Gilad Shalit video released in exchange for 20 Palestinian prisoners

Hamas, the de facto administration in the Gaza Strip, released a video of 23 year old Gilad Shalit.  Gilad, an Israeli soldier, was seized by armed Palestinian groups over three years ago in June 2006 in a cross ‘border’ raid.  The video is significant as armed Palestinian groups have been detaining him incommunicado except for a couple of letters and an audio tape released over two years ago. Gilad has been denied communication with not only his family, but also the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which contravenes international law. Since his capture, Amnesty International has consistently called for his releaseand for the ICRC to have access to him.  AI has done this using both public actions and behind the scenes dialogue.

Negotiations for Gilad Shalit’s release have intensified under the current government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahuand Gilad’s family as well as the nation has been increasingly concerned about his condition and treatment.  The following video, although in Hebrew, shows a pale, but otherwise healthy looking Gilad Shalit holding a paper from September 14th.

In exchange for the video, which Israel requested as ‘proof of life’, Israel released 19 Palestinian women prisoners; another female prisoner is due to be released sometime next week.  Israel holds several thousand Palestinians, including hundreds of children, in Israeli prisons against international law.  Hundreds of detainees are also held without charge or trial under administrative detention orders which can be repeatedly renewed and often includes children.  Currently, one child is held under administrative detention, Hamdi Al-Ta’mari.  Amnesty International is working on his case.  More information available at http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?docID=1096&categoryid=16.

Others have been convicted in unfair trials in military courts.  It is a major concern that prisoners are held in Israeli prisons instead of in the occupied Palestinian territories which is against international law.  Since detainees are held within Israel proper, it is very difficult for families to visit minors in detention or other family members.

This video produced by B’tselem explains how the imprisonment of Palestinians inside Israel proper affects families, including the children:

This exchange, although bringing temporary relief to the Shalit family and joy to the families of the 20 detained female prisoners just highlights the concern Amnesty International outlined in the document ‘Detainees used as bargaining chips by both sides in Israel/Gaza conflict’ published in March 2009.  Gilad Shalit, it is believed was taken as leverage in future negotiations with Israeli authorities and many believe Palestinians are regularly taken by Israeli forces for many reasons other than security and one of them is for leverage as well.  Hostage taking, that is threatening to harm or continue to detain a detained person in order to compel a third party to do or abstain from doing something as a condition of their release is expressly prohibited under international law.  Such practice threatens the fundamental right to life, personal integrity and liberty and is expressly prohibited by international humanitarian law.  Under no circumstances is the taking of hostages justifiable.

Negotiations continue with Israel wanting Gilad Shalit released immediately and the Palestinians asking for at least 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to be released and/or an end to the punishing blockade of the strip.

AIUSA welcomes a lively and courteous discussion that follow our Community Guidelines. Comments are not pre-screened before they post but AIUSA reserves the right to remove any comments violating our guidelines.

36 thoughts on “Gilad Shalit video released in exchange for 20 Palestinian prisoners

  1. All prisons in Israel have always has been subject to regular inspections by the Red Cross, and all prisoners held by Israel are personally visited and interviewed by Red Cross inspectors at a minimum of several times a year. No prisoners held by Israel are off limits to the Red Cross.

    The Family Visitation Program, run since 1968 by the Red Cross involves the transporting by chartered bus of thousands of Palestinians family members of prisoners into Israel each and every week for family visits. All Palestinian prisoners are included in this program, be they Fahta supporters or Hamas or members of any other terrorist organization, including those held for any offense, even including those Palestinians who proudly admit to committing horrific mass murders of Israeli civilians.

    None of this matters to Israel which allows allows all of them Red Cross access, family visits, phone calls, letters. So the families of Hamas members in Israeli jails get weekly family visits while Gilad Shalit, the Israeli Private held as a hostage has not had any contact with his family or any Red cross inspectors even for 3 years.

    This Family Visitation Program also included all families from Gaza as well until a year after gilad was kidnapped when Hamas grabbed power from the legitimate Palestinian authority in a violent civil war in June 2007. The illegal Hamas government refused to coordinate the family visits with Israel and so this portion of the visitation program was canceled, not to take revenge for Gilads treatment.

    But, It is important to note even the Gazan prisoners, who no longer get family visits, still continue to have full access to Red Cross inspectors, have access to phone and mail from their families, whereas on the other hand Gilad the Israeli hostage has been cruely held totally cut off from his family, from Red Cross visits, from anyone, not a visit, not a call, not a letter for 3 years.

    reference: http://www.cicr.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/isr

    29-07-2009  Operational update  
    ICRC activities in Israel, the occupied and autonomous territories: April-June 2009

    -Visiting detainees and helping families to maintain contact with their detained loved ones-

    ICRC delegates carried out visits to detainees in Israeli interrogation centres and prisons in order to monitor their treatment and conditions of detention, and to help maintain links between detainees and their families, in particular by collecting and distributing Red Cross messages (brief messages containing family news) and exchanging oral greetings (salamat in Arabic).

    From April, 2009 to June, 2009 the ICRC:
    -visited more than 3,000 detainees in 74 places of detention in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza;
    -made arrangements for the visits of more than 38,000 Palestinians from the West Bank to their close relatives held in Israeli prisons.

