Misplaced Pages

Children in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 22:44, 18 March 2013 view source68.6.227.26 (talk) Removed off topic text; re-added statement by Palestinian leader; removed text saying "in attempt to justify" as it sounds biased← Previous edit Revision as of 03:35, 19 March 2013 view source Carolmooredc (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers31,944 edits took out WP:undue/repetitive, not relevant to children & poorly sourced statements; one irrelevant and one questionable video source; motivation for surrounding home necessary; note many call such actions "nonviolent action"Next edit →
Line 137: Line 137:
==Use of children as human shields== ==Use of children as human shields==


During the ] (2000–2005) Palestinian gunmen reportedly used civilians and children as human shields, by surrounding themselves with children while shooting at ] forces.<ref name="Harel">{{cite web | url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/analysis-stoking-an-appetite-for-revenge-1.116136 | title=Analysis / Stoking an appetite for revenge | publisher=] | date=August 3, 2004 | accessdate=March 16, 2013 | author=Harel, Amos | quote=The photographs from recent operations show that the armed Palestinians use the many civilians in the area, including children, as a "human shield". Since this is done routinely, harming children (some, it is possible, by Palestinian fire) becomes almost impossible to prevent.}}</ref> The ] says Hamas now regularly uses human shields to protect the homes of Hamas officials.<ref> ] March 6, 2008</ref> During the ] (2000–2005) ] reported that Palestinian gunmen used civilians and children as ]s by surrounding themselves with children while shooting at ] forces.<ref name="Harel">{{cite web | url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/analysis-stoking-an-appetite-for-revenge-1.116136 | title=Analysis / Stoking an appetite for revenge | publisher=] | date=August 3, 2004 | accessdate=March 16, 2013 | author=Harel, Amos | quote=The photographs from recent operations show that the armed Palestinians use the many civilians in the area, including children, as a "human shield". Since this is done routinely, harming children (some, it is possible, by Palestinian fire) becomes almost impossible to prevent.}}</ref>


In a 2006 incident in which the ] warned Mohammed Weil Baroud, a Palestinian leader accused by Israel of firing ]s at Israel, to evacuate his home in ] in the Gaza Strip in advance of an ]. Instead, hundreds of Palestinians, including many women and children, gathered outside Baroud's house. Israel suspended the airstrike out of fear that the civilians would be killed or injured. In response to Israel's reaction, another Palestinian leader said: "We have won. From now on we will form human chains around every house that is threatened with demolition."<ref>", '']'', November 19, 2006.</ref> Following the incident Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinian prime minister, visited Mr Baroud's home to offer his support stating that "We are so proud of this national stand. It's the first step toward protecting our homes, the homes of our children."<ref name=UCGn>{{cite news|last=Urquhart|first=Conal|title=Palestinians use human shield to halt Israeli air strike on militants' homes|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/nov/20/israel|accessdate=18/03/2013|newspaper=Guardian|date=20/11/2006}}</ref><ref>", '']'', November 19, 2006.</ref> Assessing the legality of the actions Human Rights Watch judged on the available evidence that the planned destruction of the home was an administrative action by Israel aimed at punishing Baroud for his alleged activities and not and not an act of war and would therefore not be subject to the international laws regulating conduct of war.<ref name=HRW2006>{{cite web|title=Human Rights Watch Statement on our November 22 Press Release|url=http://www.hrw.org/news/2006/12/15/human-rights-watch-statement-our-november-22-press-release|publisher=Human Rights Watch|accessdate=18/03/2013}}</ref> In a 2006 incident the ] warned Mohammed Weil Baroud, a Palestinian leader accused by Israel of firing ]s at Israel, to evacuate his home in ] in the Gaza Strip in advance of an Israeli ]. Instead, hundreds of Palestinians, including many women and children, gathered outside Baroud's house. Israel suspended the airstrike out of fear that the civilians would be killed or injured.
A senior Hamas official said the new tactic was taken because in previous months Israel has destroyed 58 houses and more than 240 people had been left homeless. After Israel called off the strike, another Palestinian leader said: "We have won. From now on we will form human chains around every house that is threatened with demolition."<ref name=JPostNov06>", '']'', November 19, 2006.</ref>


Amnesty International's report into the 2008 ] stated that they had found instances in which the IDF endangered the lives of civilians, including children, by using them as ]s. The report discussed examples such as "forcing them to remain in or near houses which they took over and used as military positions. Some were forced to carry out dangerous tasks such as inspecting properties or objects suspected of being booby-trapped."<ref name=AACL>{{cite web|title=Israel/Gaza- Operation Cast Lead: 22Days of Death and Destruction|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/015/2009/en/8f299083-9a74-4853-860f-0563725e633a/mde150152009en.pdf|publisher=Amnesty international|accessdate=16/03/2013}}</ref> The Israeli military denied the allegations that it had used human shields during the Gaza War: "The IDF operated in accordance with the rules of war and did the utmost to minimise harm to civilians uninvolved in combat. The IDF's use of weapons conforms to international law." An Israeli embassy spokesperson added: "Anyone who understands the realities of Gaza will know that these people are not free to speak the truth. Those that wish to speak out cannot for fear of beatings, ] or ] at the hands of Hamas."<ref name="gazahumanshield">{{cite news |title=Guardian investigation uncovers evidence of alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza |first=Clancy|last=Chassy |publisher=] |date=2009-03-23 |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/23/israel-gaza-war-crimes-guardian |location=London}}</ref> Amnesty International's report into the 2008 ] stated that they had found instances in which the IDF endangered the lives of civilians, including children, by using them as ]s. The report discussed examples such as "forcing them to remain in or near houses which they took over and used as military positions. Some were forced to carry out dangerous tasks such as inspecting properties or objects suspected of being booby-trapped."<ref name=AACL>{{cite web|title=Israel/Gaza- Operation Cast Lead: 22Days of Death and Destruction|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/015/2009/en/8f299083-9a74-4853-860f-0563725e633a/mde150152009en.pdf|publisher=Amnesty international|accessdate=16/03/2013}}</ref> The Israeli military denied the allegations saying "The IDF operated in accordance with the rules of war and did the utmost to minimise harm to civilians uninvolved in combat. The IDF's use of weapons conforms to international law."<ref name="gazahumanshield">{{cite news |title=Guardian investigation uncovers evidence of alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza |first=Clancy|last=Chassy |publisher=] |date=2009-03-23 |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/23/israel-gaza-war-crimes-guardian |location=London}}</ref> Israel's ] and the Israeli ] likewise accused Hamas and other militant groups of using children human shields during the Gaza war.<ref>, Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, pp 4-5 summary.</ref><ref name="MFA">{{cite web | url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Hamas+war+against+Israel/Hamas+exploitation+of+civilians+as+human+shields+-+Photographic+evidence.htm | title=Hamas exploitation of civilians as human shields: Photographic evidence | publisher=Israeli ] | date=March 6, 2008 | accessdate=September 29, 2011}}</ref>


In 2010, two IDF soldiers were convicted of 'excess authority' and 'conduct unbecoming' for using a 9 year old Palestinian child as a human shield to open packages they suspected of being booby trapped during the ]. Both soldiers received three months probation and a demotion in rank. The Israeli Deputy Military Advocate for Operational Affairs commented that "the defendants did not seek to humiliate or degrade the boy."<ref name=SW>{{cite book|last=Weil|first=S|title=Is There a Court for Gaza?: A Test Bench for International Justice|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hzZqKXNSj_AC&lpg=PA119&dq=IDF%20human%20shield%20children&pg=PA119#v=onepage&q&f=false|year=2012|publisher=T.M.C. Asser Press|isbn=9067048194|page=119}}</ref> In 2010, two IDF soldiers were convicted of 'excess authority' and 'conduct unbecoming' for using a 9 year old Palestinian child as a human shield to open packages they suspected of being booby trapped during the ]. Both soldiers received three months probation and a demotion in rank. The Israeli Deputy Military Advocate for Operational Affairs commented that "the defendants did not seek to humiliate or degrade the boy."<ref name=SW>{{cite book|last=Weil|first=S|title=Is There a Court for Gaza?: A Test Bench for International Justice|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hzZqKXNSj_AC&lpg=PA119&dq=IDF%20human%20shield%20children&pg=PA119#v=onepage&q&f=false|year=2012|publisher=T.M.C. Asser Press|isbn=9067048194|page=119}}</ref>

The ] likewise accused Hamas and other militant groups of using human shields extensively as an integral part of their war doctrine during the Gaza war.<ref name="Warnings Not Enough for Gaza Families">, January 5, 2009</ref> The ITIC elaborated that Hamas military infrastructure had been built into "mosques, ]s and educational institutions", that rockets and mortars had been fired from civilian center, and that Palestinian combatants had used children as human shields by "surrounding operatives with children to facilitate their escape from combat zones".<ref>http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/g_report_e1.pdf Hamas and the Terrorist Threat from
the Gaza Strip The Main Findings of the Goldstone Report Versus the Factual Findings, Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. See pages 4-5 for summary of findings.</ref><ref name="MFA">{{cite web | url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Hamas+war+against+Israel/Hamas+exploitation+of+civilians+as+human+shields+-+Photographic+evidence.htm | title=Hamas exploitation of civilians as human shields: Photographic evidence | publisher=Israeli ] | date=March 6, 2008 | accessdate=September 29, 2011}}</ref> The IDF and ] released a video accusing Hamas of a systematic use of civilians as human shields, providing several photos of Hamas militants using children as human shields and two videoes from the ] showing Hamas militants grabbing children, allegedly using them as a human shield.<ref> 2009. '']''. See 4:25–4:29 in the video.</ref>


In October 2009, local Palestinians confirmed that Hamas had fired at Israeli troops from adjacent a UN school for girls where hundreds of Palestinians had sought refuge, leading to civilian casualties.<ref>, Associated Press, January 6, 2009.</ref><ref>, CNN, January 6, 2009.</ref> In October 2009, local Palestinians confirmed that Hamas had fired at Israeli troops from adjacent a UN school for girls where hundreds of Palestinians had sought refuge, leading to civilian casualties.<ref>, Associated Press, January 6, 2009.</ref><ref>, CNN, January 6, 2009.</ref>

Revision as of 03:35, 19 March 2013

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (November 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Children in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict refers to the impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on minors in Israel and the Palestinian territories, focusing on the period from 1987 to the present.

