Palestinian children tortured, used as shields by Israel: UN

WASHINGTON/RAMALLAH - Reuters

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (R) and the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton (L) address the medias in the West Bank town of Ramallah on June 19, 2013. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD GHARABLI

A United Nations human rights body accused Israeli forces June 20 of mistreating Palestinian children, including by torturing those in custody and using others as human shields.

“Palestinian children arrested by (Israeli) military and police are systematically subject to degrading treatment, and often to acts of torture, are interrogated in Hebrew, a language they did not understand, and sign confessions in Hebrew in order to be released,” the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child said in a report.

Palestinian PM resigned

“Hundreds of Palestinian children have been killed and thousands injured over the reporting period as a result of the state party military operations, especially in Gaza where the state party proceeded to (conduct) air and naval strikes on densely populated areas with a significant presence of children, thus disregarding the principles of proportionality and distinction,” the U.N. report said.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has offered his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas just two weeks after taking office.

It was not immediately clear whether Abbas would accept the resignation by Hamdallah, an academic and political independent whose Cabinet only met for the first time last week.

The government source said that Hamdallah made the abrupt, unexpected move because of a “dispute over his powers.” Hamdallah’s Cabinet consists overwhelmingly of members of the Fatah party led by Abbas.

His predecessor, Salam Fayyad, resigned in April after six years in power defined by tough economic challenges and rivalries with Fatah politicians.