What makes Palestinian children unique?

[rampisad]

from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/PEstory/TGAM/20021223/COBAYY/Comment/comment/comment_temp/1/1/3/

By Anne Bayefsky
December 23, 2002
<snip>
On Wednesday, the General Assembly adopted a resolution on Palestinian children. This brings the number of resolutions on the human rights of children to three: one on the rights of the child, one on the “girl child,” and one on Palestinian children – the only children in the world subject to the specific concern of a General Assembly resolution (emphasis mine).
<snip>
Anne Bayefsky is an international lawyer and professor of political science at York University. She is a member of the governing board of the Geneva-based UN Watch.

What are the specific attributes that make Palestinian children different from those of, say, Zimbabwe, Kosovo, Chechniya, Basque Spain, Northern Ireland, Eritrea, North Korea, Tibet, Afghanistan, Angola, Burma, Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Iraq, Somalia or Sudan.

Can the focussing of the UN on the Palestinian issue to the exclusion of all the others be seen as anything other than direct bias against Israel?

Note - after searching, I offer this may be a continuation of thread http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=134277&pagenumber=1
but with enough of a different emphasis to warrant its own OP.

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

First of all, you do realize that the linked article is another of those rather shrill “The UN is totally biased against Israel!” articles?

This year’s General Assembly, which ended on Friday, marked a new low in United Nations bias against Jews and the Jewish state. The three resolutions passed in its final days are a disturbing commentary.

On Wednesday, the General Assembly adopted a resolution on Palestinian children. This brings the number of resolutions on the human rights of children to three: one on the rights of the child, one on the “girl child,” and one on Palestinian children – the only children in the world subject to the specific concern of a General Assembly resolution.

With its automatic majority on the Palestinian side of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the General Assembly is able to generate large numbers of resolutions critical only of Israel.

< snip >

In theory, the UN Charter proclaims the equality of all persons, and of all nations large and small. When the victims are Jews or the Jewish state, UN practice is quite different.

Okay, that said…

Can the focussing of the UN on the Palestinian issue to the exclusion of all the others be seen as anything other than direct bias against Israel?

First you have to prove that the UN focuses on the Palestinian issue to the exclusion of all others, and you can’t do that, because it isn’t true.

During the 57th session of the General Assembly this fall, the UN passed 300 resolutions. Here’s the list. http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/r57.htm

Out of 300 resolutions, I count 25 resolutions that have to do with the Mideast.

A/RES/57/269
A/RES/57/198
A/RES/57/188
A/RES/57/147
A/RES/57/128

A/RES/57/127
A/RES/57/126
A/RES/57/125
A/RES/57/124
A/RES/57/123

A/RES/57/122
A/RES/57/121
A/RES/57/120
A/RES/57/119
A/RES/57/118

A/RES/57/117
A/RES/57/112
A/RES/57/111
A/RES/57/110
A/RES/57/109

A/RES/57/108
A/RES/57/107
A/RES/57/97
A/RES/57/55
A/RES/57/46

That leaves 275 resolutions that have to do with things like Antarctica, Afghanistan, and nuclear arms proliferation. If my math is right, 25 resolutions equals 8.3% of the total 300 resolutions, which is not even 10%. So, no, the UN does not focus on the Palestinian issue to the exclusion of all others.

BTW, the resolution having to do with Palestinian children is A/RES/57/188.

[UDS]

The case for saying that this resolution demonstrates a bias against Israel might be strengthened if those who advocate that view take the trouble to read the resolution in question, find out what it says and see if it betrays bias.

Do they also argue that the existence of a resolution on girl children betrays a bias against boys? And do they make that argument without having read the resolution on girl children?

[IzzyR]

*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose *
First of all, you do realize that the linked article is another of those rather shrill “The UN is totally biased against Israel!” articles?

Have you ever considered that this just might happen to be true? You have no point here at all.

Okay, that said…
First you have to prove that the UN focuses on the Palestinian issue to the exclusion of all others, and you can’t do that, because it isn’t true.