Definition

The internationally accepted definition of children, codified in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), defines children as individuals under the age of 18. Since 1991 Israel has signed and ratified the CRC and applies the definition to Israeli children. However, in the Occupied Territories Israel defines as minors only Palestinians who are under the age of 16. Some leaders of the major Palestinian armed groups also state they consider children of 16 to be adults.

Casualty figures

Below is a summary of tables of child fatalities from 1987 to 2012 presented by an the Israeli human rights monitoring group B'Tselem. It provides an overview of killings of Israeli children by Palestinian militants and of Palestinian children, largely by Israeli security forces. Per the below, the Israeli government disputes some of these numbers, especially regarding the Gaza War (aka "Operation Cast Lead").

Summary of B'Tselem tables of child fatalities in Israel, West Bank & Gaza, 1987-2012
  • Total fatalities in the First Intifada, minors under the age of 17 (Dec. 9, 1987-Sept. 28, 2000): Israelis - 18; Palestinians - 281 (by Israel security forces) and 23 (by Israeli civilians)
  • Total Casualties: (Sept. 29, 2000-Sept. 30, 2012): Israelis - 129; Palestinians - 1337
  • Fatalities since the outbreak of the second intifada and until operation "Cast Lead" (Sept. 29, 2000-Dec. 26, 2008): Israelis - 123; Palestinians - 954
  • Fatalities during operation "Cast Lead" (Dec. 27, 2008-Jan. 18, 2009): Israelis - 0; Palestinians - 345
  • Fatalities after operation "Cast Lead": (Jan. 19, 2009-Oct. 31, 2012): Israelis - 6; Palestinians - 38

The First Intifada of mass protests and rioting by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza started in 1987, and children frequently participated. In an article in the London Review of Books, American professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt claimed that the Israel Defense Forces ("IDF") encouraged troops to break protesters’ bones. The Swedish branch of Save the Children estimated that during the first two years of the intifada, between 23,600 to 29,900 children required medical treatment for such beating injuries and that nearly a third were under the age of ten. The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists 24 Israeli child fatalities between 1993 and 1999.

As the B'Tselem summaries show, from the outbreak of the Second Intifada starting in 2000, through the 2008-2009 Gaza War, to September 2012 there were a greater number of child fatalities. A study by the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism covering September 2001 to January 2005 found that 46 Israelis and 88 Palestinians were below the age of 12 at the time of their deaths. The youngest victim of violence during the Second Intifada was an Israeli infant who was nine hours old at the time of his death. Other Israelis, children among them, were killed abroad in attacks related to the conflict. During the 2004-2009 period there were reports of 30 or more Palestinian children and infants dying, including as a result of miscarriage, at Israeli checkpoints where they were held for long periods of time and denied medical care. Additionally, suicide bombings and other attacks have caused Israeli women to suffer miscarriages, and numerous pregnant women have been killed.

Casualties after the three week Gaza War during the winter of 2008-2009 were disputed. B'Tselem put out a report stating that 320 Palestinian minors under the age of 18 who did not take part in hostilities had been killed by Israeli forces. It was unknown if six other dead children took part, but 19 children between the ages of 16 and 18 who did so also were killed. Defence for Children International reported that 352 children had died as a direct result of Israeli military action. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights found that 318 Palestinian children been killed. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights found that 355 Gazan children were killed by Israeli forces. According to Amnesty international the Palestinian fatalities included "some 300" children. The Israeli military later released its own figures, stating only 89 children under the age of 16 died. According to Elihu D. Richter and Yael Stein of Hebrew University B’Tselem data showed that the overwhelming majority of Palestinian child deaths were male teenagers, suggesting many could have had some role in combat or support for combat.

Studies conducted by Israel's International Institute for Counter-Terrorism indicate that 96 percent of Palestinian fatalities during the Second Intifada were male and that the vast majority of child casualties were teenagers. Israeli fatalities do not show any great inclination in regards to gender or age. B'Tselem statistics indicate that of the Palestinian child fatalities, 75.47 percent were killed in the Gaza Strip, 24.31 percent were killed in the West Bank, and three were killed within Israel while participating in the hostilities. Of the Israeli child fatalities, 65.89 percent were killed within the Israel, 31.01 percent were killed in the West Bank, and 3.10 percent were killed in the Gaza Strip.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that during "Operation Pillar of Defense", the November 2012 Gaza-Israel clashes, 30 Palestinian children were killed.

Israeli children

9-year-old Israeli boy Osher Twito lost his leg after a Palestinian Qassam rocket exploded next to him in the city of Sderot

Though Israeli children were killed in the conflict during the decades prior, the first acts of Palestinian violence specifically targeting large numbers of Israeli children were committed in the 1970s. Notable examples include the Ma'alot massacre in which 22 Israeli high school students, aged 14–16, from Safed and a 4-year-old boy from Ma'alot were killed by three members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Avivim school bus massacre in which 9 children were killed, and the Kiryat Shmona massacre in which 9 children were killed.

About 70% of the Israeli children were killed in Palestinian suicide bombings. Others were killed in shootings and attacks on cars and buses. In addition, several rapes, kidnappings, and murders of Israeli children and teenagers have occurred.

According to Amnesty International, between 2000 and 2004 during the First Intifada "more than 100 Israeli children... killed and hundreds of others injured in suicide bombings, shootings and other attacks carried out by Palestinian armed groups in Israel and in the Occupied Territories."

An Israeli child wounded by a Hamas Grad rocket fired on the city of Beer Sheva is taken to a hospital

Other Israeli children were killed in home invasions. For example, 5-year-old Danielle Shefi was shot and killed in her parents' bed in Adora by Palestinian gunmen in April 2002. In March 2011, two Palestinians infiltrated the town of Itamar and stabbed to death five members of the Fogel family, among them three young children. According to several reports, a three-month-old infant was decapitated.

Rock throwing and firebomb attacks by Palestinians on Israeli residents have been reported in the West Bank, leading to many injuries, including of children. Palestinians have reportedly targeted children on school buses and playgrounds.

Examples include:

  • A suicide bombing outside a crowded discothèque on Friday night, 1 June 2001 killed 21 teenagers and injured 132. The armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility.
  • In 2001, a Palestinian sniper opened fire on the Avraham Avino settlement in Hebron from the Palestinian-controlled Abu Sneineh neighborhood. Ten month-old Shalhevet Pass was shot in the head and killed while sitting in her stroller; her father was wounded. Israeli leaders said that the sniper deliberately aimed for the baby.
  • The Yeshivat Beit Yisrael massacre on 2 March 2002, targeting a group of women and children next to a synagogue, resulted in the deaths of seven children and four adults. Eight of the dead came from the same family.
  • The Maxim restaurant suicide bombing in 2003 claimed the lives of four children, including a two-month old baby. Oren Almog, 10, lost his eyesight and five members of his family.
  • The 2004 Murder of Tali Hatuel and her four daughters, in which Palestinian militants killed Tali Hatuel, who was eight months pregnant along with her four daughters: Hila (11), Hadar (9), Roni (7) and Merav (2). After shooting at the vehicle in which Hatuel was driving with her daughters, witnesses said the militants approached the vehicle and shot the occupants repeatedly at close range. An alliance of Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for the attack.
  • In 2008, a Palestinian gunman shot and killed 8 teenagers at the Mercaz HaRav Kook high school in Jerusalem, and wounded 11. A 2009 poll found that 84 percent of Palestinians supported the attack. Support was 91 percent in the Gaza Strip compared to 79 percent in the West Bank.
  • In September 2011, 25-year-old Asher Palmer and his infant son Yonatan were killed when Palestinians threw rocks at their car, causing it to overturn on a highway near Kiryat Arba. The Shin Bet said that it arrested two Palestinians who admitted to throwing the rock that killed the Palmers.
  • On 9 July 2012, a Gaza sniper fired on Israeli cars near Yad Mordechai on Israel's side of the Gaza border, shattering the back windscreen of one of the cars and leaving broken glass on the car seat of a 7 month old baby. The Israel Defense Forces stated that 10 bullets were fired at the car in total.

Palestinian children

Palestinian child day after a January 2009 Israeli bombing of a refugee camp in Gaza during the Gaza War.

The first recorded incident of Israel Defense Forces killing Palestinian children was in November 1950 when three Palestinian children from the village of Yalo aged 8, 10 and 12, were shot near Dayr Ayyub in the Latrun salient. According to adult witnesses, "only one man fired at them with a sten-gun but none of the detachment attempted to interfere." In February 1953, one of five Arab shepherds shot in al-Burj was 13 years old. During the 1952 Beit Jala raid, 4 children ranging in age from 6 to 14 were killed by machine gun fire.

According to Amira Hass, 54 minors were brought to UNRWA clinics with head wounds from August 1989 to August 1993. The Association of Israeli and Palestinian Physicians for Human Rights (PHR-Israel) estimates that a child under the age of six was shot in the head every two weeks during the First Intifada.

According to the Defence for Children International (DCI), of the "595 children killed during the Second Intifada, 383, or 64.4%, died as a result of Israeli air and ground attacks, during assassination attempts, or when Israeli soldiers opened fire randomly" and "212 children, or 35.6%, died as a result of injuries sustained during clashes with Israeli military forces".

Faris Odeh, age 14, taken ten days before he was shot by Israeli troops in November, 2000.

The DCI estimates that from the 1 January 2001 until 1 May 2003, at least 4,816 Palestinian children were injured, with the majority of injuries resulting from Israeli army activity while the children were going about their normal activities.

Amnesty International accused Israeli forces of inadequately investigating killings of children during the Second Intifada Intifada, while also condemning the killings of Israeli children by suicide bombings and other attacks by Palestinians.

During Gaza War, a three-week armed conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian militants during the winter of 2008–2009, an "unprecedented" number of children were killed or injured, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights which listed 313 killed. The Israel Defense Forces said that 89 "non-combatants" under the age of 18 died. B'Tselem reported that 318 minors below the age of 18 were killed. B'Tselem's numbers were disputed. When the United Nations attempted an investigation of high civilian deaths as a possible war crime, Israelis refused to co-operate.

