Jerusalem: An Israeli human rights group is accusing the police of arresting Palestinian minors as young as five in east Jerusalem and dealing with them in ways that violate the law.
In a report released on Monday, B'Tselem says Israeli police arrested at least 81 Palestinian minors between November 2009 and October 2010 on suspicion of throwing stones at Israelis in the flashpoint Silwan neighbourhood near Jerusalem's Old City.
The report says some were taken from their homes at night and interrogated, sometimes without a parent present.
Police say the arrests were legal and aimed at stamping out the stone throwing, which often targets police, Jewish settlers and their security guards.
Israel annexed east Jerusalem in 1967. Palestinians hope to make it the capital of their future state.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, December 13, 2010, 13:27