  2. All prisons in Israel have always has been subject to regular inspections by the Red Cross, and all prisoners held by Israel are personally visited and interviewed by Red Cross inspectors at a minimum of several times a year. No prisoners held by Israel are off limits to the Red Cross.

    The Family Visitation Program, run since 1968 by the Red Cross involves the transporting by chartered bus of thousands of Palestinians family members of prisoners into Israel each and every week for family visits. All Palestinian prisoners are included in this program, be they Fahta supporters or Hamas or members of any other terrorist organization, including those held for any offense, even including those Palestinians who proudly admit to committing horrific mass murders of Israeli civilians.

    None of this matters to Israel which allows allows all of them Red Cross access, family visits, phone calls, letters. So the families of Hamas members in Israeli jails get weekly family visits while Gilad Shalit, the Israeli Private held as a hostage has not had any contact with his family or any Red cross inspectors even for 3 years.

    This Family Visitation Program also included all families from Gaza as well until a year after gilad was kidnapped when Hamas grabbed power from the legitimate Palestinian authority in a violent civil war in June 2007. The illegal Hamas government refused to coordinate the family visits with Israel and so this portion of the visitation program was canceled, not to take revenge for Gilads treatment.

    But, It is important to note even the Gazan prisoners, who no longer get family visits, still continue to have full access to Red Cross inspectors, have access to phone and mail from their families, whereas on the other hand Gilad the Israeli hostage has been cruely held totally cut off from his family, from Red Cross visits, from anyone, not a visit, not a call, not a letter for 3 years.

    reference: http://www.cicr.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/isr

    29-07-2009  Operational update  
    ICRC activities in Israel, the occupied and autonomous territories: April-June 2009

    -Visiting detainees and helping families to maintain contact with their detained loved ones-

    ICRC delegates carried out visits to detainees in Israeli interrogation centres and prisons in order to monitor their treatment and conditions of detention, and to help maintain links between detainees and their families, in particular by collecting and distributing Red Cross messages (brief messages containing family news) and exchanging oral greetings (salamat in Arabic).

    From April, 2009 to June, 2009 the ICRC:
    -visited more than 3,000 detainees in 74 places of detention in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza;
    -made arrangements for the visits of more than 38,000 Palestinians from the West Bank to their close relatives held in Israeli prisons.

  3. All prisons in Israel have always has been subject to regular inspections by the Red Cross, and all prisoners held by Israel are personally visited and interviewed by Red Cross inspectors at a minimum of several times a year. No prisoners held by Israel are off limits to the Red Cross.

    The Family Visitation Program, run since 1968 by the Red Cross involves the transporting by chartered bus of thousands of Palestinians family members of prisoners into Israel each and every week for family visits. All Palestinian prisoners are included in this program, be they Fahta supporters or Hamas or members of any other terrorist organization, including those held for any offense, even including those Palestinians who proudly admit to committing horrific mass murders of Israeli civilians.

    None of this matters to Israel which allows allows all of them Red Cross access, family visits, phone calls, letters. So the families of Hamas members in Israeli jails get weekly family visits while Gilad Shalit, the Israeli Private held as a hostage has not had any contact with his family or any Red cross inspectors even for 3 years.

    This Family Visitation Program also included all families from Gaza as well until a year after gilad was kidnapped when Hamas grabbed power from the legitimate Palestinian authority in a violent civil war in June 2007. The illegal Hamas government refused to coordinate the family visits with Israel and so this portion of the visitation program was canceled, not to take revenge for Gilads treatment.

    But, It is important to note even the Gazan prisoners, who no longer get family visits, still continue to have full access to Red Cross inspectors, have access to phone and mail from their families, whereas on the other hand Gilad the Israeli hostage has been cruely held totally cut off from his family, from Red Cross visits, from anyone, not a visit, not a call, not a letter for 3 years.

    reference: http://www.cicr.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/isr

    29-07-2009  Operational update  
    ICRC activities in Israel, the occupied and autonomous territories: April-June 2009

    -Visiting detainees and helping families to maintain contact with their detained loved ones-

    ICRC delegates carried out visits to detainees in Israeli interrogation centres and prisons in order to monitor their treatment and conditions of detention, and to help maintain links between detainees and their families, in particular by collecting and distributing Red Cross messages (brief messages containing family news) and exchanging oral greetings (salamat in Arabic).

    From April, 2009 to June, 2009 the ICRC:
    -visited more than 3,000 detainees in 74 places of detention in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza;
    -made arrangements for the visits of more than 38,000 Palestinians from the West Bank to their close relatives held in Israeli prisons.

  4. All prisons in Israel have always has been subject to regular inspections by the Red Cross, and all prisoners held by Israel are personally visited and interviewed by Red Cross inspectors at a minimum of several times a year. No prisoners held by Israel are off limits to the Red Cross.

    The Family Visitation Program, run since 1968 by the Red Cross involves the transporting by chartered bus of thousands of Palestinians family members of prisoners into Israel each and every week for family visits. All Palestinian prisoners are included in this program, be they Fahta supporters or Hamas or members of any other terrorist organization, including those held for any offense, even including those Palestinians who proudly admit to committing horrific mass murders of Israeli civilians.

    None of this matters to Israel which allows allows all of them Red Cross access, family visits, phone calls, letters. So the families of Hamas members in Israeli jails get weekly family visits while Gilad Shalit, the Israeli Private held as a hostage has not had any contact with his family or any Red cross inspectors even for 3 years.

