Ayed Abu Eqtaish
Palestine Deep Dive / July 13, 2023
Palestine Deep Dive speaks exclusive to Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program Director at Defense for Children International – Palestine, to learn more about how Palestinian children were affected by Israel’s latest incursion into the Jenin refugee camp and city last week, where four Palestinian children were killed.
PDD: Please tell us about your work at Defense for Children International Palestine
Ayed Abu Eqtaish: I am Ayed Abu Eqtaish, the Accountability Program Director at Defense for Children International Palestine.
DCIP was established 30 years ago. The main purpose of the organization was to defend Palestinian children in the Israeli military legal system, children who are arrested and interrogated by the Israeli authorities. Unfortunately, until now we’re doing the same job. But during that period, DCI work expanded because we started just to defend Palestinian children in front of the Israeli military legal system. At some point, maybe after 10 years of our inception, we discovered that almost it’s impossible to reach justice through the Israeli military courthouses so we started to document the Israeli violations to Palestinian children who are arrested and interrogated and persecuted in the Israeli military legal system and use the evidence that we collect from children in our advocacy to advocate for respecting, protecting, and fulfilling the rights of Palestinian children. After that, we started working on other child right violations. Mainly the right to life and other children’s rights that have been enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Whether these rights have been violated by the Israel authorities or the Palestinian authority.
Now DCI Palestine consists of two main programs. The first one, it’s Accountability Program. This program consists of three main units. The first one is Monitoring and Documentation unit, where we document the violation to Palestinian children’s rights regardless of the perpetrator. We concentrate on the right to life and right to liberty. Under the right to life, we cover child fatalities, child injuries, using children as human shields by the Israeli authorities, as well as settler violence against Palestinian children.
And we cover these violations under the Palestinian jurisdiction also. Under right to liberty, we concentrate on the issue of ill-treatment and torture for Palestinian children who are arrested and prosecuted by the Israeli authorities, as well as the lack of fair trial guarantees and the arbitrary detention. For example, we concentrate on the issue of issuing administrative detention orders against Palestinian children.
In addition to documenting these rights, violations, in a comprehensive way, we document all other children’s rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The information that we get from the Documentation Unit as well as the Legal Defense Unit because also we provide legal services for Palestinian children in the Israeli military legal system, as well as under the Palestinian jurisdiction. We provide legal services for Palestinian children who appear before the Israeli military legal system, and mainly the Israeli military legal system, and document the ill-treatment that Palestinian children pass through.
The information that we gather from the Documentation Unit and the Legal Unit, we use it in our advocacy, which is the third unit and the Accountability Program to advocate for the rights of Palestinian children on the international level to invite state parties or to convince state parties to put pressure on Israel to apply to its legal obligation under international human rights law because Israel almost is a state party to almost all the four human rights conventions, but when it comes to the rights of Palestinian children, Israel argue that these conventions are not applicable for people who are living under occupation.
We try to expose this violation on the international level and ask state parties to intervene to protect the rights of Palestinian children. The other program, it’s the Child Protection Program. This program consists of two main units. The first one, it’s a Child Mobilization Unit where we work with children in order to empower children to protect their rights by themselves, as well as the Capacity Building Unit that aims to improve the abilities of professionals who are working with children in order to implement their obligation under– and here I mean the Palestinian duty bearers because Palestine is a state party also to almost all human rights conventions.
As a state party, they have an obligation to respect, to protect, and fulfil the rights of Palestinian children. So this is briefly about the work of the organization.
What proportion of Palestine’s 5.45 million population are children?
Statistics indicate that half of Palestinian population are children under the age of 18.
What impact did Israel’s latest incursion into Jenin have on the children there?
I think that what’s happened in Jenin during last year, it’s not new for Jenin and for the West Bank, especially during this year. The full-scale area and the ground invasion to Jenin was preceded by previous raids against Jenin city and Jenin camp. According to the information of DCIP, out of the 28 Palestinian children who were killed in the West Bank, 13 of them are from Jenin Governorate. During the last invasion against Jenin, we documented the killing of four Palestinian children. The Israeli authorities claimed that all people who were killed during that invasion were combatants.
The video footage and the documentation of all organizations shows that some of the Palestinian children, or almost all of them, they were not taking part in hostilities when they were killed by the Israeli authorities. At least we saw two videos for two Palestinian children who were killed during the last invasion. The footage shows that those children were not taking part [in the] hostilities when the Israelis shot and killed them. Yesterday we just [saw] a video of the killing of a Palestinian child [Abdul Rahman Hardan] from Fahmeh, his name is Hardan, his family name is Hardan.