During the 57th session of the General Assembly this fall, the UN passed 300 resolutions. Here’s the list. http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/r57.htm

Out of 300 resolutions, I count 25 resolutions that have to do with the Mideast.

A/RES/57/269
A/RES/57/198
A/RES/57/188
A/RES/57/147
A/RES/57/128

A/RES/57/127
A/RES/57/126
A/RES/57/125
A/RES/57/124
A/RES/57/123

A/RES/57/122
A/RES/57/121
A/RES/57/120
A/RES/57/119
A/RES/57/118

A/RES/57/117
A/RES/57/112
A/RES/57/111
A/RES/57/110
A/RES/57/109

A/RES/57/108
A/RES/57/107
A/RES/57/97
A/RES/57/55
A/RES/57/46

That leaves 275 resolutions that have to do with things like Antarctica, Afghanistan, and nuclear arms proliferation. If my math is right, 25 resolutions equals 8.3% of the total 300 resolutions, which is not even 10%. So, no, the UN does not focus on the Palestinian issue to the exclusion of all others.

Besides for the fact that you’re exagerating for effect (disproportionate does not mean “to the exclusion of all others”) we are talking about HUMAN RIGHTS resolutions. More specifically, COUNTY-SPECIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS resolutions. Try again.

*Originally posted by UDS *
The case for saying that this resolution demonstrates a bias against Israel might be strengthened if those who advocate that view take the trouble to read the resolution in question, find out what it says and see if it betrays bias.

Nonsense. The very existence of such a resolution indicates bias.

[UDS]

*Originally posted by IzzyR *
**The very existence of such a resolution indicates bias. **

You seem to be saying that if the UN passes a country-specific resolution, that must indicate bias, regardless of what the resolution says?

I repeat my earlier point; does the existence of a resolution on girl children indicate sex bias, regardless of what it says?

[IzzyR]

*Originally posted by UDS *
You seem to be saying that if the UN passes a country-specific resolution, that must indicate bias, regardless of what the resolution says?

Yes, unless there is some other reason for that country to be singled out.

I repeat my earlier point; does the existence of a resolution on girl children indicate sex bias, regardless of what it says?

A lot of people think girls have unique issues (e.g. female circumcisions, possibly slavery) that they face, as compared to boys. But there may be some bias there as well.

[Azael]

Can the focussing of the UN on the Palestinian issue to the exclusion of all the others be seen as anything other than direct bias against Israel?

Is this a helpful question at all? The UN focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian issue because it is an important issue. We can’t simply ignore what is going on there because there is the chance that someone might display an “anti-Israel” bias (God forbid).

Or is this the knee-jerk reaction to anything even remotely anti-Israeli that I see so often?

[Edlyn]

*Originally posted by Azael *
Is this a helpful question at all? The UN focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian issue because it is an important issue. We can’t simply ignore what is going on there because there is the chance that someone might display an “anti-Israel” bias (God forbid).

Or is this the knee-jerk reaction to anything even remotely anti-Israeli that I see so often? **

Of course it’s helpful because we do not know why Palestinian children were given a resolution all to themselves, or at least it appears so. With all the aid already given to them, I would like to know what’s going on (or not) over there.

Originally posted by UDS
The case for saying that this resolution demonstrates a bias against Israel might be strengthened if those who advocate that view take the trouble to read the resolution in question, find out what it says and see if it betrays bias.

I’d would love to read the resolution. My searching for it didn’t locate it. Perhaps you could provide the link so that we may all read it?

[Eli]

“What makes Palestinian children unique?”

They are killed by Jews.
Let’s face it, no one gives a damn when Arabs kill Arabs.

[Olentzero]

According to the relevant site, the text of the resolution has not yet been published and is therefore not available for public scrutiny.

[MC_Master_of_Ceremonies]

The resolution has been brought about by the large numbers of Palestinian children being killed, injured, brutalized and have their prospects of living a normal uninterefered life dashed in an occupation that should of ended many years ago. None of the Children in the countries mentioned are in as direct danger as the children in Palestine.