During the November 2012 Israel-Gaza clashes, 30 children reportedly were killed.

Other examples of casualties include:

  • In 2001, an 11-year-old boy, Khalil al-Mughrabi, was killed by tank fire, and two others were injured. Al-Mughrabi had been playing football in a field a half mile away.
  • In October 2004 Iman Darweesh Al Hams, 13, was killed by Israel Defense Forces fire near a military observation post in a "no-man's" zone near the Philadelphi Route. The commander who shot her was accused by his comrades and Palestinian witnesses of deliberatedly shooting her using automatic fire, leading to and investigation and trial; he later was acquitted.
  • During a 2006 Israeli airstrike on alleged militants in an automobile a boy and a girl around five years old and a 16-year-old girl were killed. Several other children in the car were injured.
  • During the 2007 assassination of Salah Shahade, a member of Hamas, several civilians were killed, including 8 children.
  • In December 2008 two Palestinian school girls were killed in Gaza when a Qassam rocket launched by militants fell short of its Israeli target and into a house.
  • During three months of 2010 Israeli troops non-fatally shot 10 children aged 13 to 17 who were collecting rubble for building material inside or even well outside the Gaza border "buffer zone" created by Israel along the Gaza border. Because most of the injuries were to the legs and feet and soldiers likely did not aim to kill, doctors assumed that the soldiers knew they were not militants. During this period an Israeli tank shot and killed a 17-year-old and 16-year-old boy who was harvesting olives outside the official zone.

Foreign children

According to Btselem, 70 foreign citizens were killed in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza between September 2000 and September 2012. 12 (all adults) were killed by Israeli security forces while 58 (adults and children) were killed by Palestinians.

Examples include:

  • Aleksei Lupalu, 16, of the Ukraine was killed in the Dolphinarium discotheque suicide bombing on June 2, 2001 along with 20 other civilians. Hamas claimed responsibility.
  • Shmuel Taubenfeld, 3 months, of New Square, New York was killed in the Shmuel HaNavi bus bombing on August 19, 2003 along with 22 other civilians, of whom 2 were foreign citizens. Over 130 were injured, and 7 fatalities were children. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
  • Daniel Wultz, aged 16, of Weston, Florida, USA, was killed in the 2006 Tel Aviv shawarma restaurant bombing. 10 other civilians were killed, of whom 7 were Israeli and 3 were from other countries, and over 70 were injured. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. Later, his family filed a lawsuit against Iran and Syria for supporting the attack. They won the case and $323,000,000 in May 2012 in a U.S. District Court.
  • In March 2012, a French Muslim attacked the Ozar Hatorah Jewish day school, later stating he did it to avenge Palestinians. He shot and killed a Rabbi who taught there and his two sons, Aryeh, aged 6, and Gabriel, aged 3, as well as 8-year-old Miriam Monsonego and severely injured 17-year-old Bryan Bijaoui.

Treatment of Palestinian Children by the IDF

The Code of Conduct of the IDF explicitly prohibits targeting non-combatants and dictates proportional force. In February 2013 when an Israeli soldier posted on Instagram a photo of a young Palestinian boy in the crosshairs of his rifle, the IDF stated the photo did "not coincide with IDF's values or code of ethics." However, the IDF has been criticized for not living up to this code.

Since the Second Intifada, UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Fund), Amnesty International, B'Tselem and individuals such as the British writer Derek Summerfield, have called for Israel to protect children from violence in accordance with the Geneva conventions. The European Union has linked the suspension of Israel/Europe trade agreement talks to human rights issues, especially in regards to children.

In 2012, Breaking the Silence, an organization founded by former Israeli soldiers whose purpose is to expose alleged abuses committed by the Israeli Defence Forces released a booklet of witness reports written by more than 30 former Israeli soldiers. These reports document of Palestinian children being beaten, intimidated, humiliated, verbally abused and injured by Israeli soldiers. An Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson said the group had declined to provide the IDF with testimonies for verification.

Child detention

The Guardian reported the 2012 Defence for Children International’s (DCI-Palestine) statement that Palestinian children are often arrested at night, handcuffed, blindfolded, abused and not given access to family members or legal representation. B'tselem and the Guardian investigations found that Palestinian children are locked in solitary confinement for days or even weeks and sometimes sign confessions that they later say were coerced. B’Tselem said that their treatment violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Fourth Geneva Convention. A response by Amir Ofek, the press attache for the Embassy of Israel in London, challenged these statements, saying, "When a minor involved in terrorist activity is arrested, the law is clear: no torture or humiliation is permitted, nor is solitary confinement in order to induce a confession." It further said that the DCI statement " the horrific nature of the atrocities that minors, some as young as 12, can be arrested for."

A March 2013 report by UNICEF, based on 400 cases documented since 2009, stated that the Palestinian children who are detained by the Israeli military are subjected to "widespread, systematic and institutionalized" ill treatment in violation of international law. UNICEF estimated that in the West Bank IDF and Israeli security services annually arrest around 700 hundred youths between 12 and 17 years old, often from their homes at night. They are blindfolded, painfully restrained, and subjected to physical and verbal abuse while being transferred to interrogation, where they are coerced into confession without immediate access to a lawyer or family. About 60 percent of such minors were charged with throwing rocks at soldiers or passing cars after signing confessions typed in Hebrew, which few Palestinian minors can read. As of January 2013 Israeli military prisons held 233 males under 18, 31 under the age of 16. Additionally children are shackled during court appearances and made to serve sentences in Israel. UNICEF stated these findings "amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture".

The UNICEF report noted that Israel had made some positive changes over recent years, such as less painful hand tying measures. It urged Israel to refrain from blindfolding minors and holding them in solitary confinement, to permit an attorney or family member to attend interrogations, and to record interrogations to document any false claims of abuse. Israel's Foreign Ministry said Israel's military was already making changes to cooperate with the United Nations, including reducing holding time before seeing a judge to 48 hours, telling parents about arrest of children, and informing children of their right to consult a lawyer. UNICEF replied that the changes were insufficiently specific. Israeli Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor stated that "Israel will study the conclusions and will work to implement them through ongoing cooperation with UNICEF, whose work we value and respect".

Use of children as human shields

During the Second Intifada (2000–2005) Haaretz reported that Palestinian gunmen used civilians and children as human shields by surrounding themselves with children while shooting at IDF forces.

In a 2006 incident the Israeli Air Force warned Mohammed Weil Baroud, a Palestinian leader accused by Israel of firing Qassam rockets at Israel, to evacuate his home in Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip in advance of an Israeli airstrike. Instead, hundreds of Palestinians, including many women and children, gathered outside Baroud's house. Israel suspended the airstrike out of fear that the civilians would be killed or injured. A senior Hamas official said the new tactic was taken because in previous months Israel has destroyed 58 houses and more than 240 people had been left homeless. After Israel called off the strike, another Palestinian leader said: "We have won. From now on we will form human chains around every house that is threatened with demolition."

Amnesty International's report into the 2008 Gaza War stated that they had found instances in which the IDF endangered the lives of civilians, including children, by using them as human shields. The report discussed examples such as "forcing them to remain in or near houses which they took over and used as military positions. Some were forced to carry out dangerous tasks such as inspecting properties or objects suspected of being booby-trapped." The Israeli military denied the allegations saying "The IDF operated in accordance with the rules of war and did the utmost to minimise harm to civilians uninvolved in combat. The IDF's use of weapons conforms to international law." Israel's Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs likewise accused Hamas and other militant groups of using children human shields during the Gaza war.

In 2010, two IDF soldiers were convicted of 'excess authority' and 'conduct unbecoming' for using a 9 year old Palestinian child as a human shield to open packages they suspected of being booby trapped during the Gaza War. Both soldiers received three months probation and a demotion in rank. The Israeli Deputy Military Advocate for Operational Affairs commented that "the defendants did not seek to humiliate or degrade the boy."

In October 2009, local Palestinians confirmed that Hamas had fired at Israeli troops from adjacent a UN school for girls where hundreds of Palestinians had sought refuge, leading to civilian casualties.

Manipulation of children

Georgetown University professor William O'Brien wrote about the active participation of Palestinian children in the First Intifada: "It appears that a substantial number, if not the majority, of troops of the intifada are young people, including elementary schoolchildren. They are engaged in throwing stones and Molotov cocktails and other forms of violence."

According to Human Rights Watch, in 2004, the major Palestinian armed groups, including Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas "have publicly disavowed the use of children in military operations, but those stated policies have not always been implemented." In part this is because some leaders state they consider children of 16 to be adults.

Child indoctrination

See also: Textbooks in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

A comprehensive three year study (2009-2012), regarded by its researchers as 'the most definitive and balanced study to date on the topic,' found that incitement, demonization or negative depictions of the other in children's education was "extremely rare" in both Israeli and Palestinian school texts, with only 6 instances discovered in over 9,964 pages of Palestinian textbooks, none of which consisted of "general dehumanising characterisations of personal traits of Jews or Israelis". Israeli officials rejected the study as biased, while Palestinian Authority officials claimed it vindicated their view that their textbooks are as fair and balanced as Israel’s.

The study, published in 2013 by the Council for Religious Institutions in the Holy Land, an interfaith association of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, produced different results. The study was supervised by a psychiatrist, Prof. emeritus Bruce Wexler of Yale University and his NGO, A Different Future, and a joint Palestinian-Israeli research team, headed by Professors Daniel Bar-Tal (Tel Aviv University) and Sami Adwan (Bethlehem University), was commissioned. Six Israeli and four Palestinian bilingual research assistants were employed to analyze the texts of 370 Israeli and 102 Palestinian books from grades 1 to 12. The study found that, while most schoolbooks on either side were factually accurate, both Israel and the Palestinians failed to adequately and positively represent each other, and presented "exclusive unilateral national narratives". It was found that 40 percent of Israeli and 15 percent of Palestinian textbooks were judged to contain neutral depictions of the other, whereas negative characterizations were discerned in 26 percent of Israeli state school books and 50 percent of the Palestinian ones. Israeli schoolbooks were deemed superior to Palestinian ones with regard to preparing children for peace, but the study praised both Israel and the Palestinian Authority for producing textbooks almost completely unblemished by "dehumanizing and demonizing characterizations of the other".