    This Family Visitation Program also included all families from Gaza as well until a year after gilad was kidnapped when Hamas grabbed power from the legitimate Palestinian authority in a violent civil war in June 2007. The illegal Hamas government refused to coordinate the family visits with Israel and so this portion of the visitation program was canceled, not to take revenge for Gilads treatment.

    But, It is important to note even the Gazan prisoners, who no longer get family visits, still continue to have full access to Red Cross inspectors, have access to phone and mail from their families, whereas on the other hand Gilad the Israeli hostage has been cruely held totally cut off from his family, from Red Cross visits, from anyone, not a visit, not a call, not a letter for 3 years.

    reference:
    http://www.cicr.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/israel-update-290709

    29-07-2009  Operational update  
    ICRC activities in Israel, the occupied and autonomous territories: April-June 2009

    -Visiting detainees and helping families to maintain contact with their detained loved ones-

    ICRC delegates carried out visits to detainees in Israeli interrogation centres and prisons in order to monitor their treatment and conditions of detention, and to help maintain links between detainees and their families, in particular by collecting and distributing Red Cross messages (brief messages containing family news) and exchanging oral greetings (salamat in Arabic).

    From April, 2009 to June, 2009 the ICRC:
    -visited more than 3,000 detainees in 74 places of detention in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza;
    -made arrangements for the visits of more than 38,000 Palestinians from the West Bank to their close relatives held in Israeli prisons.

  5. source: http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/isr

    29-07-2009 Operational update
    ICRC activities in Israel, the occupied and autonomous territories: April-June 2009

    "Visiting detainees and helping families to maintain contact with their detained loved ones

    ICRC delegates carried out visits to detainees in Israeli interrogation centres and prisons in order to monitor their treatment and conditions of detention, and to help maintain links between detainees and their families, in particular by collecting and distributing Red Cross messages (brief messages containing family news) and exchanging oral greetings (salamat in Arabic). However, approximately 900 families in Gaza have been barred by Israel from visiting their relatives in Israeli prisons since June 2007.

    From April to June, the ICRC:

    * visited more than 3,000 detainees in 74 places of detention in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza;
    * made arrangements for the visits of more than 38,000 Palestinians from the West Bank to their close relatives held in Israeli prisons."

  6. source: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,189

    Time Magazine, Apr. 28, 2009

    "Every month, says Anne-Sophie Bonefeld, an ICRC ( International Committee of the Red Cross ) spokeswoman in Jerusalem, her organization arranges the bus rides and bureaucratic paperwork that enable more than 20,000 Palestinians to visit relatives inside Israeli prisons. The Palestinian family-visitation program, which has been going on since 1967, is "the largest of its kind anywhere in the world," she says, although the number of visits has dropped slightly since 2007, when Israel barred families from the Hamas-controlled enclave of Gaza from making the trip."

  7. Such twisted article is a war crime itself,
    Its nice when you can write whatever you wants ignoring all facts and have no one to answer to,
    "Unfair trial", The trial that the "Hamas" militant have conducted to their fellow” Fatah" group in Gaza was a fair trial, since they shoot the man bodies starting from the legs and moving up to the head and than throw them from the building's, the Islamic justice is known to be a fair one for sure,
    The justice system in Israel is considered one of the most progressive in the entire world including the western country's ,The fact that this woman are getting a free pass after trying to kill young man guarding their country for merely a tape – that’s illegal.

  8. Edie: your blog contains verifiable false information:

    You stated above in your blog the following:

    "Israel holds some several thousand Palestinian prisoners of which hundreds, including children, are held without charge or trial under administrative detention orders."

    But according to this B'tselem table http://www.btselem.org/english/Statistics/Minors_

    As of July 31, 2009, there were exactly ZERO Palestinian children under 16 years old held in administrative detention without charge.

    So your statement above in your blog that Israel is holding children in administrative detention without trial is verifiably false according to data from B'tselem, an source you respect.

    I suppose you can claim that since the Btselem table does in fact show ONE single 17 year old being held in administrative detention so this really makes your claim technicaly true.

  9. source: http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/isr

    29-07-2009 Operational update
    ICRC activities in Israel, the occupied and autonomous territories: April-June 2009

    "Visiting detainees and helping families to maintain contact with their detained loved ones

    ICRC delegates carried out visits to detainees in Israeli interrogation centres and prisons in order to monitor their treatment and conditions of detention, and to help maintain links between detainees and their families, in particular by collecting and distributing Red Cross messages (brief messages containing family news) and exchanging oral greetings (salamat in Arabic). However, approximately 900 families in Gaza have been barred by Israel from visiting their relatives in Israeli prisons since June 2007.

    From April to June, the ICRC:

    * visited more than 3,000 detainees in 74 places of detention in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza;
    * made arrangements for the visits of more than 38,000 Palestinians from the West Bank to their close relatives held in Israeli prisons."

  10. source: http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/isr

    29-07-2009 Operational update
    ICRC activities in Israel, the occupied and autonomous territories: April-June 2009

    "Visiting detainees and helping families to maintain contact with their detained loved ones

    ICRC delegates carried out visits to detainees in Israeli interrogation centres and prisons in order to monitor their treatment and conditions of detention, and to help maintain links between detainees and their families, in particular by collecting and distributing Red Cross messages (brief messages containing family news) and exchanging oral greetings (salamat in Arabic). However, approximately 900 families in Gaza have been barred by Israel from visiting their relatives in Israeli prisons since June 2007.