To me Rampisad your argument sounds ‘Tu Quoque’. You cannot justify oppression by saying “if everyone else is doing it, why can’t we?”.

[Edlyn]

[flinch]

Unfortunately, ELI, that may be closer to the truth than anyone is willing to admit.

[/flinch]

MC

Where did you find that information and did it include by whom these particular children are being harmed?

With all the bombing of civilians going on, particularily in Israel, I find it odd that only Palestinian children were focused upon.

[Clu]

*Originally posted by Eli *
Let’s face it, no one gives a damn when Arabs kill Arabs.

they do when the US funds them.

[MC_Master_of_Ceremonies]

As I have said before www.btselem.org is a great source of information and has detailed lists of casualties

Ok I do find it a little odd that they didn’t include the Israeli children as the extra would tag neatly on to the resolution but until I can see the text of the resolution I reserve judgement and am perhaps a little dubious of the Globe and Mails honesty.

Also be aware that the security council and the general assembly are two different entities.

[MC_Master_of_Ceremonies]

That does sound a little cold to ‘tag’ on clauses concerning Israeli children almost as an afterthought, but what I meant is that the Palestinian children must be the UN’s first priority for the simple fact that they are in the most danger.

[CyberPundit]

I think it should be obvious why the Palestinian issue is of special concern to the UN. It is the unfinished business of the UN parition plan of more than 50 years ago. The UNHCR is responsible for the welfare of the Palestinian people. The Palestinians are a stateless people so no state can speak for them. This set of conditions doesn’t apply to the other countries mentioned in the OP.

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

Have you ever considered that this just might happen to be true?

Have you ever considered the possibility that the reason Israel seems to get spanked by the UN so much is because they’re in the wrong? That maybe the 187 other members of the UN, besides the U.S. and Israel, think that Israel is wrong, and so they pass resolutions condemning various Israeli actions, and supporting the Palestinian people?

<< aside >>

Is this going to be another trip through the “Arabs control the UN!” conspiracy theory jungle? Okay, fine, but gimme a minute to find my machete…

you’re exagerating for effect

Um, how am I “exaggerating for effect”? These are the numbers, Izzy, the numbers don’t lie. The OP said that the UN focuses on Palestinian issues to the exclusion of all other issues. This is manifestly untrue. Palestinian issues came up 25 times during Session 57–other issues came up 275 times. I don’t have to “exaggerate for effect”–all I have to do is read it off the monitor.

The very existence of such a resolution indicates bias.

Oh piffle. Then by the same token, the UN is biased in favor of:

Sierra Leone. A/RES/57/291
Rwanda. A/RES/57/289
Yugoslavia. A/RES/57/288
Kyrgyz. A/RES/57/248
Chile. A/RES/57/237
Afghanistan. A/RES/57/234
Democratic Republic of the Congo. A/RES/57/233
Iraq. A/RES/57/232
Myanmar. A/RES/57/231
The Sudan. A/RES/57/230
Cambodia (Khmer Rouge trials.) A/RES/57/228
Cambodia (just plain). A/RES/57/225
Guatemala. A/RES/57/161
Somalia. A/RES/57/154
Liberia. A/RES/57/151
Ethiopia. A/RES/57/149
Yugoslavia again. A/RES/57/148
DR of Congo again. A/RES/57/146

Individual territories of American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the United States Virgin Islands A/RES/57/138B

Same again, A/RES/57/138A.

Tokelau (it’s three atolls in the South Pacific.) A/RES/57/137
New Caledonia. A/RES/57/136
Western Sahara. A/RES/57/135
Afghanistan again. A/RES/57/113B
And again. A/RES/57/113A

Timor-Leste. A/RES/57/105
Mozambique. A/RES/57/104
Tajikistan. A/RES/57/103
Angola. A/RES/57/102
Kazakhstan. A/RES/57/101
Mongolia. A/RES/57/67
Antarctica. A/RES/57/51
Cuba. A/RES/57/11
Bosnia-Herzegovina. A/RES/57/10
Afghanistan again. A/RES/57/8
Timor-Leste (just to admit them to the UN). A/RES/57/3
Switzerland, ditto. A/RES/57/1

