Ramallah: Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, condemns the crime of murdering the child Muhammad Fayez Balhan, from Aqbet Jaber Refugee Camp- Jericho, by the Israeli army. SHAMS Center emphasizes that targeting Palestinian children is a systematic policy applied by the Israeli army. According to SHAMS Center, shooting children in the upper parts of the bodies indicates that there is a clear decision within both the Israeli political and security institutions, to increase the number of Palestinian victims. The behavior of the Israeli army, on a related level, proves that there is a tendency to activate such policy against Palestinians. It is clear that the Israeli soldiers insisted on killing an armless child who caused no risk on their lives as they were full armed and inside their military well- protected vehicle.
SHAMS Center emphasizes the necessity to provide Palestinian children with protection against the Israeli violations, including systematic daily murdering. Palestinian children have the right to protection in accordance with the international conventions and treaties among which is the Convention on Child rights that affirms children’s right to protection and provide them with right to stable life free of all forms of oppression and pressure. Additionally, children have the right to protection in accordance with Geneva Fourth Convention that protects civilians, mainly children under armed conflicts.
Likewise, SHAMS Center urges all the international legal institutions involved in advocating child rights to fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities in protecting Palestinian children against the violations and crimes they face. There is a need to protect children who are subject to cruel treatment and severe suffering as well as accounting the Israeli perpetrators for their crimes and daily oppression of Palestinian children and ensure that the Israeli criminals do not enjoy impunity. SHAMS Center calls upon the International Criminal Court to trial the Israeli war criminals who are responsible for the crimes against Palestinians in general and children in particular.
On a related level, the Center demands the Special Rapporteur of Human Rights Council, the Secretary- General of the United Nations, UNICEF, and the special representative of the secretary- general associated with child rights and armed conflicts, to fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities and end the Israeli crimes against Palestinian children, including execution in cold blood. The Center emphasizes the necessity to send inquiry international committees to investigate the daily violations committed by the occupation against Palestinian children and depriving them of the basic rights, including the right to life as well as reporting about the violations of Geneva Fourth Convention and the UN Convention on Child Right.