    From April to June, the ICRC:

    * visited more than 3,000 detainees in 74 places of detention in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza;
    * made arrangements for the visits of more than 38,000 Palestinians from the West Bank to their close relatives held in Israeli prisons."

  11. source: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,189

    Time Magazine, Apr. 28, 2009

    "Every month, says Anne-Sophie Bonefeld, an ICRC ( International Committee of the Red Cross ) spokeswoman in Jerusalem, her organization arranges the bus rides and bureaucratic paperwork that enable more than 20,000 Palestinians to visit relatives inside Israeli prisons. The Palestinian family-visitation program, which has been going on since 1967, is "the largest of its kind anywhere in the world," she says, although the number of visits has dropped slightly since 2007, when Israel barred families from the Hamas-controlled enclave of Gaza from making the trip."

  12. source: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,189

    Time Magazine, Apr. 28, 2009

    "Every month, says Anne-Sophie Bonefeld, an ICRC ( International Committee of the Red Cross ) spokeswoman in Jerusalem, her organization arranges the bus rides and bureaucratic paperwork that enable more than 20,000 Palestinians to visit relatives inside Israeli prisons. The Palestinian family-visitation program, which has been going on since 1967, is "the largest of its kind anywhere in the world," she says, although the number of visits has dropped slightly since 2007, when Israel barred families from the Hamas-controlled enclave of Gaza from making the trip."

  13. Edie: your blog contains verifiable false information:

    You stated above in your blog the following:

    "Israel holds some several thousand Palestinian prisoners of which hundreds, including children, are held without charge or trial under administrative detention orders."

    But according to this B'tselem table http://www.btselem.org/english/Statistics/Minors_

    As of July 31, 2009, there were exactly ZERO Palestinian children under 16 years old held in administrative detention without charge.

    So your statement above in your blog that Israel is holding children in administrative detention without trial is verifiably false according to data from B'tselem, an source you respect.

    I suppose you can claim that since the Btselem table does in fact show ONE single 17 year old being held in administrative detention so this really makes your claim technicaly true.

  14. Edie: your blog contains verifiable false information:

    You stated above in your blog the following:

    "Israel holds some several thousand Palestinian prisoners of which hundreds, including children, are held without charge or trial under administrative detention orders."

    But according to this B'tselem table http://www.btselem.org/english/Statistics/Minors_

    As of July 31, 2009, there were exactly ZERO Palestinian children under 16 years old held in administrative detention without charge.

    So your statement above in your blog that Israel is holding children in administrative detention without trial is verifiably false according to data from B'tselem, an source you respect.

    I suppose you can claim that since the Btselem table does in fact show ONE single 17 year old being held in administrative detention so this really makes your claim technicaly true.

  15. Such twisted article is a war crime itself,
    Its nice when you can write whatever you wants ignoring all facts and have no one to answer to,
    “Unfair trial”, The trial that the “Hamas” militant have conducted to their fellow” Fatah” group in Gaza was a fair trial, since they shoot the man bodies starting from the legs and moving up to the head and than throw them from the building’s, the Islamic justice is known to be a fair one for sure,
    The justice system in Israel is considered one of the most progressive in the entire world including the western country’s ,The fact that this woman are getting a free pass after trying to kill young man guarding their country for merely a tape – that’s illegal.

  16. source:
    http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/israel-update-290709

    29-07-2009 Operational update
    ICRC activities in Israel, the occupied and autonomous territories: April-June 2009

    “Visiting detainees and helping families to maintain contact with their detained loved ones

    ICRC delegates carried out visits to detainees in Israeli interrogation centres and prisons in order to monitor their treatment and conditions of detention, and to help maintain links between detainees and their families, in particular by collecting and distributing Red Cross messages (brief messages containing family news) and exchanging oral greetings (salamat in Arabic). However, approximately 900 families in Gaza have been barred by Israel from visiting their relatives in Israeli prisons since June 2007.

    From April to June, the ICRC:

    * visited more than 3,000 detainees in 74 places of detention in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza;
    * made arrangements for the visits of more than 38,000 Palestinians from the West Bank to their close relatives held in Israeli prisons.”

  17. source:
    http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1893620,00.html

    Time Magazine, Apr. 28, 2009

    “Every month, says Anne-Sophie Bonefeld, an ICRC ( International Committee of the Red Cross ) spokeswoman in Jerusalem, her organization arranges the bus rides and bureaucratic paperwork that enable more than 20,000 Palestinians to visit relatives inside Israeli prisons. The Palestinian family-visitation program, which has been going on since 1967, is “the largest of its kind anywhere in the world,” she says, although the number of visits has dropped slightly since 2007, when Israel barred families from the Hamas-controlled enclave of Gaza from making the trip.”

  18. Edie: your blog contains verifiable false information:

    You stated above in your blog the following:

    “Israel holds some several thousand Palestinian prisoners of which hundreds, including children, are held without charge or trial under administrative detention orders.”

