According to the Palestinian legal monitor Military Court Watch, about 47 percent of detainees in Israeli prisons are being held “in violation of the Geneva Conventions,” and there are “at least 151 Palestinian children” among the thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

Informed Comment:

At least 151 Palestinian children are currently being held as “security prisoners” in Israeli jails…Military Court Watch said in a statement [last] Tuesday…The numbers highlight the continuing hardships facing Palestinian children in Israeli jails, who comprise the most vulnerable group of the 5,528 Palestinians being held in Israeli jails in total.

The group also said in the statement that figures released by Israel Prison Services often fail to show the real numbers, as they are based on simple “headcounts” of prisoners held at the end of each month…The organization said that even though numerous children below the age of 14 are recorded as having been held by the Israel Prison Services, the official data released since Aug. 2013 shows none.

The statement released by Military Court Watch comes amid growing concern over the fate of Palestinian children in Israeli jails spurred on by the case of Malak al-Khatib, a 14-year-old girl sentenced to two months in jail who is accused by Israel of stone-throwing and possession of a knife.

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—Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata

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