The video shows that he was– even he [wasn’t even] carrying a stone when he was shot by an Israeli sniper at the entrance of Al Amal Hospital in Jenin. I think that this video and other videos refute the Israeli allegations that they just target combatants and almost this is the Israeli justification or the moral justification for killing civilians – that they lie about the circumstances when they shoot and kill Palestinian children.
The way by which we reflected before seeing the video just through interviewing eyewitnesses and in our news alert on the second day of the invasion, we reflect the situation as it is, that there was no confrontation when that child has been killed between Palestinians and the Israeli army but many of the Israeli snipers were in the rooftops of many of the Palestinian building, and they shot that child in front of Al Amal Hospital.
Media agencies approached the Israeli officials before releasing the video that shows the killing of that child. They said, or insist, that all who were killed in Jenin were combatants. We believe that Palestinian children were killed in situation[s] that the Israeli army can avoid shooting to kill them, but because of the impunity that Israeli soldier[s] enjoy and the lack of accountability, it’s like a green light for them in order to shoot and kill Palestinians, among them children. In addition to the number of Palestinian children who were killed in Jenin camps, whether during the last invasion or before, Israel do not abide to its legal obligation under international humanitarian law, and they didn’t respect the principle of proportionality and distinction.
They target civilians and civilian infrastructures. Even Palestinian hospitals were under attack during the last invasion against Jenin – the water, electricity services were destroyed in addition to the psychological situation of Palestinian children who were in Jenin camp to be under constant threat of being killed by the Israeli military and being or hearing the sounds of shooting compartments and all these activities of the Israeli army. Even the Secretary General of the United Nation regard that Israel, under the pretext of countering terrorism, they do not abide to their legal obligation under international humanitarian law.
The way by which we reflected before seeing the video just through interviewing eyewitnesses and in our news alert on the second day of the invasion, we reflect the situation as it is, that there was no confrontation when that child has been killed between Palestinians and the Israeli army but many of the Israeli snipers were in the rooftops of many of the Palestinian building, and they shot that child in front of Al Amal Hospital.
Is it frustrating that international media outlets rarely trust Palestinian eyewitnesses, perspectives & experts over Israeli military sources?
We regard that this is part of Israeli media strategy that during all the military invasions to Palestinian areas and whenever they launch assault[s] against Gaza or the West Bank, we prepare for the media campaign like preparing for the military campaign. For example, at the beginning of the Second Intifada when it was totally civilian, the main message from the Israelis that Palestinian mothers are sending their children in order to be used like human shields – to shield militants from the Israeli army.
At that time, almost all media agencies [which] covered this issue and they forget about what’s the atrocities that Israel is committing against Palestinians during that time. During the invasion of Jenin camp in the year 2002, the main message from the Israeli is that Palestinians are misusing ambulance cars to transport militants from one place to another place. It attracted the attention of the media and they forget about the atrocities that Israel is committing during that invasion.
In one of the Gaza assaults, the main message from Israel [was] that Palestinians are misusing ambulance or the UNRWA cars or vehicles in order to transport militants from one place to another place. That message attracted the attention of the media. This disinformation from the Israelis, it attracts the attention of the media and [they] forget about the crimes that committed from Israel.
For Israel, they know exactly that they’re lying, but at least this lie will attract the attention of the media in order [that they] concentrate on it and forget about all the war crimes and crimes against humanity that Israel is committing against Palestinians during their military assault[s]. It’s not important for Israel whether there [are] further investigations and the media discover that the Israeli story is not accurate and it’s false or whatever, but it’s served its purpose at that time to alleviate the attention of the media from what’s going on [on] the ground to concentrate on other issues.
Can you tell us more about the reports of Israeli forces in Jenin separating Palestinian children from their families, interrogating & intimidating them with their military dogs?
Frankly, speaking so far, we concentrate on the fatalities in our documentation to highlight the violation to the right to life. But among the videos that we saw, we saw how the Israeli Army [was] invading Palestinian homes and searching their ID’s in a very terrifying manner, especially for Palestinian children, and using dogs and terrifying Palestinian children in addition to occupying their houses and using them as human shields. We documented in previous Israeli raids, but for us as an organization at the time being, we are trying to get all information related to the violation to right to life.
