. There are five children living in the compound. 10 year old Juman, Kindi, a 3 year old, and two others, around 7 and 12 years old.

2. At approximately 7pm, 2 April, five Israeli tanks and three armored personnel carriers (APC) took up positions in front of a three story building, including three apartments belonging to one family. More than 10 soldiers emerged from the APC and began beating on the fence in front of the building, shouting, and shooting at the door. At this time, there was no electricity in the area, save the street lights, which the soldiers promptly shot out. Two of the women in the building left the apartment, proceeded to the main entrance and told the soldiers that they were going to open the door. The women opened the main door and soldiers rushed into the building, pointing their guns at the women.

The soldiers asked how many persons are inside the building and where they are located. The women answered that there are 20 people and they are all staying in the first floor building. Of the 20, there were seven children ranging in age from one month to six years old. The families had moved to the first floor apartment for safety because the building is opposite the Preventive Security Headquarters.

The soldiers invaded the first floor apartment and separated the men from the women, putting the women in one apartment and the men in another. After that they collected their identity cards and began searching the house. They removed the phones from the apartment and confiscated the mobile phones of the residents. The soldiers were very aggressive in the manner in which they treated the children. The children were prevented from moving around. The one month old baby was sleeping in another room and the family asked to bring the baby in with them. The soldiers refused to allow the family to get the baby until they finished searching the building, approximately 2 hours.

The soldiers destroyed much of the furniture in the house, broke down doors, and tore the curtains. They remained in the building until noon the following day, 3 April. Soldiers arrested one of the family members while he was holding one of his three children. Upon their departure, they re-placed the telephones, but stole the mobile phones.

3. The family of Riad Al Atari, from the north of the West Bank, moved to Beit Sahour in the Bethlehem region a few days ago. On 3 April, Riad left the apartment fearing arrest in the wake of the Israeli campaign of mass arbitrary arrest of Palestinian males. His wife and three children, a 5 month baby, a 6-year old boy and a 4-year old girl remained. At approximately 8pm, Israeli soldiers surrounded the building with a large number of tanks and soldiers. They began to shoot randomly and called on everyone to exit. The Atari family were the only people staying in the building at the time and they were forced to stand outside in freezing temperatures and rain for nearly 6 hours. The three young children and their mother remained outside in these conditions until 2am while Israeli soldiers went through the building destroying furniture, emptying out closets and spreading everything on the floor. They refused to allow the family to retrieve any personal belongings or take clothes to protect themselves from the weather. The family was eventually allowed to take shelter in a neighboring building and the next day moved to another apartment in Beit Sahour.

DCI/PS calls on the international community to intervene and demand an immediate halt to Israel's siege on the occupied territories and an end to the Israeli occupation. Please address letters of protest to the following individuals:

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Mrs. Mary Robinson
OHCHR
Tel. ++41 22 917 9000
Fax. ++41 22 917 9012/9006/9005
E-mail webadmin.hchr@unog.ch

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
Mr. Jaap Doek, Chair
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
UNOG-OHCHR
Ch-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: + 41 22 917 9022

UNICEF
Carol Bellamy, Executive Director
UNICEF House
3 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel: +212 826 7000
Fax: +212 887 7465
CC: UNICEF Jerusalem Office
Pierre Poupard
UNICEF Special Representative
West Bank & Gaza
FAX: 583 0806

Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon
Office of the Prime Minister
Tel: ++972 2 6705555
Fax: ++972 2 566 4838
Email: pm@gov.il

President, European Commission
(Romano Prodi)
European Commission
200 rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 200
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium
E-mail: romano.prodi@cec.eu.int

US President
George Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Phone: ++1-202 456 1414
Fax: ++1-202 456 2461
Email: president@whitehouse.gov

1. OVERVIEW OF PRISON CONDITIONS FOR CHILD POLITICAL PRISONERS
2. UPDATES ON PALESTINIAN GIRL-CHILD PRISONERS
3. INCREASED SENTENCE LENGTHS SINCE 1999
4. ISRAELI VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL NORMS AND STANDARDS

1. OVERVIEW OF PRISON CONDITIONS FOR CHILD POLITICAL PRISONERS:

As of 16 February 2002, there were between 155 - 160 Palestinian child political prisoners, detained in the following Israeli facilities:

§ Approximately 50 detained in Section 8 of Telmond prison, with another 15-20 detained in Ofeq juvenile detention center (part of the Telmond compound, designed for Israeli criminal juvenile prisoners). Some of these children are as young as 14.
§ Approximately 70 children aged 16 and 17 are detained in Megiddo Military Prison
§ One 15 year old girl detained in Ramle Women’s Prison
§ One girl child detained in Moskobiyya Compound (Jerusalem)
§ More than 15 other children detained in various detention centers in the West Bank, including Addoraim (Hebron area) and Etzion (Bethlehem area).