Israel has made the criticism of Palestinian textbooks a cornerstone of its Hasbara campaign against the Palestinian Authority. According to a 2006 study by Noa Meridor, a researcher in the Israel Defense Ministry's office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the 2005 Palestinian curriculum "shows a continuing denial of the State of Israel's right to exist and a continuing cultivation of the values of armed struggle against Israel. The books contain incitement against the State of Israel and the Zionist movement, one of them even employing anti-Semitism." In February 2007, the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), supported by United States Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, released a report entitled "From Nationalist Battle to Religious Conflict: New 12th Grade Palestinian Textbooks Present a World Without Israel". The report states, in part:

The teachings repeatedly reject Israel's right to exist, present the conflict as a religious battle for Islam, teach Israel's founding as imperialism, and actively portray a picture of the Middle East, both verbally and visually, in which Israel does not exist at all. The following description of Israel's founding represents the dominant dogma about Israel in Palestinian schoolbooks: Defining Israel's founding as a "catastrophe unprecedented in history," "a theft perpetrated by "Zionist gangs," together with numerous other hateful descriptions of Israel as "colonial imperialist" and "racist", compounded by the presentation of the conflict as a religious war, leaves no latitude for students to have positive or even neutral attitudes towards Israel. This negative imagery and religious packaging are compounded by hateful presentations of Israeli policy. The young students are imbued with a Palestinian identity as "victims" just by virtue of Israel's existence. The well-meaning student is left with no logical justification or religious option to accept Israel as a neighbor or to seek coexistence. Given the total rejection of Israel's right to exist, on nationalistic and religious grounds, Palestinian terror against Israel since Israel's founding in 1948 is defined as: "resistance … acts of most glorious heroism."

In August 2009, Hamas refused to allow Palestinian children to learn about the Holocaust, which it called "a lie invented by the Zionists" and referred to Holocaust education as a "war crime."

An analysis of Israeli textbooks in 2000 by the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP) found that there was no indoctrination against the Arabs as a nation, nor a negative presentation of Islam. Islam, Arab culture and the Arabs' contribution to human civilization were presented in a positive light. No book called for violence or war, and many books reportedly expressed the yearning for peace between Israel and the Arab countries. However, some textbooks within the Orthodox Jewish community were found to contain prejudices towards Palestinians and the Arabs were often held responsible for Israel's wars.

Anne Speckhard, adjunct associate Professor of Psychiatry, Georgetown University Medical Center and Professor of Psychology, Vesalius College, Free University of Brussels, writes:

In the Palestinian territories, there currently exists a "cult of martyrdom". From a very young age children are socialized into a group consciousness that honors "martyrs", including human bombers who have given their lives for the fight against what is perceived by Palestinians to be the unjust occupation of their lands. Young children are told stories of "martyrs". Many young people wear necklaces venerating particular "martyrs", posters decorate the walls of towns and rock and music videos extol the virtues of bombers. Each act of suicide terrorism is also marked by a last testament and video, which are prepared ahead of time by the "martyr" who can later reach great popularity when the video is played on television. Despite the very deep and real grief of the family and friends left behind, the funerals of “martyrs” are generally accompanied with much fanfare by community and sponsoring organization.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the Hamas' bi-weekly on-line magazine for children, al-Fatah (Arabic for "the conqueror"), published since 2002, features stories and columns praising suicide bombers and attacks against the "Jewish enemy."

In 2013, more than 3,000 Palestinian teenagers graduated from Hamas’s first high school military training program in the Gaza Strip. According to Abu Hozifa, a 29-year-old national security officer who teaches in the program, the children are taught to, "honor the national flag and anthem, to strengthen their affinity with the homeland and Jerusalem, the spirit of resistance and the principles of steadfastness. We also prepare them in terms of faith and physical fitness to serve as resistance fighters if they want to be in the future."

Child suicide bombers

Main article: Child suicide bombers in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

According to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers "2004 Global Report on the Use of Child Soldiers", there were at least nine documented suicide attacks involving Palestinian minors between October 2000 and March 2004. According to the Israel Defense Forces from September 2000 through 2003, 29 suicide attacks have been carried out by youth under the age of 18, 22 shootings attacks and attacks using explosive devices were carried out by youth under the age of and more than 40 youths under the age of 18 were involved in attempted suicide bombings that were thwarted. According to the Coalition, "here was no evidence of systematic recruitment of children by Palestinian armed groups. However, children are used as messengers and couriers, and in some cases as fighters and suicide bombers in attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. All the main political groups involve children in this way, including Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine."

In 2004, the Guardian reported that the Israeli military "accused a faction of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement of using an 11-year-old boy as an unwitting human bomb after the child was discovered carrying explosive through an army checkpoint in Nablus. The army says Abdullah Quran's life was saved only because a mobile phone rigged as a detonator failed to set off the explosive when he was stopped." In 2009, Hussam Abdo, 14, was given $23, a suicide bomber's vest containing 18 kilograms of explosives, and sent to kill Israelis. When approached by the boy, Israeli soldiers disarmed the bomb, and all the while Abdo kept telling them that he did not want to die. His family said he was gullible and easily manipulated: "He doesn't know anything (about politics), and he has the intelligence of a 12 year old."

Former UN Under-Secretary General Olara Otunnu stated in 2003: “We have witnessed both ends of these acts:children have been used as suicide bombers and children have been killed by suicide bombings. I call on the Palestinian authorities to do everything within their powers to stop all participation by children in this conflict.”

In 2005 Amnesty International condemned the use of children by Palestinian militant groups as well as violence against civilians: "Palestinian armed groups have repeatedly shown total disregard for the most fundamental human rights, notably the right to life, by deliberately targeting Israeli civilians and by using Palestinian children in armed attacks."

According to Shafiq Masalha, a clinical psychologist who teaches at Tel Aviv University's education program, 15% of Palestinian children dream of becoming suicide bombers. According to Eyad Sarraj, Palestinian psychiatrist and director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program, a survey his group made found that 36% of Palestinians over 12 aspired to die "a martyr's death" fighting Israel.

Effects on children

Medical care

Israel has maintained a system of socialized health care for all Israelis since its establishment in 1948. A National Health Insurance law was passed in 1995. Coverage includes medical diagnosis and treatment, preventive medicine, hospitalization, surgery and transplants, preventive dental care for children, and other benefits.

Since the 1990s, and especially since the violence associated with the Second Intifada, Israel has created hundreds of permanent roadblocks and checkpoints staffed by Israeli military or border police. While some are between Israel and the West Bank to prevent possible terrorist attacks, as of September 2011 most were within the West Bank, with 522 such permanent and an average of 495 temporary "flying checkpoints". A 2009 United Nations reported stated that the checkpoints were evolving into "a more permanent system of control" reducing the space available for Palestinian growth and movement for the benefit of the increasing Israeli settler population. A 2002 incident of a bomb found in a Red Crescent ambulance increased vigilance regarding those vehicles.

In 2004 psychiatrist Derek Summerfield wrote in an opinion piece in the British medical journal BMJ that the then-recent Israeli military reoccupation of the West Bank and Gaza divided communities by "checkpoints", put up massive walls like the Israeli West Bank barrier and the Gaza Strip barrier and demolished 60,000 homes. The World Bank estimated that due to these actions Palestinian poverty had tripled in three years with 60% of the population subsisting at poverty level and over half of households eating just one meal daily. The barrier was isolating 97 primary health clinics and 11 hospitals from Palestinian patients. During that time there were 87 cases in which denial of access to medical treatment caused death, including to 30 children, some babies born while women in labor were kept at checkpoints. Summerfield said that Physicians for Human Rights-Israel has criticized the Israel Medical Association for its silence on these issues.

A 2009 The Lancet medical journal report, authored by Dr. Awad Mataria and Dr. Hanan Abdul Rahim, described the healthcare system in the Palestinian territories as "fragmented and incoherent". Dr. Rahim said there were gaps in care, a low level of post-natal care, and little decline infant mortality rates compared with other Arab countries that had been able to bring them down. The report cited a United Nations' report that stated more than 60 Palestinian women had given birth at Israeli checkpoints and 36 of their babies died as a result. The physicians blamed conditions of military occupation, Palestinian political instability, inconsistent and fragmented foreign aid donor policies and a focus on emergency aid, as opposed to long-term development inside the Palestinian territories. The World Health Organization reports regularly on health care in the "occupied Palestinian territory."

In response to the Summerfield opinion piece, Irwin Mansdorf, a member of Task Force on Medical and Public Health Issues, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East wrote an opinion piece about routine care that Palestinians continue to receive in Israeli hospitals and from Israeli physicians, saying that "Palestinians receive care in Israel that they could not receive in any neighboring Arab country. In the last few months alone nearly 200 Palestinian children who were referred under a joint Israeli-Palestinian programme to treat children with serious medical conditions have already undergone major surgery at Israeli hospitals at no cost to the families. Another 350-400 Palestinian children have undergone free diagnostic testing." Simon M Fellerman also wrote one noting that Saving Children, established by the Peres Center for Peace, enables hundreds of Palestinian children to receive free medical care, in particular cardiac surgery, from Israeli surgeons. In response to the Lancet report, an Israeli government spokesperson said that Palestinians in the territories could receive medical care in Israel itself, noting that 28,000 Palestinians from Gaza had been treated in Israel during the two years covered by the Lancet report.

Palestinian child cancer patients on a ski trip organized by Israeli soldiers

In 2011, the Israeli Civil Administration's Health Coordinator, Dalia Bassa and the Commander of the IDF's Alpine unit jointly organized a ski trip to Mt. Hermon in northern Israel for Palestinian children diagnosed with cancer. The children, who were accompanied by parents, family members, and Israeli soldiers from the Alpine Unit, are undergoing treatment at the Augusta Victoria hospital in Jerusalem.

"Save A Child's Heart" is a program in which any child with heart problems can receive free medical attention and surgery from select doctors and hospitals within Israel. As of 2009 it had operated on 1000 Palestinian children.