Yep, I see a clear bias there in favor of Afghanistan and the DR of Congo, they get more resolutions passed about them than anybody except Palestine. How unfair it all is to Albania Algeria Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize BeninBhutan Bolivia Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad China Colombia Comoros Congo Costa Rica Côte d’Ivoire Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Ireland Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Lao People’s Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Monaco Morocco Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of Korea Republic of Moldova Romania Russian Federation Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Seychelles Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Suriname Swaziland Sweden Syrian Arab Republic Thailand The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda UkraineUnited Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United Republic of Tanzania Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Yemen Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

I mean, gee whiz, look at all those countries who didn’t rate a single resolution by the UN General Assembly.

Not to mention the United States of America. Not a single resolution about us! Clearly discriminatory, the UN doesn’t love us…

we are talking about HUMAN RIGHTS resolutions. More specifically, COUNTY-SPECIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS resolutions. Try again.

Be delighted to.

If we look at how many “human rights” resolutions the UN addressed during session 57, those resolutions that had nothing to do with freshwater resources or nuclear proliferation or budgets, etc., these are the ones that I found–I make it 63 resolutions.

A/RES/57/264 - The Human Development Report.
A/RES/57/234 - Afghanistan.
A/RES/57/233 - DR of Congo.
A/RES/57/232 - Iraq.
A/RES/57/231 - Myanmar.

A/RES/57/230 - The Sudan.
A/RES/57/229 - Persons with disabilities.
A/RES/57/225 - Cambodia.
A/RES/57/227 - Respect for freedom to travel with its implications for family reunification.
A/RES/57/226 - The right to food.

A/RES/57/224 - Importance of international cooperation in human rights.
A/RES/57/223 - The right to development.
A/RES/57/222 - Human rights and unilateral coercive measures
A/RES/57/221 - Strengthening of the rule of law
A/RES/57/219 - Protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism

A/RES/57/218 - Protection of migrants
A/RES/57/217 - Respect for the purposes and principles contained in the Charter of the United Nations to achieve international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms and in solving international problems of a humanitarian character
A/RES/57/216 - Promotion of the right of peoples to peace
A/RES/57/215 Question of enforced or involuntary disappearances
A/RES/57/214 Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions

A/RES/57/213 Promotion of a democratic and equitable international order
A/RES/57/212 United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education, 1994-2004
A/RES/57/211 Human rights and extreme poverty
A/RES/57/210 Regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights
A/RES/57/209 Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

A/RES/57/208 Elimination of all forms of religious intolerance
A/RES/57/207 Missing persons
A/RES/57/206 Human rights education
A/RES/57/205 Globalization and its impact on the full enjoyment of all human rights
A/RES/57/204 Human rights and cultural diversity

A/RES/57/203 Strengthening United Nations action in the field of human rights through the promotion of international cooperation and the importance of non-selectivity, impartiality and objectivity
A/RES/57/202 Effective implementation of international instruments on human rights, including reporting obligations under international instruments on human rights
A/RES/57/201 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
A/RES/57/200 Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
A/RES/57/199 Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

A/RES/57/198 **The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination **
A/RES/57/197 Universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination
A/RES/57/196 Use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination
A/RES/57/195 The fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
A/RES/57/194 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

A/RES/57/193 Indigenous people and issues
A/RES/57/192 International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People
A/RES/57/191 Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
A/RES/57/190 Rights of the child
A/RES/57/189 The girl child

A/RES/57/188 Situation of and assistance to Palestinian children
A/RES/57/184 New international humanitarian order
A/RES/57/182 Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly
A/RES/57/181 Elimination of all forms of violence against women, including crimes identified in the outcome document of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”
A/RES/57/180 Improvement of the status of women in the United Nations system

A/RES/57/179 Working towards the elimination of crimes against women committed in the name of honour
A/RES/57/178 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
A/RES/57/177 Situation of older women in society
A/RES/57/176 Trafficking in women and girls
A/RES/57/167 Follow-up to the International Year of Older Persons: Second World Assembly on Ageing

A/RES/57/166 United Nations Literacy Decade: education for all
A/RES/57/165 Promoting youth employment
A/RES/57/164 Preparation for and observance of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family
A/RES/57/160 The situation in Central America: Procedures for the establishment of a firm and lasting peace and progress in fashioning a region of peace, freedom, democracy and development
A/RES/57/127 **Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem **

A/RES/57/124 **Work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories **
A/RES/57/107 **Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People **
A/RES/57/6 International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001-2010

So that’s 63 resolutions on human rights. Only 5 of these address Palestine specifically.

