On June 2, 2015, the American Friends Service Committee hosted a Congressional Briefing on Child Detention in Israel and Palestine. A description of the briefing is below.
International Juvenile Justice Reform: Children in Israeli Military Detention
Tuesday, June 2 2015
9:30 – 10:45am
Capitol Visitors Center,
Congressional Meeting Room North
Each year hundreds of Palestinian children are arrested by Israeli forces and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system. The United Nations and many human rights groups are concerned by reports from Palestinian children that detail cruel punishments, substandard conditions, and a lack of basic fundamental due process rights in these military courts.
This briefing will discuss the legal and structural components of the military court system, and situate the detention of Palestinian children within the larger context of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The briefing will provide a firsthand account from a child’s perspective and examine the effects of detention.
Opening Remarks from Congressman Keith Ellison
Featured Speakers:
Tariq Abu Khdeir & Suha Abu Khdeir
Palestinian-American family
Brad Parker
Attorney & Senior Advocacy Officer, Defense for Children International – Palestine
Rabbi Brant Rosen
Midwest Regional Director, American Friends Service Committee
Joe Stork
Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch
Moderator:
Jennifer Bing, American Friends Service Committee