Hadassah Medical Center has reported that organ donations in which the recipient is a Palestinian and the donor an Israeli, or vice versa, are not unusual. In one case a Palestinian from Bethlehem received the kidney of an Israeli. The families of Yoni Jesner, a Jewish teenager, and Ahmed Khatib, a Palestinian boy, donated their organs to children from the opposite sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yoni Jesner died in a suicide bombing in 2002, while Ahmed Khatib was killed by IDF gunfire in 2005. In 2002, 16-year-old Israeli Rachel Thaler was killed along with two other teenagers in a suicide bombing. After her death, Thaler's family chose to have her organs donated.

Malnutrition

Children returning home to Aida Palestinian refugee camp north of Bethlehem; Israeli West Bank barrier is in the background.

In a 2003 United Nations report, Special Rapporteur Jean Ziegler reported that over 22 per cent of children under 5 in the Palestinian territories were suffering from malnutrition and 15.6 per cent from acute anaemia." According to the World Bank, food consumption in the Palestinian Territories fell by more than 25 per cent per capita, and food shortages particularly of proteins, were reported. A 2007 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics poll of Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza found that as a result of poverty about 10 percent of Palestinian children suffer "permanent effects from malnutrition", including especially stunted growth. In 2010 the Danish government sponsored a survey that found that 10 percent of children in Gaza are malnourished.

In April 2011, the Israel Defense Force spokesperson's office made available to the media comments by the deputy director of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip, who the IDF reported had said that there is "no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. If you go to the supermarket, there are products. There are restaurants and a nice beach." She further said that problems caused by the blockade were "mainly in maintenance of infrastructure and in access to goods, concrete for example."

Christian Science Monitor staff writer Dan Murphy interviewed the spokeswoman for the Red Cross, Cecilia Goin, who said the comments were not provided in full context and thus gave the inaccurate impression "that everything was OK" when in fact the situation was still "dire." Murphy, who has been to Gaza, wrote that products in supermarkets and restaurants were "out of reach" for most Gazans. He wrote: "In this context the "no humanitarian crisis" means that people in Gaza aren't starving, which is certainly true. The United Nation's Relief and Works Agency provides aid to most of Gaza's 1.5 million people, and has been allowed to bring in food and medical supplies. The Red Cross and other aid groups are active as well." He also noted that a 2008 United States diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks stated that "Israeli officials have confirmed to Embassy officials on multiple occasions that they intend to keep the Gazan economy functioning at the lowest level possible consistent with avoiding a humanitarian crisis".

A 2012 report jointly issued by aid organizations Save the Children and Britain's Medical Aid for Palestinians found that 10 percent of Gaza children under five had stunted growth due to malnutrition and that 68 percent of pre-school children and 58 percent of children of school age suffered from anaemia. The report stated that the five-year blockade of Gaza Strip, which has prevented importation of necessary supplies and materials, as well as Israel's Gaza War bombing of infrastructure, has led to water being severely contaminated by fertilizer and human waste. Diseases like typhoid and diarrhea, spread by contaminated water, have doubled in children under the age of 3, which has long-term health implications. Open sewage is a problem and in 2012 three children drowned in pools of it.

In October 2012 an Israeli human rights group forced Israel to disclose a 2008 document that calculated that Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants needed 2,279 calories per person a day to avoid malnutrition and widespread starvation. The Israeli military disputes critics' claims it used the guidelines during its blockade of Gaza to restrict food shipments to Gaza in order to put pressure on Hamas.

Accidents by unexploded ordnance

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) has been a low-level but recurrent threat. The majority of incidents involving unexploded ordnance occurred in the Gaza Strip.

Schooling disruptions

Israeli kindergarten after rocket attack from Gaza

Many Israelis have been killed at or on the way to school. In the 1970 Avivim school bus massacre, Palestinian terrorists killed 12 civilians, 9 of them children, and injured 25. The 1974 Ma'alot massacre by the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which resulted in the death of 22 schoolchildren, 3 teachers, and various other civilians took place at the Netiv Meir elementary school. In 1992, 15-year-old Helena Rapp was stabbed to death by Palestinian militant Fouad Abd El Hani El Omrin on her way to school. 7 Israeli schoolgirls were shot dead in the 1997 Island of Peace massacre while on a class field trip, and 6 others were injured. In 2002, Palestinian gunmen killed 3 teenagers at the Hitzim yeshiva high school in Itamar and 4 at Yeshivat Otniel near Hebron. The 2008 Mercaz HaRav massacre, in which a Palestinian attacked a Jerusalem yeshiva, resulted in the deaths of 8 and the injuring of 11.

Schools throughout southern Israel were closed during the March 2012 Gaza–Israel clashes, in which Gaza militants launched over 300 rockets into Israel. Schools in Beersheba, Ashdod and Kiryat Gat closed in March 2011 as a result of rocket fire from Gaza, as did schools in Beersheba and Ashdod in September 2012. Israeli authorities have reported numerous incidents in which schools were damaged by Qassam rockets and mortars.

In April 2011, Hamas bombed a school bus, killing a 16-year-old boy and injuring the driver.

Post-traumatic stress

Researchers are finding high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder among Palestinian children. According to some researchers, the average rate of post-traumatic stress disorder among children from both sides of the Green Line is about 70 per cent. Gaza Community Health Programs carried out a study and found that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) rate for children in Gaza was that 54% suffered from severe PTSD, 33.5% from moderate and 11% from mild and doubtful levels of PTSD. In a report, published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, it was estimated that the rate of psychological morbidity in the southern region of Bethlehem in the West Bank, to be 42.3% among Palestinian children. The rate was 46.3% for boys and 37.8% for girls. These rates, the study reported, were twice the rate of psychological morbidity in the Gaza strip.

File:Sderotchilddrawing.jpg
"Someone has been wounded" – Drawing by a 7-year old Sderot resident

According to an Israeli child psychiatrist, about half of the children in Jerusalem, the city hit hardest by Palestinian violence, experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, two to three times higher than the rate of children suffering from other causes of trauma. A recent study by Herzog’s trauma centre found that 33 per cent of Israeli youth have been affected personally by terrorism, either by being at the scene of an attack or by knowing someone injured or killed by terrorists. Seventy per cent of those surveyed reported increased subjective fear or hopelessness.

Studies have found high levels of PTSD in southern Israel which is frequently attacked by rockets and mortars from the Gaza Strip. In particular, frequent air-raid sirens and explosions of incoming projectiles have caused severe psychological trauma in the city of Sderot. In 2008, Natal, the Israel Center for Victims of Terror and War, conducted a study on Sderot based on representative sampling. The study found that between 75 percent and 94 percent of Sderot children aged 4–18 exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress while about one-third had post traumatic stress disorder.

About 26% of Israeli minors killed lived in the Israeli settlements in West Bank and Gaza. According to Miriam Shapira, the director of an emergency crisis centre for West Bank settlers, "Almost every school has students who have experienced close losses. One school had 20 students who had lost a parent in terrorist attacks. About half of the teachers also have had a close relative killed or were themselves involved in an attack."

Dr. Avital Laufer of Tel Aviv University reported that 42 percent of Israeli children suffer from PTSD. Laufer further said that 70 percent had been personally impacted by terrorism.

Herzog Hospital's Israel Centre for the Treatment of Psychotrauma, in Jerusalem, and the UJA-Federation of New York held a conference to examine the effects of terrorism on children in Israel and the United States. Their study shows that despite nearly four years of ongoing terrorism, Israeli children have shown resilience for coping with trauma and pressing on with their lives.

Media manipulation

Some images of children in the conflict have been shown to be false, digitally altered, or outdated, and are used to manipulate public sentiment. For instance, during the March 2012 Gaza-Israel clashes, Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, tweeted a photo of an Israeli woman and her two children ducking a Gaza rocket describing it as "when a rocket fired by terrorists from Gaza is about to hit their home." When it was proved the photo was from 2009 he said "I never stated that the photo was current."

During that period Khulood Badawi, an Information and Media Coordinator for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, tweeted a picture of a Palestinian child covered in blood. She was criticized because the child was killed in 2006, allegedly in an accident. She later tweeted that she mistakenly had tweeted an old photo. Ma'an News Agency reported the hospital medical report on the dead girl stated she died “due to falling from a high area during the Israeli strike on Gaza”. Interviews with relatives, news reports and investigations by human rights organizations also suggest that her death indirectly was caused by an Israeli airstrike as little as 100 meters away, though accounts differ on how this occurred. Israeli officials have said that the girl's death had nothing to do with Israel.

In early November 2012, Israeli activists reported that several journalists with cameras followed a Palestinian girl as she repeatedly tried without success to provoke a violent reaction from Israeli soldiers. On November 18, Alarab Net, an Arab news site, released a photo of three bloodied children and their mother with the caption “martyred massacred family in Gaza”. This image turned out to be of Syrian children. Pro-Palestinian activists published a photograph on Twitter of an injured infant held by a rescue worker, writing “even this young injured Palestinian child doesn’t seem surprised or scared, used to Israeli terrorism.” The baby in the picture was quickly identified as an Israeli injured in a Hamas rocket attack, which also killed her mother.

Peace projects

The sign outside Galil Jewish-Arab School.

Many Arab-Israeli peace projects actively involve children and teenagers. For example, Seeds of Peace was founded in 1993 with the goal of creating new generations of leaders in conflict regions that will no longer accept outdated and harmful stereotypes about each other. This would occur by bringing together youth from both sides of conflict regions to literally put a human face on those who were previously perceived as an enemy. The organization, which began with Israeli, Palestinian, and Egyptian teenagers, has expanded to reach Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Yemen, India, Pakistan, Maine, Cyprus (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus/Republic of Cyprus), and the Balkans.

Children of Peace, a charity based in the United Kingdom, is self-described as focused "upon building alliances with like-minded organisations in the Gaza, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and the West Bank projects and programmes in the arts, education, health and sports for Israeli and Palestinian children, aged 4 - 17." Richard Martin, who founded the organization in 2005, has stated that he refuses to take sides because "all children suffer in conflict."

Two Hand in Hand teachers

Middle East Education Through Technology (MEET), the Institute for Circlework, TEC-the Center for Teachnologystrives, and Hand in Hand focus on educational efforts. Hand in Hand is a network of bilingual (Hebrew-Arabic) schools in which Jewish and Arab children study together. It was founded in 1997 by two Israelis, one Arab and one Jewish, with the philosophy of breaking negative stereotypes, cultivating mutual respect and understanding, and providing a dynamic example that Jews and Arabs can study, work and live together in peace.

