Question
Palestinian children are the only children in the world who are systematically prosecuted in military courts. Those courts do not meet juvenile justice standards, and Save the Children has found that at every stage of detention, from arrest to interrogation, transfer and incarceration, Israeli soldiers and officials have inflicted physical, mental and emotional abuse and torture on children. What action are this Government taking, with our international partners, to prevent the abuse of well over 300 Palestinian children who are currently being held in Israeli military detention?
Answer
First of all, I thank my hon. Friend for drawing attention to this incredibly important topic. Reports that hundreds of Palestinian children are being detained—as he says, many of them are being mistreated—in Israeli military detention are horrifying. Children’s rights must be upheld, in accordance with international law. Children must only be detained in line with internationally agreed juvenile justice standards, and we call for an end to military detention where it is incompatible with those principles. We continue to call on Israel to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross immediate unrestricted access to all detention facilities, and we raised this issue with Israeli authorities in September.12% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (70/100)
The reply directly answers the main part of the question with specific, committed actions. It says the Government has called for the ICRC to have immediate, unrestricted access to detention facilities, raised the issue with Israeli authorities in September, and called for an end to military detention where it conflicts with juvenile justice standards. It does not clearly describe coordination with other international partners, so that part of the question is only implicitly covered and the asker may need to seek clarification on it.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the Government doing, with international partners, to prevent the abuse of Palestinian children held in Israeli military detention? | Addressed | Direct | The reply names concrete actions the Government is taking: it calls on Israel to give the ICRC immediate, unrestricted access to detention facilities, says it raised the issue with Israeli authorities in September, and calls for an end to military detention where it is incompatible with juvenile justice standards. It does not explicitly describe coordination with other international partners, so that part of the question is only implicitly covered. |