Palestinian children detained in Jerusalem

By Alaa al-Rimawi

JERUSALEM

Israeli police arrested two 14-year-old children from Jerusalem on Tuesday for allegedly throwing stones, according to a statement from the authorities.

The arrests coincided with an Israeli court decision to extend the detention of 10 other children until next Friday, according to Palestinian lawyers.

Police said the pair was detained in the Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood of East Jerusalem.

A lawyer from the Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Mohammed Mahmoud, was reported in local media saying Israeli courts had extended the detention of 10 children from Jerusalem until next Friday.

The Israeli police claimed Monday that 10 children were arrested from an orphanage school in Jerusalem on charges of throwing stones from inside the premises.

According to official Palestinian figures, over 7,000 people are currently languishing in Israeli prisons; roughly 700 are being held in administrative detention.