A/RES/57/198
A/RES/57/188
A/RES/57/127
A/RES/57/124
A/RES/57/107

If my math is right, only 7.9% of Session 57’s UN General Assembly total human rights resolutions dealt with Palestine, which is still not even 10%, let alone “being focused on it to the exclusion of all other issues”.

Now, if we look at country-specific human rights resolutions, you do have a point: the Palestinians get five resolutions, the other countries that are specifically named each only get one. However, this goes back to my first point–it would seem to be that the reason the Palestinians get singled out for special mention, and by extension Israel gets singled out for a spanking, is because 187 out of 189 members feel sorrier for the Palestinians than they do for the Israelis.

Or is it because the Arabs are running the UN?

<< brandishes machete >>

Like my blue poncho?

[IzzyR]

*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose *
Have you ever considered the possibility that the reason Israel seems to get spanked by the UN so much is because they’re in the wrong? That maybe the 187 other members of the UN, besides the U.S. and Israel, think that Israel is wrong, and so they pass resolutions condemning various Israeli actions, and supporting the Palestinian people?

Yes. It is rediculous.

Is this going to be another trip through the “Arabs control the UN!” conspiracy theory jungle? Okay, fine, but gimme a minute to find my machete…

I wouldn’t say Arabs control the UN. But that have enough influence to force the issue on matters that they care about, and there are not enough countries willing to go to the mat in the other direction. So you get an inordinate focus on Israel.

Um, how am I “exaggerating for effect”? These are the numbers, Izzy, the numbers don’t lie. The OP said that the UN focuses on Palestinian issues to the exclusion of all other issues.

I’m sorry, I missed that line in the OP. I withdraw that accusation.

Most of the rest of your post misses the point. The UN is not necessarily biased in favor of countries that don’t get condemned - they are biased against countries that do get condemned (disproportionately). So your long list of countries that you cutely say the UN is biased in favor of means nothing.

Now, if we look at country-specific human rights resolutions, you do have a point: the Palestinians get five resolutions, the other countries that are specifically named each only get one. However, this goes back to my first point–it would seem to be that the reason the Palestinians get singled out for special mention, and by extension Israel gets singled out for a spanking, is because 187 out of 189 members feel sorrier for the Palestinians than they do for the Israelis.

It’s not just Palestinians vs. Israelis. There are all sorts of human rights abuses being perpetuated all over the world. Do you seriously believe that Israel is guilty even close to the percentage of abuses worldwide that would be indicated by the resolution ratio?

It’s as if the Blacks get cited for every minor infraction while Whites doing the same thing are routinely ignored. Racist? Oh, no - we’re just concerned about law enforcement. Right, that’s it.

[DSeid]

Let’s see … according to Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/children/kids99/kidreport.htm#3
200 million children have been displaced by war; 300,000 children are exploited as soldiers (many against their will) and 800 children are killed each month by landmines. To snip from AI’s web site