As in previous months, children continued to be denied access to family visits and, in some cases, lawyer visits.

TELMOND

The overwhelming majority (~95%) of Palestinian children (aged 14 to 17) detained in Telmond are held on the charge of stone throwing.

On Thursday 24 January, prison guards raided the rooms of Palestinian child political prisoners and sprayed them with tear gas in addition to attacking them. Three prisoners were injured:

Nimer Muslimani (face)
Mohannad Bseli (back)
Murad Bseli (cut on head)

The following Thursday, 31 January, the prisoners rooms were raided a second time. The prisoner’s were beaten and five prisoners were placed in isolation: Abdul Jawad Hamud (the prisoners representative), Khaled Halawani, Nimer Muslimani, Mohannad Bseli, Murad Bseli.

These measures came after the prison administration closed one of the two main sections in which Palestinian child political prisoners are detained, and placed all child prisoners in the other section, to which the child prisoners were refusing to move because the living conditions were far worse. Each room holds two prisoners, but are too small and allow no room to move. If the children want to leave the room, to go for their outside time ('foura'), they are searched leaving and coming. Also, they are most often handcuffed when they leave the room. Finally, the windows are covered by iron. While air can pass through the window, because of the covering, the children are unable to actually see outside.

Prison staff confiscated from the prisoners their heaters for cooking, televisions and radios. In addition to occasionally preventing them from going to recreation period and, at other times, shortening the period of recreation. As a result, the prisoners began a hunger strike on Sunday 3 February. This strike lasted approximately one week. The prisoners were demanding the return of confiscated materials, the removal of prisoners from isolation and improving their prison situation.

On 11 February the prisoners in isolation began a hunger strike. As of 13 February 2002, five children remained in isolation, and the personal belongings of the prisoners that had been confiscated had not been returned. In addition, the prison administration is demanding that the prisoners collect amongst themselves 3,000 NIS to cover costs of repairing damage to the facility caused during the unrest.

In general, the prison administration treats the Palestinian child political prisoners very poorly:

- If a prisoner wants to seek medical treatment, he is not allowed to go to the clinic. Instead, a doctor or nurse comes to the prisoner and ‘examines’ them through a chain link fence. There is no direct contact between the patient and the physician.

- Another problem involves the speech (khutba) given during Friday prayer. One of the child prisoners prepares the speech and gives the speech during the prayers for the prisoners. If the prison administration does not object to the content of the speech, life proceeds smoothly. If the prison administration objects, however, the person who wrote the speech is taken to isolation.

- The prison guards continually threaten the prisoners with being sent to isolation, being beaten or being punished in some other way.

MEGIDDO MILITARY PRISON

In January, around 70 Palestinian children, ranging in age from 16 to 17 years old, were detained in Megiddo Military Prison, under the administration of the Israeli Ministry of Defence. The child prisoners are divided among 7 sections. All prisoners are detained in overcrowded tents.

Approximately 90% of the children are detained on the charge of stone throwing, while the other 10% are detained for more serious offences, including throwing molotov cocktails, membership in political organizations, etc.)

In January, there was an increase in the number of child prisoners held in the facility and the length of sentences for children entering into Megiddo is increasing. Also, all of the children who appear before the Shlish Court (Parole Committee) are refused early release.

A main challenge facing child prisoners in Megiddo remains that they are treated in the same manner as adult prisoners and not accorded their special status as juveniles.

DETENTION CENTERS

Dismal conditions of detention exist in the various detention centers located throughout the occupied territories, particularly in Addoraim (Hebron area) and Etzion (Bethlehem area).

For example, in Addoraim, 14 prisoners (both adults and at least 3 children) are detained in one room, resulting in extreme overcrowding. In addition, very small quantities of inedible food are provided to the detainees. Recently, on 13 February, the detainees refused to take the food offered because the quantity was so small and the quality so bad. The prisoners are demanding to be transferred out of the facility and to be given an appropriate amount of decent quality food. Depending on the particular case, some children are held up to one month in Addoraim before being transferred to a standard prison.

A similar problem exists in Etzion Detention Center. DCI/PS currently has a case of a 15 year old child who was arrested on 24 January and is still being held there, as of 16 February, in overcrowded conditions with poor food of insufficient quality.

In addition to overcrowded living conditions, Palestinian child political detainees are routinely exposed to torture during their stays in the detention centers.