But this is part of the Israeli practices, it’s not new for the organization. For example, in Jenin, last year, we documented the case where the Israeli soldiers use one of the Palestinian girls as a human shield. We documented [them] using a Palestinian child as a human shield in Nablus. We documented using four children as human shields in Jericho, Aqabat Jabr camp. We documented cases where the Israeli army uses dogs against Palestinian children. We produced videos and news alerts about these incidents. So this is part of the Israeli strategy to terrify the whole Palestinian community whenever there is a military assault against any of these communities.
Were you surprised to see Israel missed off the UN’s “List of Shame” of states committing widespread abuses against children?
Mainly, we regard that UN and the Secretary General of the UN, bow to the Israeli diplomatic and political pressure and [also the] US’ diplomatic and political pressure. This was in the year 2015, we tried to include the name of the Israeli army on that list when Israel killed more than 550 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip during the year 2014. At that time, the representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict recommended to include the name of the Israeli army but the Secretary-General didn’t include the name of the Israeli army and this because of political and diplomatic pressure.
We regard that listing armies and armed groups, it’s more based on political reasons, not human rights reasons because we believe that the Israeli army is the most appropriate army to be listed in the Secretary-General of the UN for Armies and Armed Groups that violate children’s rights for the conduct of the Israeli army in the occupied Palestinian territories. Not just this year, but during the previous years. We believe that the Israeli army should be included in every report of the Secretary-General in his list.
Why is Defense for Children International Palestine under attack by Israel who have falsely designated it a “terrorist” organization?
The attack against DCI and other Palestinian organizations who try to expose the Israeli violation to Palestinian civilians, it’s not new. They didn’t start when Israel listed these organizations as terrorist organization. Before there were attacks, but Israel was using other civil society organizations in order to attack Palestinian civil society organizations.
So the accusation against these entities whenever they criticize the Israeli practices in the occupied territories it’s ready, either they are terrorist organization or anti-Semitic people or denying the Holocaust or whatever of these [prepared] accusations against these entities, because Israel now, it doesn’t fear anybody that criticizes its practices. For example, during the past few days, the Secretary General of the United Nation regards that justifying counter-terrorism as justification for not abiding to its legal obligations so he himself [is] exposed [to] the attacks from Israel because he regards that Israel do not respect its obligation under international humanitarian law. Anybody, whether he is Palestinian, Israeli, international, criticize the practice of Israel will be under attack. So the main purpose is to silence this organization and to paralyze these organizations because Israel can’t bury these organizations with administrative and bureaucratic [methods], so the way to eliminate and get rid of these organizations is to list them as terrorist organizations to kill these organization.
There is no evidence to support these allegations. And this is what many European countries communicated to Israel – that they didn’t receive any evidence to support these allegations, but still Israel insists that these organizations are affiliated to terrorist organizations in order to discredit these organizations and to prevent them from operating and exposing the Israeli crimes against Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories.
What do Palestinians & Palestinian human rights experts such as yourself want to see from the international community?
We regard that at this time the whole international humanitarian law and international human rights law, is at stake because during the last 70 years or more, the international community succeeded in setting the principles for international human rights law and international humanitarian law. But the problem is with enforcing and implementing these standards and principles, when it comes to Israel’s practices in the occupied Palestinian territories.
We believe that it’s the role of the international community to punish Israel and to put pressure on Israel to apply to its legal obligation under international humanitarian law and international human rights law because as long as there is no accountability for these practices, Israel will go on in these crimes against Palestinians who are living in the occupied Palestinian territories.
For example, during the last 10 years, the Human Rights Council established many investigation committee[s] to investigate the Israeli crimes in the occupied territories. They came to almost the same conclusion that Israel commits war crimes and crimes against humanity, but these recommendations have not been materialized in actions against Israel to stop it from continuing these crimes against Palestinians in the occupied territories. As long as there is no sanctions against Israel, it’s like a green light for Israel to continue its crimes against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Should the BBC have apologized last week for asking former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett if Israel is happy to kill Palestinian children?
This is the Israeli approach there because Israel is presenting itself as the only democracy in the Middle East, but in fact, the situation is contrary– different on the ground. As I told you that this is part of the Israeli strategy that anybody who criticizes the Israeli practices, will be under attack and he will be asked to retract his statement or to apologize to Israel because of what he or she said. For me, it’s normal that Israel behaves in this way against anybody who tries to ask what she should ask.
Ayed Abu Eqtaish – Accountability Program Director at Defense for Children International – Palestine
