EU expresses concern over death, arrests of Palestinian minors

The mission of the European Union in Ramallah and Jerusalem on Friday expressed its concern after the recent arrests of Palestinian minors by Israeli authorities and the death of a teenager shot by Israeli forces.

In a statement, the mission said the EU was troubled about the circumstances of the recent arrests of Palestinian minors Ahed Tamimi and Fawzi Muhammad al-Juneidi, Efe reported.

The statement also expressed deep concern regarding, "the fatal shooting by Israeli security forces of another Palestinian minor, 17-year old Musaab al-Tamimi, during protests in the occupied West Bank on 3 January."

The case of Ahed, 16, who has been detained for almost four weeks, has taken on an international dimension after a video surfaced which showed her slapping two Israeli soldiers at the door of her house in Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah.

A photograph of al-Juneidi, about the same age as Ahed, that showed him blindfolded, beaten and escorted by a score of soldiers during his arrest in Hebron on the charge of throwing stones, also has gone viral.

"The European Union and EU Missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah recall the importance of respecting and protecting the rights of the child, including and in particular during arrest, detention and judicial procedures," said the note.

On Thursday, two 16-year-old Palestinian children died in clashes with Israeli forces in Gaza and the West Bank.

--IANS

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