2. UPDATES ON GIRL-CHILD PRISONERS:

§ Girl child prisoner Sawsan Abu Turki was released on bail in January, until her court is finished and her sentence issued. Sawsan was scheduled for court on 4 February, but at the request of the DCI/PS attorney the date was extended until the 20th of February. Dr. Ruchmana Martin from Physicians for Human Rights Israel has examined Sawsan and will submit a report to DCI/PS, which will be submitted to the court. The terms of Sawsan’s release on bail, stipulate that she remain under house arrest, leaving only to go to hospital and court, at which times she must be with a chaperone over 30 years old.

§ 15 year old Raba’a Hamael is the only girl child currently detained in Ramle Women’s Prison (Neve Tertze). In December, the Jerusalem District Court sentenced Raba’a to five years imprisonment. She was arrested on 29 May 2001.

Recently two Palestinian girl children have been arrested, one of whom DCI/PS is representing in court. They are both being held in Moskobiyya Compound in Jerusalem.

§ Fidaa’ Ishaq Ibrahim Ghannam

Place of Residence: Hebron
Date of Birth: 9 November 1986.
Date of Arrest: 9 February 2002

Charges: 1. Having a knife without permission; 2. attempting to attack a settler with a knife.

Fidaa’ was sent directly to interrogation following her arrest on 9 February. During her interrogation, she denied that she tried to or intended to kill anyone. She stated that the knife in her bag was for school.

When the prosecutor reviewed the file, upon finding that there was insufficient evidence to charge her with attempting to kill, she was sent again to interrogation on 13 February. Again she denied trying to harm anyone. On the 14th of February, the prosecutor interrogated an Israeli settler who is a witness for the prosecution.

In a court session on 13 February, the Prosecutor presented charges of intent to kill. After re-interrogating both her and the settler, during the court session on the 14th, he lessened the charges to attempting to attack a settler with a knife.

A court decision issued on 14 Feb. determined that Fida’ will be held pending trial. DCI/PS, however, will file an appeal against this decision on Sunday, 17 February. In the appeal, DCI/PS will insist that Fidaa’ be released on bail, similar to the manner in which Sawsan Abu Turki was released into her parents custody until her court case is closed.

§ According to information provided by the Palestinian Prisoners Club, 17 year old Nisreen Atef Abu Zeina (d.o.b. 10 June 1984), from Tulkarem, was recently arrested and is being held in Al-Jalameh Detention Center.

3. INCREASED SENTENCE LENGTHS SINCE 1999:

In 1999, 43.51% of the cases DCI/PS represented, received a sentence of less than one month. In the year 2001, that percentage has decreased to 20.21%. Conversely, in 1999 only 19.08% of cases received a sentence of six months to one year, and 6.88% received sentences of more than one year. In 2001, however, 48.94% of cases were sentenced to between six months and one year and 15.96% to more than one year.

In other words, there has been a 156% increase in cases receiving sentences of between six months and one year, and a 132% increase in cases receiving sentences of more than one year. It should be noted that the charges for which Palestinian children are arrested and detained have remained the same. The overwhelming majority of children are sentenced on the charge of stone throwing.

4. ISRAELI VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL NORMS AND STANDARDS:

Below is a summary of the main international norms and standards routinely violated by the State of Israel in its treatment of Palestinian child political prisoners.

Systematic Detention of Children:

§ United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), article 37, "The arrest or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time."

§ UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty (adopted by General Assembly resolution 45/113 of 14 December 1990), 1. "The juvenile justice system should uphold the rights and safety and promote the physical and mental well-being of juveniles. Imprisonment should be used as a last resort."

§ Beijing Rules (UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice), 18.1, "A large variety of disposition measures shall be made available to the competent authority, allowing for flexibility so as to avoid institutionalization to the greatest extent possible. Such measures, some of which may be combined, include:

a) Care, guidance and supervision orders;
b) Probation;
c) Community service orders;
d) Financial penalties, compensation and restitution;
e) Intermediate treatment and other treatment orders;
f) Orders to participate in group counselling and similar activities;
g) Orders concerning foster care, living communities or other educational settings;
h) Other relevant orders.

§ Beijing Rules, 19.1 "The placement of a juvenile in an institution shall always be a disposition of last resort and for the minimum necessary period."