“Two soldiers… threw me in a tub which had no water in it. I got up and ran to my mother at the gate. I held my mum and asked her not to allow them to take me. They snatched me away again. I was put against the wall and one of the soldiers kicked me with his knee in my stomach. I screamed. Then they took me behind their compound. They tied my legs with rope and pulled me upside down. While hanging, I was beaten with netted [twisted] wire about six times. Then they let me down and tied my hands. I was beaten with sticks from the tulip tree.”
An 11-year-old Tamil boy told this story to AI in August 1997, about a month after he was tortured at a small army camp in the Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lanka. He still bore the marks of the beatings on his buttocks. The soldiers suspected his family of providing food to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
<snip>
Child soldiers
Children are singled out for recruitment by both armed forces and armed opposition groups, and exploited as combatants. Many children have been forced to join by intimidation, including threats against their families, or abduction. Others volunteer, sometimes because they want to fight, sometimes because their families are destitute, and sometimes because they themselves are homeless and seeking food, shelter and security. Most get only minimal training and equipment before being thrown into the firing line of an adult war. Casualty rates among children are generally high, because of their inexperience, fearlessness and lack of training, and because they are often used for particularly hazardous assignments, such as intelligence work or planting landmines. In Colombia, child soldiers are sometimes called “little bees”, because their size and agility enables them to move quickly and “sting” their enemies.
“They recruit in the market place. One of my friends joined up. He was ten. He banged the drums when someone had died. He said it was very scary in the camp. He held a grenade and had a gun on his shoulder.”
A young Tamil boy, interviewed in 1998, describes the recruitment of his friend by an armed opposition group in Sri Lanka some three years earlier.

More than 300,000 children under the age of 18 are thought to be fighting in conflicts around the world, and hundreds of thousands more are members of armed forces who could be sent into combat at any time. Although most child soldiers are between 15 and 18 years old, significant recruitment starts at the age of 10 and the use of even younger children has been recorded. AI has drawn attention to human rights abuses in the context of child recruitment both by governments and armed opposition groups in countries such as Angola, Burundi, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Uganda.
In northern Uganda, thousands of boys and girls have been abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and forced to fight the Ugandan army. The children are subjected to a violent regime. Those caught trying to escape are killed or tortured, and both boys and girls are brutalized by being made to kill other children. Abducted children are owned by LRA commanders, with girls allocated to commanders in forced marriages and effectively held as sexual slaves. All children are sent to fight. LRA commanders force children to take part in the ritualized killing of others soon after they are seized, apparently to break down resistance, destroy taboos about killing, implicate children in criminal acts and generally to terrorize them. One 15-year-old girl who had escaped the LRA told AI: “I would like to give you a message. Please do your best to tell the world what is happening to us, the children. So that other children don’t have to pass through this violence.” Before she managed to get away, this child had been forced to kill a boy who had tried to escape, and she had watched as another boy was hacked to death for not raising the alarm when a friend ran away.
Those who have escaped the LRA continue to suffer. Reintegration is difficult, with children haunted psychologically and facing an immense struggle to rebuild shattered lives. The medical and social consequences are particularly bad for girls, almost all of whom are suffering from sexually transmitted diseases, and face the social stigma of having been raped. One 16-year-old girl said: “The Commander gave us husbands, except for the young ones, those below 13. But for 13 onwards, we were all given as wives. There was no marriage ceremony. But if you refuse, you are killed.”
In Burundi dozens of children are being held in prisons, accused of “collaborating” with the armed opposition. For some of these children, contact with the opposition forces consisted of having been forced to carry weapons or undertake other duties. None has been tried, and at least one was only 12 years old when he was arrested.

Israel has not done enough to respect the human rights of children in the occupied territories. They should do better. I’ll grant that. But I’d challenge you to give many examples of any other government fighting a war against terrorists or guerillas even who have done more to try to respect the rights of children. And to say that Palestinian children’s rights are abused, that they are in direct danger, “like no other children” is just untrue. Israel’s role in the violating children’s rights is dwarfed by the role of Palestinian militants using children as soldiers and weapons and shields, and both are dwarfed by the abuse of children elsewhere in the world. Be real.

[markdiscordia]

See http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/myths/mf13.html for details of the ridiculous treatment given by the United Nations to Israel and to Jews (which are not the same despite what some people in this thread seem to think). Yes, it’s a pro-Israel site, but its facts stand up.

Certainly Israel has committed serious human rights infractions over the past fifty years, but until the professional anti-Israel activists can disentangle their cause from anti-Semitism, and equally condemn equivalent or worse actions by other countries, I will always find their motives suspect.