IMEU Institute for Middle East Understanding
Balloons emblazoned with an Olympic-style torch bobbed cheerfully in the sky above a swimming meet. For 12-year-old Adam Nairab and the other children on the beach, they provided inspiration. The balloons meant there was more to life than drones, explosions and the threat of sudden death.
on June 30, 2016
“I lost something great. I lost the first experience of joy I had after leaving the prison of occupation,” said Rafat Badran, at the funeral Thursday of his 15-year-old son. Mahmoud Rafat Badran was killed by Israeli soldiers early Tuesday morning on Route 443, returning from a night out at a water park in the West Bank village of Beit Sira.
on June 24, 2016
Twenty Congress members have called on President Obama to take action to protect the rights of Palestinian children. The lawmakers sent the president a letter on June 20, urging him to appoint a “special envoy for Palestinian youth” in order to monitor the Israeli government’s violation of Palestinian children’s human rights.
on June 22, 2016
The Israeli army’s Central Command was continuing its investigation on Wednesday of the killing of 15-year-old Mahmoud Rafat Badran, who was shot by soldiers on the Jerusalem-Modiin road (Route 443) early Tuesday morning. The investigation showed that the Palestinian teenager was shot when the soldiers opened fire from a range of a few dozen meters at a Palestinian car that the troops’ commander mistakenly thought was carrying those who had earlier thrown large stones and firebombs at Israeli cars traveling on the road.
on June 22, 2016
Videos
“The life of a Palestinian child is nothing but fear, humiliation, and rage. Everything is a burden.” - Mohammad, 16 The Israeli military detains around #700ChildPrisoners each year. This video is part of the Israeli Military Detention: No Way to Treat a Child.
on June 22, 2016
Israeli troops have mistakenly killed a Palestinian boy while responding with gunfire to stones being thrown at Israeli vehicles in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army said. An earlier statement from the military had identified the boy as an assailant. The mayor of his village identified the victim as 15-year-old Mahmoud Badran.
on June 21, 2016
Videos
“They were beating me until all I felt was pain.” 3 out of 4 Palestinian children endure physical violence after their arrest by Israeli forces. The Israeli military detains around #700ChildPrisoners each year. This video is part of the Israeli Military Detention: No Way to Treat a Child campaign.
on June 20, 2016
The Palestinian population is incredibly young. Children under 18 years old now represent 46 percent of the 4.68 million Palestinians living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. They have grown up living in a situation of prolonged military occupation where Israeli forces enjoy near complete impunity for systematic human rights violations.
on May 19, 2016
“Open up your heart and mind and just listen,” singer Philip Lawrence crooned against a gentle piano accompaniment before slipping into a falsetto sigh during a performance at Los Angeles nightspot The Study late last month. Lawrence – part of Bruno Mars’ songwriting trio The Smeezingtons – has helped pen hits such as Flo Rida’s “Right Round” and Snoop Dogg’s “Young, Wild, and Free.”
on May 18, 2016