    But according to this B’tselem table
    http://www.btselem.org/english/Statistics/Minors_in_Custody.asp

    As of July 31, 2009, there were exactly ZERO Palestinian children under 16 years old held in administrative detention without charge.

    So your statement above in your blog that Israel is holding children in administrative detention without trial is verifiably false according to data from B’tselem, an source you respect.

    I suppose you can claim that since the Btselem table does in fact show ONE single 17 year old being held in administrative detention so this really makes your claim technicaly true.

  19. Thank you Judo for pointing out that my statement as written is unclear. I’ll re-write to make clearer. See: “Israel holds several thousand Palestinians, including hundreds of children, in Israeli prisons against international law. Hundreds of detainees are also held without charge or trial under administrative detention orders which can be repeatedly renewed and often includes children. Currently, one child is held under administrative detention, Hamdi Al-Ta’mari. Amnesty International is working on his case. More information available at http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?docID=… ”

    AI does define a minor as 17 years of age and younger as recommended by the Convention for the Rights of a Child. Israel also uses 18 years as a cut off for defining an Israeli minor in their legal system. Israel uses 16 years as the cut off for Palestinian minors. This explanation in a document published by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights explains the situation well.

    “In compliance with the CRC, Israeli civil law states that “an
    individual who has not reached the age of 18 is a minor.” By
    contrast, Israeli Military Order #132, applicable only to Palestinian
    children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, introduces a tier system
    for categorizing children, each with unique legal implications. Thus,
    anyone 11 years of age and under is a “child,” anyone between the
    ages of 12–13 is an “adolescent” and those aged between 14 and
    15 are “teenagers.” Children who are 16 or 17 years old are not
    explicitly mentioned in the military order, thereby implicitly defining
    them as adults. Thus, Israel defines “a child” of one national group
    differently from other children under the jurisdiction of the state.”
    http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/ng… on page 55.

  20. Thank you Judo for pointing out that my statement as written is unclear. I’ll re-write to make clearer. See: “Israel holds several thousand Palestinians, including hundreds of children, in Israeli prisons against international law. Hundreds of detainees are also held without charge or trial under administrative detention orders which can be repeatedly renewed and often includes children. Currently, one child is held under administrative detention, Hamdi Al-Ta’mari. Amnesty International is working on his case. More information available at http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?docID=… ”

    AI does define a minor as 17 years of age and younger as recommended by the Convention for the Rights of a Child. Israel also uses 18 years as a cut off for defining an Israeli minor in their legal system. Israel uses 16 years as the cut off for Palestinian minors. This explanation in a document published by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights explains the situation well.

    “In compliance with the CRC, Israeli civil law states that “an
    individual who has not reached the age of 18 is a minor.” By
    contrast, Israeli Military Order #132, applicable only to Palestinian
    children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, introduces a tier system
    for categorizing children, each with unique legal implications. Thus,
    anyone 11 years of age and under is a “child,” anyone between the
    ages of 12–13 is an “adolescent” and those aged between 14 and
    15 are “teenagers.” Children who are 16 or 17 years old are not
    explicitly mentioned in the military order, thereby implicitly defining
    them as adults. Thus, Israel defines “a child” of one national group
    differently from other children under the jurisdiction of the state.”
    http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/ng… on page 55.

  21. Thank you Judo for pointing out that my statement as written is unclear. I’ll re-write to make clearer. See: “Israel holds several thousand Palestinians, including hundreds of children, in Israeli prisons against international law. Hundreds of detainees are also held without charge or trial under administrative detention orders which can be repeatedly renewed and often includes children. Currently, one child is held under administrative detention, Hamdi Al-Ta’mari. Amnesty International is working on his case. More information available at http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?docID=… ”

    AI does define a minor as 17 years of age and younger as recommended by the Convention for the Rights of a Child. Israel also uses 18 years as a cut off for defining an Israeli minor in their legal system. Israel uses 16 years as the cut off for Palestinian minors. This explanation in a document published by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights explains the situation well.

    “In compliance with the CRC, Israeli civil law states that “an
    individual who has not reached the age of 18 is a minor.” By
    contrast, Israeli Military Order #132, applicable only to Palestinian
    children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, introduces a tier system
    for categorizing children, each with unique legal implications. Thus,
    anyone 11 years of age and under is a “child,” anyone between the
    ages of 12–13 is an “adolescent” and those aged between 14 and
    15 are “teenagers.” Children who are 16 or 17 years old are not
    explicitly mentioned in the military order, thereby implicitly defining
    them as adults. Thus, Israel defines “a child” of one national group
    differently from other children under the jurisdiction of the state.”
    http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/ng… on page 55.

  22. Thank you Judo for pointing out that my statement as written is unclear. I’ll re-write to make clearer. See: “Israel holds several thousand Palestinians, including hundreds of children, in Israeli prisons against international law. Hundreds of detainees are also held without charge or trial under administrative detention orders which can be repeatedly renewed and often includes children. Currently, one child is held under administrative detention, Hamdi Al-Ta’mari. Amnesty International is working on his case. More information available at http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?docID=1096&categoryid=16

    AI does define a minor as 17 years of age and younger as recommended by the Convention for the Rights of a Child. Israel also uses 18 years as a cut off for defining an Israeli minor in their legal system. Israel uses 16 years as the cut off for Palestinian minors. This explanation in a document published by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights explains the situation well.