Hand in Hand has also hosted basketball games organized by PeacePlayers International (PPI) between Israeli and Palestinian teenagers, describing them as "baby steps" towards peace. Ala Khatib, a co-principal, said that "Never mind what is going on outside, whether it's bombing in Gaza or if it's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, you can't stop school. You have to go to school, you have to face the other side, you have to say good morning, and you have to talk."

In 2005, the United States-based Kabbalah Center and the Palestinian Abu Assukar Center for Peace and Dialogue organized a children's camp for 115 Israeli children and 115 Palestinian children aged 8 to 12 to take place near Tel Aviv at the Ramat Gan Safari Park. The camp, which lasted for four days, involved children from Bethlehem, Ramallah, East Jerusalem, Tulkarem, Jericho, and Jenin. The Israeli children involved were mostly those who came from severe poverty and violent backgrounds. Joint-organizer Osnat Youdkevitch remarked that, "Our message is that of dignity for all human beings. It's harder for adults to fully understand, since so much has already been built up around us, but kids have the chance to grow up thinking in a healthier way. If you play, eat and sweat for four days with a group of other kids who are supposed to be the 'enemy', it will stay in your heart forever."

See also

References

  1. Hanieh, Adam (2004). Stolen Youth - The Politics of Israel’s Detention of Palestinian Children. Pluto Press. p. 4. ISBN 0 7453 2162 3.
  2. ^ "Occupied Territories: Stop Use of Children in Suicide Bombings" (Press release). Human Rights Watch. 3 October 2004.
  3. Fatalities in the first Intifada (Dec. 9, 1987-Sept. 28, 2000).
  4. Fatalities: 29.9.2000-30.9.2012 (September 29, 2000 to September 30, 2012).
  5. Fatalities since the outbreak of the second intifada and until operation "Cast Lead":29.9.2000-26.12.2008 (September 29, 2000 - December 26, 2008)
  6. Fatalities during operation "Cast Lead":27.12.2008-18.1.2009 (December 27, 2008 - January 18, 2009)
  7. Fatalities after operation "Cast Lead": 19.1.2009-31.10.2012 (January 19, 2009 to October 31, 2012)
  8. Mearsheimer, John; Walt, Stephen (2006). "The Israel Lobby". London Review of Books. 28 (6): pp. 3–12. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  9. Fatal Terrorist Attacks in Israel Since the DOP (Sept 1993)
  10. ^ "ICT Middleastern Conflict Statistics Project". Short summary page with "Breakdown of Fatalities: September 27, 2000 through January 1, 2005." International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism.
  11. Weinberg Infant. April 26, 2007.
  12. Weinberg infant, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, July 16, 2002.
  13. Unanswered questions regarding Kenya terror attacks. World Socialist Web Site. December 5, 2002.
  14. Death toll rises in Egypt blasts BBC News
  15. Who Cares About the Murder of Pregnant Israeli Women?
  16. Shepherd shot by Israeli army
  17. B’Tselem’s investigation of fatalities in Operation Cast Lead, B'Tselem website, undated.
  18. ^ "Operation Cast Lead: 352 children killed". Defence for Children International. Retrieved 31/01/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help) Cite error: The named reference "DCI" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  19. "4 Years Since Operation Cast Lead". Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 31/01/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  20. "Cast Lead Offensive in Numbers: Statistical Report on: Persons Killed and Property Damaged or Destroyed in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Occupation Forces during Operation Cast Lead (27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009)" (PDF). Al Mezan Center for Human Rights. Retrieved 31/01/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  21. "Operation Cast Lead". Amnesty International. Retrieved 31/01.2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  22. "IDF releases Cast Lead casualty numbers". Jerusalem Post. 28 March 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2010..
  23. Dan Izenberg, slams B'Tselem Cast Lead figures, Jerusalem Post, 2009-09-16
  24. Richter, Elihu D. and Yael Stein. "Comments on B'Tselem's Civilian Casualty Estimates in Operation Cast Lead." Scholars for Peace in the Middle East. 13 September
  25. Palestinian minors killed by Israeli security forces in Israel, 29.9.2000 - 31.10.2012
  26. Fatalities: 29.9.2000-30.9.2012 (September 29, 2000 to September 30, 2012).
  27. Occupied Palestinian Territories: Escalation in Hostilities in Gaza and southern Israel, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (“OCHA”), p. 2.
  28. The Associated Press (22 November 2012). "Gaza and Israel begin to resume normal life after truce". BBC news. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  29. "Bullets, Bombs and a Sign of Hope", TIME, May 27, 1974.
  30. Arab Terrorists Slay 18 In Raid On Israel - published on the Virgin Islands Daily News April 13, 1974
  31. ^ PLO strategy and politics By Aryeh Y. Yodfat, Yuval Arnon-Ohanna
  32. Morris, Benny (1997). Israel's Border Wars, 1949–1956: Arab Infiltration, Israeli Retaliation, and the Countdown to the Suez War. Oxford University Press. p. 61. ISBN 0-19-829262-7. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  33. Morris, Benny (1993) Israel's Border Wars, 1949 - 1956. Arab infiltration, Israeli retaliation, and the countdown to the Suez War. Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-827850-0. Page 203.
  34. Ronen Bergman, The secret war with Iran, page 215
  35. The Murder of Ofir Rahum
  36. Leonard A. Cole (June 2007). Terror: how Israel has coped and what America can. Indiana University Press. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-253-34918-7. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  37. Tatah Mentan (30 October 2004). Dilemmas Of Weak States: Africa And Transnational Terrorism In The Twenty-First Century (Contemporary Perspectives on Developing Societies). Ashgate Publishing. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-0-7546-4200-8. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  38. Second kidnapping increasingly likely, but not confirmed - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper
  39. ^ Amnesty International Library Index
  40. Danielle Shefi
  41. Raved, Ahiya (5 June 2011). "Palestinian baby killer: Proud of what I did". Ynetnews. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  42. Palestinian TV airs show praising Fogel family murderer, Haaretz 29-01-2012
  43. Sanders, Edmund (13 March 2011). "Brutal West Bank killings shock Israel, stir fears of renewed violence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  44. Fogel Family Murderers Arrested Palestinian Teens Don't Regret Murdering Children
  45. Bagshawe, Louise (24 March 2011). "A family slaughtered in Israel – doesn't the BBC care? – Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  46. Ya'ar, Chana (May 2, 2012). Arab Ambush of Children's Bus in Jerusalem. Israel National News. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  47. Fleishman, Itamar (July 10, 2012). Hebron: Shalhevet Pass' sister hurt in rock attack Ynetnews. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  48. Fisher, Ian (29 January 2006). "In Hamas's Overt Hatred, Many Israelis See Hope". New York Times. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  49. ^ Israeli MFA
  50. ^ Center of the Storm: A Case Study of Human Rights Abuses in Hebron District, Human Rights Watch, 2001, p. 64. ISBN 1-56432-260-2
  51. Nechemia Coopersmith, Shraga Simmons. Israel: Life In The Shadow Of Terror. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  52. "Target: Israeli Children". Israeli Ministry of Education. On Monday, March 26, 2001 a Palestinian sniper aimed his rifle and opened fire at 10-month old Shalhevet Pass in Hebron, while she was lying in her stroller. Shalhevet was killed by a bullet to the head.
  53. Death of Innocents
  54. Suicide bombing at the Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem 9 August 2001, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  55. 'The street was covered with blood and bodies: the dead and the dying', The Guardian, 10 August 2001.
  56. Hermann, Peter (3 March 2002). "Sixteen Israelis killed in two attacks ; West Bank shooting, Jerusalem bombing injure more than 50". The Baltimore Sun.
  57. "9 dead, 51 hurt in Jerusalem bombing". Haaretz. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  58. "Focus / Jerusalem's soft underbelly". Haaretz. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  59. "Seven funerals for the Nehmad family". Haaretz. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  60. A New Shoah: The Untold Story of Israel's Victims of Terrorism. By Giulio Meotti. p.187
  61. Suicide bombing of Maxim restaurant in Haifa – October 4, 2003
  62. Cult of the FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBER. The Sunday Times Magazine (Perth, W. Australia). By KEVIN TOOLIS, pp 12–15, September 10, 2006
  63. Arnon Regular,Profile of the Haifa suicide bomber. October 5, 2003; www.haaretz.com.
  64. "Tali Hatuel, Hila, Hadar, Roni, and Merav". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2 May 2004.
  65. "Father buries wife, four daughters killed in Gaza ambush". Haaretz. 2 May 2004.
  66. "Pregnant mum and four children gunned down". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 May 2004.
  67. "Gunmen kill Jewish settler family". London: BBC News. 3 May 2004. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  68. Silverin, Eric (3 May 2004). "Pregnant mum and her four children killed in terror attack". Irish Independent.
  69. "Settler mother and daughters shot dead". The Guardian. 3 May 2004.
  70. "Terrorist involved in 2004 murder of Hatuel family arrested 16-Jul-2007". www.mfa.gov.il. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  71. Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No (27), PSR - Survey Research Unit, 24 March 2008
  72. Pfeffer, Anshel, and Levinson, Chaim (6 October 2011). "Shin Bet: 2 Palestinians admit throwing rocks that killed Israeli Asher Palmer and infant son". Ha'aretz. Retrieved 17 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  73. Hartman, Ben (28 September 2011). "Defense Ministry: Asher Palmer, son were terror victims". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  74. Lappin, Yaakov (9 July 2012). "Gaza sniper fire shatters glass onto kid's car seat". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  75. "Gaza Sniper Fire Hits Child Car Seat in Kibbutz Vehicle (PHOTOS)". The Algemeiner. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  76. Benny Morris, (1993) Israel's Border Wars, 1949-1956 ISBN 0-19-829262-7, Oxford University Press p 181
