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Israel Does Not Mistreat Detained Palestinian Children
(Guardian-UK) Amir Ofek - A Guardian special report by Harriet Sherwood on Jan. 22 looks at allegations that Israel's military justice system mistreats Palestinian children who have been arrested. But you omit the horrific nature of the atrocities that minors can be arrested for. Hakim Awad, 17, is a minor. Last March he and his 18-year-old cousin, Amjad, brutally murdered the Fogel family while they slept. No mercy was shown to three-month-old Hadas, her two brothers (aged four and 11) and their parents. The duo proudly confessed to their killings, and they have shown no subsequent remorse. Between 2000 and 2004, 292 minors took part in terrorist activities. Shocking images of Palestinian infants dressed in explosive vests are only the tip of the hate industry that Palestinian children are exposed to. Ismail Tsabaj, 12, Azi Mostafa, 13, and Yousuf Basam, 14, were sent by Hamas on a mission chillingly similar to the one involving the Fogels, aiming to penetrate a Jewish home at night and slaughter a family in their beds. In this case, the IDF fortunately stopped them in time. Of the detainees, you report dismissively that "most are accused of throwing stones at soldiers or settlers," showing a bewildering disregard for this crime. Judah Shoham never reached the age of many of these minors, as he was killed by Palestinians throwing stones, aged just five months. Similarly, Jonathan Palmer never reached his second birthday; he was killed with his father when stones were hurled at their car last October. Israel's efforts to maintain and even increase legal protections for minors are impressive. A special juvenile court has been established to guarantee professional care for minors in detention. In the few days since the article was published, two minors (aged 16 and 17) shot at passing Israeli cars. These two had previously used firebombs as a weapon against Israelis. It would be our wish that no minor would ever find themselves in Israeli custody. Unfortunately, we have to deal with the reality, not our dreams. The writer is the press attache for the Embassy of Israel in London.