    “In compliance with the CRC, Israeli civil law states that “an
    individual who has not reached the age of 18 is a minor.” By
    contrast, Israeli Military Order #132, applicable only to Palestinian
    children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, introduces a tier system
    for categorizing children, each with unique legal implications. Thus,
    anyone 11 years of age and under is a “child,” anyone between the
    ages of 12–13 is an “adolescent” and those aged between 14 and
    15 are “teenagers.” Children who are 16 or 17 years old are not
    explicitly mentioned in the military order, thereby implicitly defining
    them as adults. Thus, Israel defines “a child” of one national group
    differently from other children under the jurisdiction of the state.”

    http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/ngos/jointngo5-PartIII-1.pdf on page 55.

  23. Yes, what you say is all well and fine and technicaly 100% true according to the strict letter of the law and so forth, except for this:
    http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE15/033/

    "Amnesty International reiterates its calls to Palestinian armed groups to put an immediate end to the use of children in armed activities."

    “Palestinian armed groups must not use children under any circumstances to carry out armed attacks or to transport weapons or other material”, Amnesty International said.

    "Several Palestinian armed groups, including the al-AqsaMartyrs’ Brigades, an offshoot of the ruling Fatahparty, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have used children to transport explosives and munitions, thereby endangering their lives. In some cases these groups have sent children to carry out suicide attacks."

    "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. Children are susceptible to recruitment by manipulation or may be driven to join armed groups for a variety of reasons, including a desire to avenge relatives or friends killed by the Israeli army."

  24. Yes, what you say is all well and fine and technicaly 100% true according to the strict letter of the law and so forth, except for this:
    http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE15/033/

    "Amnesty International reiterates its calls to Palestinian armed groups to put an immediate end to the use of children in armed activities."

    “Palestinian armed groups must not use children under any circumstances to carry out armed attacks or to transport weapons or other material”, Amnesty International said.

    "Several Palestinian armed groups, including the al-AqsaMartyrs’ Brigades, an offshoot of the ruling Fatahparty, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have used children to transport explosives and munitions, thereby endangering their lives. In some cases these groups have sent children to carry out suicide attacks."

    "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. Children are susceptible to recruitment by manipulation or may be driven to join armed groups for a variety of reasons, including a desire to avenge relatives or friends killed by the Israeli army."

  25. Yes, what you say is all well and fine and technicaly 100% true according to the strict letter of the law and so forth, except for this:
    http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE15/033/

    "Amnesty International reiterates its calls to Palestinian armed groups to put an immediate end to the use of children in armed activities."

    “Palestinian armed groups must not use children under any circumstances to carry out armed attacks or to transport weapons or other material”, Amnesty International said.

    "Several Palestinian armed groups, including the al-AqsaMartyrs’ Brigades, an offshoot of the ruling Fatahparty, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have used children to transport explosives and munitions, thereby endangering their lives. In some cases these groups have sent children to carry out suicide attacks."

    "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. Children are susceptible to recruitment by manipulation or may be driven to join armed groups for a variety of reasons, including a desire to avenge relatives or friends killed by the Israeli army."

  26. Btselem reports about 7,430 Palestinians were held in Israel as of the end of July. '09, out of a population of the West bank and Gaza of 3,761,000. This means less than 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population is being held in prison in Israel, under, as I have shown you above, the intense scrutiny of Red Cross inspectors who have complete open access to all prisons and interogation centers in Israel. Also the Israeli Prison Services cooperates with the Red Cross to run what the Red Cross itself calls the largest scale family visitation program anywhere on earth, with the 7,430 prisoners getting about 20,000 family visits a month, i.e. each prisoner getting, on average, a family visit ever 10 days.

    A comparison to incarceration rates and racism in incarceration elsewhere in the world gives a good persepctive on the Palestinian prisoner issue.

    source: U.S. Department of Justice http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/pim07jim07

    as of June 29, 2007 there were a total of 2,375,618 prisoners in federal, state and local jails in the US, which out of a population of about 300,000,000 means 8 tenths of one percent of the American population is in American jails as opposed to less than 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population is being held in Israel.

    So Americans of any race are 4 times more likely to be in American jail than Palestinians are to be in Israeli jails.

    When you look at the racist aspects of US prisons, it gets even worse. African-Americans comprise 35.5 percent of the US prisoner population, but are only 13% of the US population as a whole.

    i.e. 850,000 African Americans are locked up in US jails out about 40,000,000 African American total in the US. More than 2 percent of the African American population is currently in prison in the United States, compared to 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population in prison in Israel.

    So in other words, African Americans are 10 times more likely to be in American jails than Palestinians are to be in Israeli jails.

    Of course nothing in the racist US prison system even comes close to comparing to the racism in Canadian prisons.

    Source: Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2009003/art

    “According to the 2006 Census, 3.1% of adults in Canada were Aboriginal. In comparison, the representation of Aboriginal adults in custody accounted for 17%. In the Province of Saskatchewan, Aboriginals made up 11 % of the population as a whole but 80% of the prison population.”

