The International Federation of Social Workers issued the following statement for Human Rights Day 2014:

On Human Rights Day 2014 IFSW wishes to express its concern over the treatment of Palestinian minors who have been arrested and interrogated by the Israeli authorities for alleged stone-throwing and other crimes. The current law for throwing stones (throwing objects with the intent to harm), carries a two-year sentence of imprisonment, and on average children spend two months in prison. The time spent in prison and house arrest prior to trial is not taken into account in sentencing. Social workers are extremely worried as the current Israeli government is introducing new legislation that extends the imprisonment period for this offence to 20 years.

There are many children imprisoned without due judicial process, including use of solitary confinement. Minors are also routinely shackled during court hearings in the Israeli military prison system. The average age of children detained is 10 – 13 years old. Social workers working with the children after their release said that they suffer trauma at separation from their families, and they also internalize that their parents have failed to protect them. Further family problems develop when children are released under house-arrest as they feel that their parents are then ‘policing’ them and denying them the normal right to see their friends and attend school. Often the children lose so much schooling that they feel they can no longer act normally and then drop out of school completely. Once convicted their rights to travel are withdrawn, accumulating into ruined lives and increased hostility. The treatment of Palestinian minors is unjustified in the context of human rights, and even if these minors do have cases to answer, the state should apply the same protection to Palestinian minors in detention that it allows to Israeli children.

UNICEF has raised concerns over this treatment and in a recent report found that the ill-treatment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system was “widespread, systematic and institutionalised”. UNICEF has noted that Palestinian children have the right to protection against violence and abuse and those children at all times must be treated with dignity and respect in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The international human rights organisation Human Rights Watch has noted that Israeli security forces have arrested children in their homes at night, at gunpoint, blindfolded, forcibly brought to a detention centre, and questioned without a family member or a lawyer present; and coerce them to sign confessions in Hebrew which they do not understand.

The Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem, which received the 2014 Stockholm Human Rights Award, reports that at the end of October 2014, 163 Palestinian minors were held in Israeli prisons as security detainees and prisoners, with another 17 held in Israeli prison service facilities for being in Israel illegally. Although military youth courts were established in 2009, Israeli youth law is not incorporated in the military legislation and the protections which Palestinian minors should expect are not available as they are for Israeli minors.

Social workers are concerned that they are constantly managing and supporting communities to stop children throwing stones, but it is extremely difficult with families’ land and housing being cleared to make a way for new settlements. With the protection of the Israeli army, some settlers carry side arms, revealing them to the children or throw bottles of urine at them as a part of their campaign to claim the Palestine area for Israel.

The IFSW urges the Israeli government to respect the rights of all children living under its jurisdiction and joins with other international organisations in calling for an immediate ending to the harsh and discriminatory treatment afforded Palestinian minors. This statement, issued on Human Rights Day, is especially relevant as this year is also the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child.

Issued by IFSW Human Rights Commission 9th December 2014

The Health Work Committees issued the following statement (below in French and English) denouncing the expulsion of Palestinian Jerusalemite human rights defenders and community leaders Daoud al-Ghoul, Majd Darwish and Saleh Dirbas. All three were expelled from their home city of Jerusalem for a five month period for no stated reason by Israeli military order. Al-Ghoul, who recently spoke in Brussels at the European Parliament on the conditions facing Palestinian Jerusalemites, is the youth programs coordinator for the HWC in Jerusalem.

Yesterday, in addition, Daoud al-Ghoul was notified that a second Israeli military order has been issued against him, this time expelling him from the West Bank for five months; the HWC reports that he has returned to Jerusalem in protest of the various orders against him.

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HWC: The policy of expulsion against Palestinian Jerusalemites must end

Majd Darwish, Saleh Dirbas and Daoud al-Ghoul, three Palestinian Jerusalemites, social workers and human rights defenders received deportation orders from Jerusalem (East and West) on 3 December 2014 by the Israeli authorities, without any reason communicated to them. Their term of “banishment” for five months will keep them from interacting with their family and social networks and places them at risk of losing their jobs. In case of non-compliance with this order, they risk imprisonment.

The Health Work Committees (HWC) denounces the long-term Israeli policy aiming to expel ever more Palestinians from Jerusalem. “Such a strategy is indicative of the policy of gradual, systemic ethnic cleansing against the citizens of Jerusalem. More and more regulations, restrictive laws are being implemented against this population that is already denied its rights, in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention,” said Yousef Habash, European representative of the HWC. Daoud al-Ghoul is the HWC’s coordinator of youth projects in Jerusalem.

The HWC considers that the extremist attitude of the Israeli authorities aims to reduce the number of Palestinians and undermine the rights of the citizens of East Jerusalem in the event of future negotiations on the status of Jerusalem. Similarly, the colonization of East Jerusalem, deliberately strengthened and accelerated by the Government of Israel, also isolates Palestinian communities.

