Israel rapped over youth arrests

Israel rapped over youth arrests

Many youngsters were arrested during Israeli raids on Palestinian refugee camps

Some 300 Palestinian minors have been rounded up by the Israeli army over the past year and are being held in crowded lockups, some of them without charges or trial, human rights monitors say.

The monitors - including the respected Israeli B'tselem group - say that by treating those detained under 18 as adults, the Israeli army violates the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child.

B'tselem's director Jessica Montell told BBC News Online that some of them were even younger than 16.

The army - which treats those over 16 as adults - acknowledges it has locked up minors, but points out that they are often recruited by Palestinian militant groups to carry out terrorist attacks.

The groups' criticism comes as Palestinians are staging rallies demanding the release of their relatives held in Israeli jails on a so-called Palestinian Prisoner day.

It also comes a day after the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) sharply criticised Israel for its treatment of Palestinians and for its settlement of the occupied territories.

Administrative detention

The human rights monitors say most of the jailed minors have been detained in refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza as part of Israel's crackdown on terrorist attacks.

Palestinians demanded immediate release of their relatives

The monitors say some of them are often held for minor offences, such as throwing stones and writing anti-Israeli slogans.

Ms Montell said that many of them are being held in the so-called administrative detention, which allows the Israeli army to detain them indefinitely without trial or charges.

"This violates the UN conventions," Ms Montell said, adding that some of the minor inmates have been held for months in inhumane conditions.

The UN Convention - signed by Israel - says the arrest and imprisonment of children and minors should be a last resort and for the shortest appropriate time.

It also says they should not be jailed with adults.