    And of course nothing in the racist Canadian prisons even comes close to comparing to the racism in Australian prisons.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/Latestpro

    “Indigenous persons were 13 times more likely than non-Indigenous persons to be in prison at 30 June 2008. Indigenous persons were 20 times more likely to be in prison than non-Indigenous persons in Western Australia.“

  27. Yes, what you say is all well and fine and technicaly 100% true according to the strict letter of the law and so forth, except for this:

    http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE15/033/2005

    “Amnesty International reiterates its calls to Palestinian armed groups to put an immediate end to the use of children in armed activities.”

    “Palestinian armed groups must not use children under any circumstances to carry out armed attacks or to transport weapons or other material”, Amnesty International said.

    “Several Palestinian armed groups, including the al-AqsaMartyrs’ Brigades, an offshoot of the ruling Fatahparty, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have used children to transport explosives and munitions, thereby endangering their lives. In some cases these groups have sent children to carry out suicide attacks.”

    “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. Children are susceptible to recruitment by manipulation or may be driven to join armed groups for a variety of reasons, including a desire to avenge relatives or friends killed by the Israeli army.”

  28. Btselem reports about 7,430 Palestinians were held in Israel as of the end of July. '09, out of a population of the West bank and Gaza of 3,761,000. This means less than 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population is being held in prison in Israel, under, as I have shown you above, the intense scrutiny of Red Cross inspectors who have complete open access to all prisons and interogation centers in Israel. Also the Israeli Prison Services cooperates with the Red Cross to run what the Red Cross itself calls the largest scale family visitation program anywhere on earth, with the 7,430 prisoners getting about 20,000 family visits a month, i.e. each prisoner getting, on average, a family visit ever 10 days.

    A comparison to incarceration rates and racism in incarceration elsewhere in the world gives a good persepctive on the Palestinian prisoner issue.

    source: U.S. Department of Justice http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/pim07jim07

    as of June 29, 2007 there were a total of 2,375,618 prisoners in federal, state and local jails in the US, which out of a population of about 300,000,000 means 8 tenths of one percent of the American population is in American jails as opposed to less than 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population is being held in Israel.

    So Americans of any race are 4 times more likely to be in American jail than Palestinians are to be in Israeli jails.

    When you look at the racist aspects of US prisons, it gets even worse. African-Americans comprise 35.5 percent of the US prisoner population, but are only 13% of the US population as a whole.

    i.e. 850,000 African Americans are locked up in US jails out about 40,000,000 African American total in the US. More than 2 percent of the African American population is currently in prison in the United States, compared to 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population in prison in Israel.

    So in other words, African Americans are 10 times more likely to be in American jails than Palestinians are to be in Israeli jails.

    Of course nothing in the racist US prison system even comes close to comparing to the racism in Canadian prisons.

    Source: Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2009003/art

    “According to the 2006 Census, 3.1% of adults in Canada were Aboriginal. In comparison, the representation of Aboriginal adults in custody accounted for 17%. In the Province of Saskatchewan, Aboriginals made up 11 % of the population as a whole but 80% of the prison population.”

    And of course nothing in the racist Canadian prisons even comes close to comparing to the racism in Australian prisons.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/Latestpro

    “Indigenous persons were 13 times more likely than non-Indigenous persons to be in prison at 30 June 2008. Indigenous persons were 20 times more likely to be in prison than non-Indigenous persons in Western Australia.“

  29. Btselem reports about 7,430 Palestinians were held in Israel as of the end of July. '09, out of a population of the West bank and Gaza of 3,761,000. This means less than 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population is being held in prison in Israel, under, as I have shown you above, the intense scrutiny of Red Cross inspectors who have complete open access to all prisons and interogation centers in Israel. Also the Israeli Prison Services cooperates with the Red Cross to run what the Red Cross itself calls the largest scale family visitation program anywhere on earth, with the 7,430 prisoners getting about 20,000 family visits a month, i.e. each prisoner getting, on average, a family visit ever 10 days.

    A comparison to incarceration rates and racism in incarceration elsewhere in the world gives a good persepctive on the Palestinian prisoner issue.

    source: U.S. Department of Justice http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/pim07jim07

    as of June 29, 2007 there were a total of 2,375,618 prisoners in federal, state and local jails in the US, which out of a population of about 300,000,000 means 8 tenths of one percent of the American population is in American jails as opposed to less than 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population is being held in Israel.

    So Americans of any race are 4 times more likely to be in American jail than Palestinians are to be in Israeli jails.

    When you look at the racist aspects of US prisons, it gets even worse. African-Americans comprise 35.5 percent of the US prisoner population, but are only 13% of the US population as a whole.

    i.e. 850,000 African Americans are locked up in US jails out about 40,000,000 African American total in the US. More than 2 percent of the African American population is currently in prison in the United States, compared to 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population in prison in Israel.

    So in other words, African Americans are 10 times more likely to be in American jails than Palestinians are to be in Israeli jails.

    Of course nothing in the racist US prison system even comes close to comparing to the racism in Canadian prisons.

    Source: Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2009003/art

    “According to the 2006 Census, 3.1% of adults in Canada were Aboriginal. In comparison, the representation of Aboriginal adults in custody accounted for 17%. In the Province of Saskatchewan, Aboriginals made up 11 % of the population as a whole but 80% of the prison population.”