It is absolutely unacceptable that Israel arbitrarily and illegally expels and attacks the citizens of Jerusalem. These actions include residency card revocations, arbitrary imprisonment, destruction of Palestinian homes, the Wall that diverts East Jerusalem land and prevents movement. This measure is part of a policy of repression carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people.

A few days after their expulsion from Jerusalem, one of the 3 human rights defenders, Daoud al-Ghoul, has just learned that he is now banned throughout the West Bank, which is a new attack on human rights. He decided to return to Jerusalem as a sign of political protest.

The HWC association decided to launch a campaign against the deportation policies against East Jerusalem Palestinians and calls on all European and international organizations as well as the European Union and its member countries to intervene on behalf of these three Palestinian Jerusalemites to cancel their deportation order and the set of retaliatory measures proposed against them by the Israeli authorities. HWC The association also called upon the European Union to end the Europe-Israel Association Agreement and all free trade agreements.

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HWC : La politique d’expulsion des Palestiniens de Jérusalem-Est doit s’arrêter.

 Majd Darwish, Saleh Dirbas et Daoud al-Ghoul, tous trois habitants palestiniens de Jérusalem, travailleurs sociaux et défenseurs des droits de l’Homme, ont reçu le 3 décembre 2014 un ordre d’expulsion de Jérusalem (est et ouest) par les autorités israéliennes, sans qu’aucun motif ne leur soit communiqué. La durée de leur «bannissement» portée à 5 mois les empêchera de côtoyer normalement leur famille et leur réseau social, leur fait prendre le risque de perdre leur emploi. Dans le cas d’un non-respect de cette décision, ils risquent la prison.

 L’association Health Work Committees (HWC) tient à dénoncer la politique israélienne de long terme qui vise à expluser de plus en plus de Palestiniens de Jérusalem. « Une telle stratégie est révélatrice de la politique de nettoyage ethnique organisée petit à petit contre les citoyens résidants de Jérusalem. De plus en plus de règlementations, de lois restrictives à l’égard de cette population qui n’a déjà que peu de droits se font en violation de la 4ème convention de Genève » a déclaré Yousef HABACHE, représentant européen de l’association HWC dont Daoud al-Ghoul est le coordinateur pour les jeunes de Jérusalem.

 L’association HWC considère que cette attitude extrémiste de la part des autorités israéliennes vise à réduire le nombre de palestiniens et de revendications des citoyens de Jérusalem-Est dans le cas de négociations futures sur le statut de Jérusalem. De la même façon, la colonisation de Jérusalem-Est délibérément renforcée par le Gouvernement israélien contribue à isoler les zones palestiniennes.

 Il est absolument inacceptable qu’Israël déporte arbitrairement et a fortiori illégalement des citoyens de Jérusalem. Comme les révocations de cartes de résidence, l’emprisonnement arbitraire, les destructions de maisons palestiniennes, le Mur qui accapare des terres de Jérusalem-Est et empêche les déplacements, cette mesure s’inscrit dans une politique de répression exercée par Israël contre les Palestiniens.

 Quelques jours après leur expulsion de Jérusalem, l’un d’entre ces 3 défenseurs des droits de l’Homme, Daoud al-Ghoul, vient d’apprendre qu’il est désormais banni de toute la Cisjordanie, ce qui est une nouvelle atteinte aux droits de l’Homme. Il a décidé de revenir à Jérusalem en signe de protestation politique.

 L’association HWC a décidé de lancer une campagne contre la politique d’expulsion des Palestiniens de Jérusalem-Est et appelle l’ensemble des organisations européennes et internationales ainsi que l’Union Européenne et ses pays membres à intervenir en faveur de ces 3 Palestiniens de Jérusalem pour que leur ordre d’expulsion et l’ensemble des mesures de rétorsion envisagées à leur égard soit levés par les autorités israéliennes. L’association HWC demande également à l’Union Européenne l’arrêt de l’accord d’association et de libre échange Europe-Israël.

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The Israeli Supreme Court suddenly postponed its hearing on the Palestinian Legislative Council members expelled from Jerusalem. The hearing, scheduled to be held on Tuesday, 9 December, was adjourned indefinitely to an unknown date.

Three PLC members and one ex-prisoner were ordered expelled from their homes in Jerusalem by the Israeli military and they have been challenging the expulsion in court. They are PLC member Mohammed Abu Teir (currently in prison), PLC member Ahmad Attoun, PLC member Mohammad Totah and ex-minister Khaled Abu Arafeh. (The Israeli military has now ordered three young community leaders, Daoud al-Ghoul, Majd Darwish and Saleh Dirbas, expelled from Jerusalem. Al-Ghoul has also been issued an expulsion order from the West Bank as well.)

The legal team representing the PLC members and ex-minister expelled from Jerusalem, Hassan Jabarin of Adalah, Osama al-Saadi and Fadi Qawasmeh, expressed their surprise and disapproval at the sudden postponement of the hearing, noting that this case has been taking place for 7 years. Furthermore, they said that the expulsion of the four is contrary to international law and a flagrant violation of the rights of MPs.

