Tribune News NetworkDohaQatar's Assistant Foreign Minister HE Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater on Saturday reacted to a video of Israeli forces detaining Palestinian children, saying she was "not very surprised by how Israeli Occupation is treating kids!""They know that the duplicity of their international sponsors will let them get away, Yet Again," she wrote on Twitter along with a video clip that shows heavily-armed Israeli soldiers dragging children away from the South Hebron Hills, which is surrounded by 30 Palestinian villages that are home to some 4,000 residents who mostly subsist on farming and shepherding.The Israeli rights group B’Tselem, which published the video, said five boys, ages 8 to 13, were detained Wednesday by the Israeli army after picking akoub near a settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank.Israeli police said in a statement that the military had detained four minors for allegedly breaking into private property and stealing parrots and other objects. The Israeli Defence Forces said a group was spotted entering private property in the southern Hebron area and was transferred by a military patrol to the Israeli police after "a short initial questioning with police present." The police said they had not detained the children after they were transferred by the IDF and had tried to locate their parents for “several hours” before waiting for them to collect them.But while the exact circumstances of the children's detention remains unclear, the incident offers a window into the reality of life under Israeli occupation, rights groups and some Palestinians told local media.Whether they were simply picking wild vegetables or allegedly stealing parrots, they contend, there is no reasonable scenario in which children as young as 8 should be detained by armed soldiers.“It shows first and foremost the absolute disregard Israeli authorities have for the well-being of Palestinians,” Amit Gilutz, B'Tselem spokesperson, said.Gaby Lasky, a human rights lawyer who is representing the children, said they were released five and a half hours after being detained Wednesday by the Israeli army. The two oldest, who are 12 and 13, were ordered to return next week for questioning, she said.Israeli police said two boys were summoned with their parents on suspicion of stealing the parrots and other objects.The age of criminal responsibility under Israeli military law, which governs Palestinians living in the West Bank, is 12, according to UNICEF.
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Not very surprised: Qatars Lolwah Al Khater reacts angrily to Israel forces detaining Palestinian children
Mar 20, 2021