Written question asked by Lord Judd (Labour) on Monday, 20 May 2019, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 4 June 2019. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Tuesday, 4 June 2019 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Israel: Palestinians

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the number of Palestinian children held in Israeli prisons; how many representations they have made to the government of Israel about this being a war crime under Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention; when those representations were made; by whom they were made; and what action they are taking under Article 146 of the Geneva Convention to provide effective penal sanctions for person committing unlawful transfers.

Answer: We understand 203 Palestinian children were in Israeli military detention at the end of December 2018. It remains our assessment that transfer of Palestinian child and adult detainees to prisons inside Israel is in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We continue to make representations to the Israeli authorities at Ministerial and senior official level outlining our concerns around Israel’s treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli detention. Most recently officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities on 18 March.

Secondary information