    And of course nothing in the racist Canadian prisons even comes close to comparing to the racism in Australian prisons.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/Latestpro

    “Indigenous persons were 13 times more likely than non-Indigenous persons to be in prison at 30 June 2008. Indigenous persons were 20 times more likely to be in prison than non-Indigenous persons in Western Australia.“

  30. Btselem reports about 7,430 Palestinians were held in Israel as of the end of July. ’09, out of a population of the West bank and Gaza of 3,761,000. This means less than 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population is being held in prison in Israel, under, as I have shown you above, the intense scrutiny of Red Cross inspectors who have complete open access to all prisons and interogation centers in Israel. Also the Israeli Prison Services cooperates with the Red Cross to run what the Red Cross itself calls the largest scale family visitation program anywhere on earth, with the 7,430 prisoners getting about 20,000 family visits a month, i.e. each prisoner getting, on average, a family visit ever 10 days.

    A comparison to incarceration rates and racism in incarceration elsewhere in the world gives a good persepctive on the Palestinian prisoner issue.

    source: U.S. Department of Justice
    http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/pim07jim07pr.htm

    as of June 29, 2007 there were a total of 2,375,618 prisoners in federal, state and local jails in the US, which out of a population of about 300,000,000 means 8 tenths of one percent of the American population is in American jails as opposed to less than 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population is being held in Israel.

    So Americans of any race are 4 times more likely to be in American jail than Palestinians are to be in Israeli jails.

    When you look at the racist aspects of US prisons, it gets even worse. African-Americans comprise 35.5 percent of the US prisoner population, but are only 13% of the US population as a whole.

    i.e. 850,000 African Americans are locked up in US jails out about 40,000,000 African American total in the US. More than 2 percent of the African American population is currently in prison in the United States, compared to 2 tenths of one percent of the Palestinian population in prison in Israel.

    So in other words, African Americans are 10 times more likely to be in American jails than Palestinians are to be in Israeli jails.

    Of course nothing in the racist US prison system even comes close to comparing to the racism in Canadian prisons.

    Source: Statistics Canada
    http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2009003/article/10903-eng.htm

    “According to the 2006 Census, 3.1% of adults in Canada were Aboriginal. In comparison, the representation of Aboriginal adults in custody accounted for 17%. In the Province of Saskatchewan, Aboriginals made up 11 % of the population as a whole but 80% of the prison population.”

    And of course nothing in the racist Canadian prisons even comes close to comparing to the racism in Australian prisons.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
    http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/Latestproducts/4517.0Main%20Features22008?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4517.0&issue=2008&num=&view=

    “Indigenous persons were 13 times more likely than non-Indigenous persons to be in prison at 30 June 2008. Indigenous persons were 20 times more likely to be in prison than non-Indigenous persons in Western Australia.“

  31. source:
    Vancouver Sun, November 13, 2009 http://www.vancouversun.com/news/More+Aboriginal+

    "According to a report from the independent ombudsman for federal offenders released Friday:

    It points to some glaring inequalities between aboriginal and non-aboriginal federal inmates, most notably that aboriginals make up four per cent of Canada's population, but 20 per cent of its incarcerated population. Aboriginal women represent one third of female federal inmates.

    In addition to higher incarceration rates, the report said aboriginal inmates are released later in their sentences; are over-represented in solitary confinement; are more likely to have previous sentences; are classified as higher risk and are more likely to reoffend."

  32. source:
    Vancouver Sun, November 13, 2009 http://www.vancouversun.com/news/More+Aboriginal+

    "According to a report from the independent ombudsman for federal offenders released Friday:

    It points to some glaring inequalities between aboriginal and non-aboriginal federal inmates, most notably that aboriginals make up four per cent of Canada's population, but 20 per cent of its incarcerated population. Aboriginal women represent one third of female federal inmates.

    In addition to higher incarceration rates, the report said aboriginal inmates are released later in their sentences; are over-represented in solitary confinement; are more likely to have previous sentences; are classified as higher risk and are more likely to reoffend."

  33. source:
    Vancouver Sun, November 13, 2009 http://www.vancouversun.com/news/More+Aboriginal+

    "According to a report from the independent ombudsman for federal offenders released Friday:

    It points to some glaring inequalities between aboriginal and non-aboriginal federal inmates, most notably that aboriginals make up four per cent of Canada's population, but 20 per cent of its incarcerated population. Aboriginal women represent one third of female federal inmates.

    In addition to higher incarceration rates, the report said aboriginal inmates are released later in their sentences; are over-represented in solitary confinement; are more likely to have previous sentences; are classified as higher risk and are more likely to reoffend."

  34. source:
    Vancouver Sun, November 13, 2009
    http://www.vancouversun.com/news/More+Aboriginal+women+incarcerated+Canada/2219310/story.html

    “According to a report from the independent ombudsman for federal offenders released Friday:

    It points to some glaring inequalities between aboriginal and non-aboriginal federal inmates, most notably that aboriginals make up four per cent of Canada’s population, but 20 per cent of its incarcerated population. Aboriginal women represent one third of female federal inmates.

    In addition to higher incarceration rates, the report said aboriginal inmates are released later in their sentences; are over-represented in solitary confinement; are more likely to have previous sentences; are classified as higher risk and are more likely to reoffend.”

  35. Hi, I found your page when i was searching AOL for sites related to this article. I have tell you, your site is super. I like the layout too, its pleasing. I don

  36. Hi, I found your page when i was searching AOL for sites related to this article. I have tell you, your site is super. I like the layout too, its pleasing. I don

Comments are closed.