Political Prisoners Detained with Criminal Prisoners:

One practice of serious concern to DCI/PS is the placement of child prisoners with criminal prisoners in Telmond Prison. This practice was reintroduced by the Israeli Prison Authorities in the latter part of the year 2000 and is contrary to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Standard Minimum Rules) adopted by UN Economic and Social Council resolution 663C (XXIV), on July 31, 1957. This resolution provides authoritative guidance in interpreting principles laid out in documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Standard Minimum Rules apply to all persons in detention, for whatever reason. Among other things, the rules note:
· different categories of prisoners shall be kept in separate institutions (or parts of institutions), taking account of their sex, age, criminal record, the legal reason for their detention and the necessities of their treatment;
· handcuffs, chains, irons and straitjackets should never be used as punishment;
· people detained for civil or administrative reasons should be kept separately from people imprisoned for a criminal offense

Torture

· UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984)
· UN Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5, 1948, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."
· UN Covenant on the Rights of the Child, Article 37 (a), 1989, "no child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment"
· Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 32, 1949, "High Contracting Parties specifically agree that each of them is prohibited from taking any measure of such a character as to cause the physical suffering or extermination of protected persons in their hands. This prohibition applies not only to murder, torture,…but also to any other measures of brutality whether applied by civilian or military agents"
· UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 7, 1966, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation."
· UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, Article 5, 1979, "… nor may any law enforcement official invoke superior orders or exceptional circumstances such as a state of war or a threat of war, a threat to national security…as a justification of torture…"
· UN General Assembly Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment: UN General Assembly RES 39/46, Annex; Article 2, 1. Each State Party shall take effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction. 2. No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat or war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture. 3. An order from a superior officer or a public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture.
· U.N. Commission on Human Rights, Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, U.N. Doc. E/CN.4/1994/31 1994)(Nigel Rodley, Special Rapporteur). Israel 352. By letter dated 26 August 1993 the Special Rapporteur informed the Government that he had received information according to which the practice of torture in military interrogation centres still persisted. Methods included severe beating, hooding, prolonged handcuffing, tying in painful positions, confinement in tiny and airless spaces, electric shocks, sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme temperatures and prolonged solitary confinement. 353. Another prevailing complaint concerned the lack of access to medical facilities. Detainees who are in need of physical or mental health-care treatment are often denied access to doctors or are not allowed to receive medication. In addition, Israeli physicians and other medical personnel have allegedly been involved in certifying detainees' fitness to undergo some of the methods of interrogation reportedly used by the Israeli authorities; in examining and providing treatment to victims before allowing them to be returned to interrogation; and in covering up abuses by interrogators.
· UN Committee Against Torture, A/49/44, paras. 159-171; 12 June 1994, Concluding Observations of the Committee Against Torture: Israel 165. There is real concern that no legal steps have been taken to implement domestically the Convention against Torture. Thus, the Convention does not form part of the domestic law of Israel and its provisions cannot be invoked in Israeli courts. 166. The Committee regrets the clear failure to implement the definition of torture as contained in article 1 of the Convention.

Denial of the Right to Education:

§ UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty, 38. "Every juvenile of compulsory school age has the right to education suited to his or her needs and abilities and designed to prepare him or her for return to society. Such education should be provided outside the detention facility in community schools wherever possible and, in any case, by qualified teachers through programmes integrated with the education system of the country so that, after release, juveniles may continue their education without difficulty. Special attention should be given by the administration of the detention facilities to the education of juveniles of foreign origin or with particular cultural or ethnic needs…"

§ Beijing Rules, 26.2, "Juveniles in institutions shall receive care, protection and all necessary assistance - social, educational, vocational, psychological, medical and physical - that they may require because of their age, sex, and personality and in the interest of their wholesome development."

Inadequate Medical Care

§ UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty, 49, "Every juveniles shall receive adequate medical care, both preventive and remedial, …"

§ (Also, see Beijing Rule 26.2 above)

Isolation

§ UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty, 67, "All disciplinary measures constituting cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment shall be strictly prohibited, including corporal punishment, placement in a dark cell, closed or solitary confinement or any other punishment that may compromise the physical or mental health of the juvenile concerned."

Denial of Family Visits:

§ article 37c, CRC, "Every child deprived of liberty…shall have the right to maintain contact with his or her family through correspondence and visits, save in exception circumstances."

§ Beijing Rules, 26.5, "In the interest and well-being of the institutionalized juvenile, the parents or guardians shall have a right of access."

Denial of Legal Visits:

§ article 37d, CRC, "Every child deprived of his or her liberty shall have the right to prompt access to legal and other appropriate assistance, as well as the right to challenge the legality of the deprivation of his or her liberty before a court or other competent, independent and impartial authority, and to a prompt decision on any such action.

§ Beijing Rules, 15.1, "Throughout the proceedings the juvenile shall have the right to be represented by a legal adviser or to apply for free legal aid where there is provision for such aid in the country."