They also said that this issue is very serious for the Palestinians of Jerusalem and their right to be present in their city because the approval of this expulsion is a precedent for expulsion of any Jerusalemites despite their status of Jerusalem residents. The lawyers urged international action to stand behind expelled Jerusalemites and defend their rights, or else all Palestinians in Jerusalem are in danger of deportation, expulsion and ethnic cleansing.

Reports from the Independent Middle East Media Center (IMEMC): On Wednesday 10 December, at dawn, dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded various neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem, and kidnapped twelve Palestinians, including one woman, after breaking into their homes and searching them.

Local sources said the soldiers invaded and ransacked the home of ‘Abeer Zayyad, in the ath-Thoury neighborhood, in Silwan town, and kidnapped her. Zayyad is a political leader of the Fateh movement.

Soldiers also kidnapped Hamza Shweiki and Mohammad Zghayyar, from the ath-Thoury neighborhood.

In addition, soldiers invaded Ras al-‘Amoud area in Silwan, and kidnapped Mohammad ‘Aziz ‘Oweis, Majd Abdullah ‘Oweis, Mohammad Hussein ‘Oweis, Ayyoub Abu ‘Assab, Luay Za’atra, Hussein Darwish, Ahmad Gharib and Mo’tasem Gheith.

Another Palestinian has also been kidnapped near the Qalandia checkpoint.

Nine more Palestinians were arrested in Hebron and Bethlehem early on Wednesday, 10 December – in Beit ‘Awwa near Hebron, Motassem Abu Threi, Yasser Abdul Rahman Masalma, Mohammed Qassem Masalma, Saed Ibrahim Abu al-Jammal, Bakr Abdul-Karim Masalma and Ra’fat Nimir Masalma.

In Beit Fajjar south of Bethlehem, Israeli occupation forces took Nader Ribhi Taqatqa, 30, and in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, they arrested Abdullah Ahmad Saqr, 25 and Hussein Abed Rabbo, 26.

All kidnapped Palestinians have been moved to a number of interrogation centers in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank.

On Tuesday, 9 December, 7 Palestinians were arrested by Israeli occupation forces: 3 in Ethna west of Hebron, Moath Abu Jheisha, Mojahed Abu Jheisha, and Mahmoud Abu Jheisha; 1 Fateh leader in Jerusalem, Ahmad al-Ghoul; another unidentified Palestinian was arrested at Qalandiya checkpoint in occupied Jerusalem.

In Tequa’, east of Bethlehem, two young Palestinians were arrested near an illegal settlement in the area and are under interrogation now.

On Monday, 8 December, Ma’an News reported that Israeli occupation forces arrested 19 Palestinians in dawn raids. Raed Salah al-Muhtasib, 26, Muhammad Mousa Abu Hussein, Tariq Muhammad Abu Hussein, 25, Hamza Abd al-Rahman Abu Hussein, 24, Ibrahim al-Khatib, 23, Anas Abu Rayyan, 24, Tariq Issa al-Juba, 27, and Bilal Abdul-Rahman Abu Hussein, 25 were detained in Hebron.

As’ad Khaled Abu al-Hasan, 20; Yazan Khaled Shtayyeh, 21; Mojahed Ghazi Khalil, 22; and Asadallah Qett, 23 were detained in Nablus while Uday Abu al-Rub, 21, and Shadi Zakarna, 27, were arrested in Jenin.

Yousuf al-Bayyad and Ahmad Fahim were detained from al-Jalazun refugee camp near Ramallah while Sheikh Yousef Jabir and Sa’ad Darwish, the brother of Saji Darwish, who was shot and killed by the Israeli occupation forces on 10 March 2014, were arrested in the nearby village of Betin.

Another Palestinian man, Bilal Burqan, was detained in occupied Jerusalem.

These arrest campaigns have continued on a daily basis, often carried out through dawn raids. Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested since June 2014, 2,000 of those from June to July alone. There are currently over 6200 Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

Bushra al-Tawil, young Palestinian journalist, prisoners’ rights activist and a former political prisoner released in the Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner exchange in 2011, has had her original sentence re-imposed by an Israeli military court.

The Ahrar Center for Prisoners Studies and Human Rights reported that al-Tawil, 20, who was re-arrested on 1 July as part of the massive campaign of re-arrests in the West Bank at her home in Ramallah, had her original sentence reimposed by an Israeli military court on 8 December. The Israeli military claims the authority by military order to re-impose sentences on any freed prisoners that it claims to be a threat to security, under secret evidence.

She had served five months of her total 16 month sentence, which means she will now face 11 more months in Israeli prison. Al-Tawil’s father, Jamal, the former mayor of El-Bireh and a leader in Hamas, is also currently held in administrative detention without charge or trial. Bushra is the spokesperson of the “Aneen Al-Qaid Media” Network, a local news agency specialized in covering news about the Palestinian detainees, and political prisoners.