The latest spate of demolitions in July brought the total number of Palestinians to be displaced in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem to 740 – including 384 children – since the beginning of the year, according to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.
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The new law, which passed its second and third readings in a Knesset committee on Tuesday, allows authorities to imprison minors under the age of 14 for crimes such as murder, attempted murder and manslaughter. Since October 2015, there have been 47 separate incidents, with a toll of 34 Israelis, two U.S., an Eritrean, and a Sudanese citizen.
Attacks in recent months “demands a more aggressive approach, including toward minors”, the government said in the statement. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.
Furthermore, in voicing its one-sided allegations, the State Department seems to be willfully and systematically ignoring the well-established and documented legal, historic, indigenous, and political rights of the Jewish People regarding the West Bank areas of Judea and Samaria, as stressed consistently over the years.
Since October, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 219 Palestinians, including attackers, unarmed protesters, and bystanders.
Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked gave the bill full backing when it came before a ministerial committee a year ago.
“Youths, such as Ahmed Manasra, who engage in terror and seek the death of Jewish civilians will not be shown mercy by the law”, media quoted her as saying.
According to the Israeli mission at the United Nations, 47 of the “acts of terrorism” committed over the last 11 months have been carried out by Palestinian minors and 22 Israeli children have been attacked.
The cousin was shot dead by security forces, while Manasra was hit by a auto as they fled.
The occupied territories have witnessed a fresh bout of tensions ever since Israeli forces introduced restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds in August 2015.
The system has been criticised by Palestinians, human rights groups and members of the worldwide community.
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The row comes a few days after members Black Lives Matter travelled to Palestine and participated in a weekly protest in the West Bank against the Israeli occupation and illegal settlement activity. Palestinians of all ages from the occupied West Bank, including young minors, have always been tried, sentenced and detained in Israel’s military court system.