  77. Benny Morris, (1993) Israel's Border Wars, 1949-1956 ISBN 0-19-829262-7, Oxford University Press p 184
  78. Hutchison, E. H. (1956). Violent Truce - A Military Observer Looks at the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1951–1955 (PDF). pp. 12–16.
  79. Amira Hass, Drinking the Sea at Gaza: Days and Nights in a Land under Siege (Owl Books, 2000) ISBN 0-8050-5740-4.
  80. Association of Israeli and Palestinian Physicians for Human Rights (PHR-Israel), Intifada-Related Head Injuries and Rehabilitation of the Head-Injured, Tel-Aviv, July 1995
  81. Palestine Section of Defence for Children International
  82. Breakdown of Palestinian Child Injuries (1 January - April 2003) 10 May 2003 Breakdown of Palestinian Child Injuries, 2002 14 February 2003 Breakdown of Palestinian Child Deaths and Injuries in 2001 30 August 2001. The Defence for Children International/Palestine Section
  83. World health organisation Health conditions of, and assistance to, the Arab population in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine 3 May 2004 A57/INF.DOC./1
  84. KILLING THE FUTURE: Children in the line of fire. AI Index: MDE 02/005/2002, 30 September 2002. Israel and the Occupied Territories and the Palestinian Authority.
  85. Bryan Saari,Holy Land Conversations: A Journey Through Palestine's Back Door, Wheatmark, Inc., 2011, pp 203-204, ISBN 1604942738, 9781604942736.
  86. "IDF releases Cast Lead casualty numbers". Jerusalem Post. 28 March 2009. Archived from the original on 22 February 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2010..
  87. DAN IZENBERG, Report slams B'Tselem Cast Lead figures, JPost, 2009-09-16
  88. Richard Spencer, Israel's Gaza invasion killed more than 250 children, The Daily Telegraph, September 9, 2009.
  89. The Associated Press (22 November 2012). "Gaza and Israel begin to resume normal life after truce". BBC news. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  90. "Israeli strikes kill 23 in bloodiest day for Gaza". Thenews.com.pk. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  91. Hockstader, Lee (11 December 2000). "Gaza Gains a Martyr, Parents Lose a Son; Slain Youth Hailed As Palestinian Hero While Couple Mourns". The Washington Post. p. A18. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  92. Fighting in Gaza Kills a Boy and Clashes in West Bank Wound 4. The New York Times. 8 July 2001
  93. Are Israelis off hook in slaying? Associated Press. 13 November 2011
  94. Greenburg, Joel. Death of a Child: How Israel's Army Responds The New York Times. 13 November 2001
  95. "Israeli probe Gaza girl shooting". BBC. 11 October 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  96. Associated Press (22 November 2007). "Israeli soldier indicted in girl's death: Officer repeatedly shot the wounded teenager". MSNBC. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
  97. Ravi Nessman (9 December 2004). "Israeli troops' killing of Palestinians sparks soul-searching". Deseret News (Salt Lake City).
  98. "Does it pay to sue for libel in Israel?". Haaretz. 21 January 2010.
  99. Israel air strike kills children, BBC June 20, 2006.
  100. Yuval Yoaz, State commission to examine civilian deaths in 2002 Shahade assassination, Haaretz, 19 September 2007
  101. "Palestinian Rockets Kill 2 Schoolgirls in Gaza". Fox News. 26 December 2008.
  102. Harriet Sherwood, Israeli troops accused of shooting children in Gaza, BBC, October 11, 2010.
  103. "Statistics:Fatalities". B'Tselem. September 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  104. Alexei Lupalo
  105. Fisher, Ian (29 January 2006). "In Hamas's Overt Hatred, Many Israelis See Hope". New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  106. After praying for a seventh child Nava's baby died in her arms, Haaretz
  107. Terror: How Israel Has Coped and What America Can Learn, Leonard A. Cole
  108. Israel shocked at child toll of Jerusalem bus bombing CNN, 20 August 2003
  109. "The attack tonight was claimed by members of both Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The Israeli police said the bomber was from Hamas." James Bennet, BOMBING KILLS 18 AND HURTS SCORES ON JERUSALEM BUS, The New York Times, August 20, 2003.
  110. "The militant Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad both said they carried out the attack." Bus bomb carnage in Jerusalem, BBC News, August 20, 2003.
  111. "...a bus bomb in Jerusalem earlier this week – for which both groups claimed responsibility – left 20 people dead." Roger Hardy, Analysis: End of roadmap?, BBC News, August 21, 2003.
  112. Daniel Wultz
  113. Bomber kills 9 in Tel Aviv - World news - Mideast/N. Africa - msnbc.com
  114. Israeli group wins $323 million suit in US court against Iran and Syria for restaurant bombing
  115. What are the real lessons to be learned from the Toulouse killings?. The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  116. "Siege Of French Gunman Into Second Day". Sky News. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  117. "Toulouse school dead flown to Jerusalem for burial". BBC News. 20 March 2012.
  118. Rothman, Andrea (19 March 2012). "4 Dead in Shooting at Jewish School in France". Businessweek. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  119. Govan, Fiona (20 March 2012). "Toulouse shooting: heartbreaking detail of attack that shocked France and Israel". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  120. Maiberg, Emanuel. (22 March 2012) French teen who tried to save Toulouse victim still hospitalized. The Times of Israel. Retrieved on 5 December 2012.
  121. "Ethics – The IDF Spirit". IDF Spokesperson's Unit. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  122. Adam Clark Estes, Israel's Latest Weapon: Instagram, The Atlantic, February 18, 2013.
  123. Guardian Upgrade Palestinian rights As it freezes an upgrade of relations with Israel, the EU should now demand respect for human rights, especially for children by Seth Freedman 27 February 2009
  124. ^ Harriet Sherwood (Sunday 26 August 2012). "Former Israeli soldiers disclose routine mistreatment of Palestinian children". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-08-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  125. Australian Jews up in arms about Israeli NGO report on IDF abuses, Haaretz, September 12, 2012.
  126. Defence for Children International 17 February 2009 Update: 12-13 year-olds arrested for throwing stones at the Wall
  127. Children Behind Bars, Administrative Detention Defence for Children International/Palestine Section. 22 October 2004
  128. Sherwood, Harriet (22 January 2012). "The Palestinian children – alone and bewildered – in Israel's Al Jalame jail". The Guardian. West Bank. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  129. Amir Ofek, Israel does not mistreat detained Palestinian children, The Guardian, February 2, 2012, accessdate March 11, 2013; see Amir Ofek profile on The Guardian website.
  130. ^ Lubell, Maayan (6/3/2013). "Israel mistreats Palestinian children in custody: UNICEF". Reuters. Retrieved 11/03/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  131. ^ "UNICEF calls on Israel to reform detention policies for Palestinian minors". Fox News. 6/3/2013. Retrieved 11/03/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  132. Harel, Amos (3 August 2004). "Analysis / Stoking an appetite for revenge". Haaretz. Retrieved 16 March 2013. The photographs from recent operations show that the armed Palestinians use the many civilians in the area, including children, as a "human shield". Since this is done routinely, harming children (some, it is possible, by Palestinian fire) becomes almost impossible to prevent.
  133. Gaza: Use of human shields continues", The Jerusalem Post, November 19, 2006.
  134. "Israel/Gaza- Operation Cast Lead: 22Days of Death and Destruction" (PDF). Amnesty international. Retrieved 16/03/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  135. Chassy, Clancy (23 March 2009). "Guardian investigation uncovers evidence of alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza". London: The Guardian.
  136. Hamas and the Terrorist Threat from the Gaza Strip; The Main Findings of the Goldstone Report Versus the Factual Findings, Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, pp 4-5 summary.
  137. "Hamas exploitation of civilians as human shields: Photographic evidence". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  138. Weil, S (2012). Is There a Court for Gaza?: A Test Bench for International Justice. T.M.C. Asser Press. p. 119. ISBN 9067048194.
  139. Residents: Hamas Militants Staged Attacks from Cover of UN School, Associated Press, January 6, 2009.
  140. Israel: Hamas mortars prompted attack near UN school, CNN, January 6, 2009.
  141. William V. O'Brien, Law and Morality in Israel's War With the PLO New York: Routledge, 1991 ISBN 0-415-90300-9 page reference required
  142. ^ Harriet Sherwood, 'Israeli and Palestinian textbooks omit borders,'
  143. Danielle Ziri, 'Textbooks show both sides to blame for enmity,' at Jerusalem Post, 4 February 2013:'“The Israeli-Palestinian schoolbook study is among the most comprehensive, fact-based investigations ever done of school text books,” the researchers, Wexler, Bar-Tal and Adwan said in a statement.'
  144. ^ Edmund Sanders, 'Israeli and Palestinian textbooks fail balance test, study finds,' at Los Angeles Times, 4 February 2013
  145. ^ AAP, Israeli, Palestinian textbooks 'one-sided' AAP/The Australian, 5 February 2013.
  146. Danielle Ziri, 'Textbooks show both sides to blame for enmity,' at Jerusalem Post, 4 February 2013.
  147. Shalev, Chemi (05/02/2013). "Yale professor blasts 'blindness' of Israeli Education Minister over school textbook report". Haaretz. Retrieved 05/02/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  148. Template:PDFlink by Noa Meridor. Translated by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ICT)
  149. Arabic Language, Analysis, Literature and Commentary, grade 12 p 105
  150. '"From Nationalist Battle to Religious Conflict: New 12th Grade Palestinian Textbooks Present a World Without Israel" (pdf)
  151. "Hamas rips U.N. for teaching the Holocaust." JTA. 31 August 2009. 31 August 2009.
  152. CMIP 2000 report, p.6 Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace report
  153. CMIP 2000 report, p.76
  154. Speckhard, Anne. “Understanding Suicide Terrorism: Countering Human Bombs and Their Senders” in Topics in Terrorism: Toward a Transatlantic Consensus on the Nature of the Threat (Volume I) Eds. Jason S. Purcell & Joshua D. Weintraub Atlantic Council Publication 2005.
  155. Hamas Magazine for Kids Promotes Martyrdom and Hatred
  156. Barzak, Ibrahim. 3,000 Gaza teens graduate Hamas terror school. January 24, 2013.
  157. Child Soldiers Global Report 2004 Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers p. 292
  158. Israelis say boy, 11, used as bomber
  159. Hebrew language article
