Israeli troops 'ill-treat kids'

Leonard · August 29, 2009

I Have a toddler and another one on the way. I recognize the innocence and the importance of treatment of children. This is why this news piece really upsets me. Mainly because most of us Jews are turning our backs to condemning our government for not taking action against the hush hush policies of the Israeli Defense Force. We wouldn't treat our children this way and wouldn't want others to treat our kids this way, why are we okay with treating their children like this?

"A former Israeli military commander has told the BBC that Palestinian youngsters are routinely ill-treated by Israeli soldiers while in custody, reports the BBC' s Katya Adler from Jerusalem and the West Bank.

"You take the kid, you blindfold him, you handcuff him, he's really shaking... Sometimes you cuff his legs too. Sometimes it cuts off the circulation.

"He doesn't understand a word of what's going on around him. He doesn't know what you're going to do with him. He just knows we are soldiers with guns. That we kill people. Maybe they think we're going to kill him.

"A lot of the time they're peeing their pants, just sit there peeing their pants, crying. But usually they're very quiet.''

Eran Efrati is a former commander in Israel's army. He served in the occupied West Bank.

In a discreet park in Jerusalem we meet to discuss allegations that soldiers like him often mistreat Palestinian minors, suspected of throwing stones.

Mr Efrati - who left the army five months ago - says the allegations are true:

''I never arrested anyone younger than nine or 10, but 14, 13, 11 for me, they're still kids. But they're arrested like adults. "

This continues here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8186905.stm