Written question asked by Lord Judd (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 May 2018, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 22 May 2018. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Tuesday, 22 May 2018 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Israel: Palestinians

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the United States State Department’s report, Israel and the Golan Heights 2017 Human Rights Report, published on 20 April, in particular (1) its reference to the conclusion of the UNICEF Report of 2013 that “the maltreatment of Palestinian children appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalised”, and (2) its reference to the findings of the Military Court Watch, based on 400 testimonies collected since 2013, that 90 per cent of children continue to be denied access to a lawyer prior to questioning; and what representations they intend to make to the government of Israel on those issues.

Answer: The treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention remains a human rights priority for the UK. We will continue to call upon Israel to improve its practices in line with international law and obligations. We have offered to help the Israeli authorities through expert-to-expert talks with British officials. That offer still stands. While we recognise that Israel has made some improvements, it needs to do much more to safeguard vulnerable people in its care. Most recently I raised the issue of children in detention with Israeli Justice Minister Shaked during my trip to the region in April 2018.

Secondary information