  160. Teen Bomber Stopped At West Bank
  161. Radler, Melissa, “UN condemns Palestinians’ use of children in conflict,” Jerusalem Post, January 15, 2003.
  162. Public Statement: Israel/Occupied Territories: Palestinian armed groups must not use children, Amnesty International, May 23, 2005.
  163. The Children's Crusade, World Press Review, September 29, 2004.
  164. "Angry uncle leads uproar on the hesitant boy bomber". The Age. 27 March 2004.
  165. Sharon Segel, Can Universal Healthcare Work? A Look at Israel's Successful Model, Physicians News, 2010.
  166. The Health Care System in Israel- An Historical Perspective, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel), June 26, 2002.
  167. [Franz Von Benda-Beckmann, Keebet von Benda-Beckmann, Julia M. Eckert, Rules of Law and Laws of Ruling: On the Governance of Law, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2009, p. 93-98, ISBN 0754672395, 9780754672395
  168. "Movement and Access in the West Bank". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian territory. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  169. "The Humanitarian Monitor, Number 34, February 2009". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 1 February 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
  170. Amos Harel, Amira Hass, Yosef Algazy, Bomb found in Red Crescent ambulance, Haaretz, March 29, 2002.
  171. Derek Summerfield, Personal View: Palestine: the assault on health and other war crimes, October 14, 2004;(copy readable without registration at Z Communications website.)
  172. ^ Palestinian health care 'ailing', BBC, Thursday, March 5, 2009; this was one article in The Lancet series Health in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 2009, launched March 4, 2009.
  173. The occupied Palestinian territory, Situation reports archives, World Health Organization website.
  174. Irwin Mansdorf, Personal View: Palestine: the assault on health and other war crimes: Summerfield's outrage is misplaced, BMJ medical journal, November 4, 2004.
  175. Simon M Fellerman, Personal View: Palestinian health: the truth, the lies, and the statistics, BMJ medical journal, November 4, 2004.
  176. Arab Children with Cancer Meet Alpine Soldiers on Mt. Hermon. May 8, 2012.
  177. Save a Child's Heart.com Success rates.
  178. Prof. Ehud Kokia, The Hadassah Model, Diary of A Director General, Hadassah Medical Center, undated.
  179. ^ McGreal, Chris (11 November 2005). "Ahmed's gift of life". London: The Guardian.
  180. Farrell, Stephen (9 November 2005). "A victory over death and hate". The Times. London.
  181. "Emma Klein and Judy Cooper: Face to faith". London: The Guardian. 30 September 2006. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  182. Giulio Meotti (2010). A New Shoah: The Untold Story of Israel's Victims of Terrorism. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  183. Economic, social and cultural rights - The right to food Jean Ziegler. United Nations Commission of Human Rights. 31 October 2003
  184. Poll: 10% of Palestinian children have lasting malnutrition effects, Associated Press article in Haaretz, April 11, 2007.
  185. Dispatch: Just how hungry is Gaza?, The Telegraph, June 5, 2010.
  186. Red Cross official: Gaza isn't experiencing a humanitarian crisis, Ha'aretz, April 21, 2011.
  187. Red Cross: There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Jerusalem Post, April 21, 2011.
  188. Dan Murphy, Did the Red Cross say there's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza?, Christian Science Monitor, July 6, 2011.
  189. Ryan Villarreal, Israel's Blockade Of Gaza Puts Palestinian Children's Health At Risk: Report , International Business Times, June 14, 2012.
  190. ^ Gaza's Children: Falling behind, Report of Save the Children and Britain's Medical Aid for Palestinians, June 2012.
  191. A Mea Culpa From The Media The Jewish Week, November 18, 2012.
  192. Military counted Gaza residents' calories during Israeli blockade, Associated Press, October 17, 2012.
  193. In Gaza, UN teams destroy unexploded ordnance with white phosphorus UN News Centre
    GAZA: Unexploded bombs threaten reconstruction
    Israel and the occupied/autonomous territories: UXO-awareness activities in West Bank and Gaza Strip ICRC 13 June 2002
  194. Moshav Avivim still stands determined during tensions, 20 July 2006
  195. Khoury, Jack. "U.S. filmmakers plan documentary on Ma'alot massacre", Haaretz, March 7, 2007.
  196. The real two-state solution - Salon.com Mobile
  197. Arab Who Killed 15-year-old Girl Captured Just As Mobs Converge--
  198. "Jordan minister: Release soldier who shot Israelis". The Jerusalem Post. Associated Press. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  199. "Netanel Riachi". In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). 28 May 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
    "Gilad Stiglitz". In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). 28 May 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
    "Avraham Siton". In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). 28 May 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  200. Weiss, Afrat; Farish, Falix (28 December 2002). "ארבע הרוגים בהתקפה על הישיבה בהתנחלות עתניאל". Yedioth Ahronot. Retrieved 11 November 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  201. Kershner, Isabel (8 March 2008). "8 Burials for Jerusalem Seminary's Dead". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  202. Following rocket attacks, many Netivot students stay at home, Times of Israel 14-03-2012
  203. Violence Continues for Israel and Militants, IHT March 10, 2012
  204. Some 100 rockets hit Israel since Friday, Ynet News. March 10, 2012
  205. MDA: Total of 8 people injured by rocket, mortar shell fire, Jerusalem Post March 9, 2012
  206. Over 130 rockets fired at Israel from Gaza, IAF targets terror sites, IDF Spokesperson March 10, 2012
  207. Defense Minister praises Iron Dome operators, IDF Spokesperson March 10, 2012
  208. South under fire: 35 people required medical treatment since Friday, Ynet News. March 12, 2012
  209. Rocket fire on Israel continues; IDF attacks in Gaza, Israel News 24-03-2011
  210. "Palestinians fire rockets at South; 7 civilians hurt". The Jerusalem Post. 9 September 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  211. Davidovitch, Joshua; Friedman, Ron (21 October 2012). "School canceled in Beersheba and Ashdod following overnight rocket attacks". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 9 September 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  212. Gaza rocket hits Israeli kindergarten, Israel Today 17-10-212
  213. video footage of the blast
  214. Grad rocket lands in Ashkelon; 2 treated for shock, Jerusalem Post 20-03-2011
  215. Miracle in synagogue: Grad fails to explode, Israel News 2011-08-19
  216. Mortar shell hits near school 30 minutes before class, Jerusalem Post 08-09-2010
  217. Gaza mortar narrowly misses Israel kindergarten: army, AFP 08-09-2010
  218. "Student killed in Negev college as Qassam barrage intensifies". Haaretz. 28 February 2008.
  219. "Rocket lands near school in Ashkelon". Ynet. 12 May 2008.
  220. "Qassam lands in Sderot kindergarten". Ynet. 6 August 2007.
  221. "Qassam hits kindergarten; two children lightly wounded". Ynet. 28 July 2006.
  222. Yaakov Lappin (16 November 2012). "Gaza terrorists fire two rockets at Tel Aviv". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  223. Anti-tank missile falls on Negev school bus, injuring two, Jerusalem Post 07-04-2011
  224. Gaza mortar injures two in southern Israel -police, Israel News 07-04-2011
  225. IDF chief urges calm in south, Israel News 08-04-2011
  226. Israeli boy Daniel Viflic dies after rocket hits bus, BBC News 18 April 2011
  227. Knafo, Danielle (2004) Living with Terror, Working with Trauma: A Clinician's Handbook Rowman & Littlefield, ISBN 0-7657-0378-5 p 220
  228. ^ Defense Update Terror related Post-Traumatic Stress: The Israeli Experience By David Eshel Dr. Avital Laufer of Tel Aviv University told the Knesset Committee on the Rights of Children. The committee was discussing the effects of the terror attacks of the past 32 months on children. Laufer's findings were based on a study of some 3,000 children aged 13 to 15, from both sides of the "Green Line". Some 70 percent of the children said that the terror attacks had had a direct impact on their lives, causing them to abandon or avoid certain activities.
  229. Haaretz 5 June 2003 Terror leaves 42% of children with PTSD By Gideon Alon
  230. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol 49, No 1, January 2004
  231. ^ ANJ.com
  232. Sharfman, Jake (17 December 2009). "Tiny organization fights to make Sderot's voice heard". Haaretz. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  233. ISRAEL-OPT: Relentless rocket attacks take psychological toll on children in Sderot, IRIN News (UN OCHA) 27-01-2008
  234. Mijal Grinberg and Eli Ashkenazi, Study: Most Sderot kids exhibit post-traumatic stress symptoms, Haaretz 17.01.2008
  235. Alon, Gideon. Terror leaves 42% of children with PTSD. Ha'aretz. June 5, 2003.
  236. Townhall news no information to substantiate ref
  237. Diaa Hadid, Old photos tweeted in Israel-Palestinian conflict, Associated Press Worldstream, via Highbeam, March 15, 2012.
  238. Sheera Frenkel, Tweets of misleading photos feed Israeli-Palestinian feud, The McClatchy Company, March 14, 2012.
  239. Herb Keinon, No sign UN will fire worker over incendiary tweet, Jerusalem Post, March 20, 2012.
  240. Charlotte Alfred, Twitter flap obscures details of Gaza girl's death, Ma'an News Agency, 27/03/2012 (updated) 01/04/2012 09:31
  241. Childish Weapon, Ynet 16-11-2012
  242. Silverman, Anav (18 November 2012). Another Photo of Syrian Massacre Falsely Recycled as Gaza Tragedy (GRAPHIC PHOTOS) Algemeiner Journal. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  243. Harkov, Lahav. Hamas co-opts photos of injured Syrians The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  244. "List of Current Seeds of Peace Areas of Operation". Seeds of Peace. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  245. Children of Peace - What We Do
  246. Vosper, Nicole and Walkden, Ruth (March 11, 2011). Children of Peace: new hope for Palestine and Israel. Positive News. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  247. "IIE AWARDS PRIZE TO FOUNDERS OF BILINGUAL AND MULTICULTURAL SCHOOLS", International Institute of Education, Press Release, June 14, 2007.]
  248. Arie, Roni (November 18, 2008). Palestinian, Israeli kids find peace on basketball court Haaretz. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  249. Thomas, Amelia (September 2, 2005). Israeli and Palestinian Children Participate in Peace Camp. Common Ground News Service. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
Categories: