Written question asked by Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated) on Monday, 13 January 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 January 2020. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 January 2020 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Jerusalem: Palestinians

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel that large amounts of Palestinian children have been arrested since the launch of regular Israeli police raids in Isawiyeh, East Jerusalem, and that Israeli police are violating the rights of minor suspects in that area.

Answer: The UK has strong concerns about continued reports of ill-treatment of Palestinian minors in Israeli military detention. We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention in the country. We welcomed progress made with recent Israeli policy amendments. This includes a reduction in the number of detainees aged 12 to 14 years old, the increase in the age of maturity from 16 to 18 years old, the establishment of separate juvenile courts and the enactment of a special statute of limitations for minors. Initial detention periods have also been shortened. However, we continue to make representations to the Israeli authorities on the treatment of Palestinian children in detention. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv did so most recently on 17 December. We continue to monitor the situation in Isawiyeh closely.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL357
Session: 2019-21
Subjects: Children Arrests Rights of accused Israel Palestine Jerusalem Police raids
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk