<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[The criminalization of Silwan’s&nbsp;youth]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p><span class="thedate" style="margin-bottom:5px;padding:0;">Tuesday, 22 February, 2011 | 09:33</span><em><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"> </span></strong></em><span style="float:right;margin-left:10px;margin-bottom:5px;margin-top:10px;"> <a href="http://silwanic.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/shehadeh.jpg" target="_blank"> <img src="https://i1.wp.com/silwanic.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/shehadeh.jpg" border="0" alt="Mohammad Shehadeh, 18" width="270" /> </a> </span></p>
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<td><span style="display:block;margin-top:-5px;font-size:12px;"> <em>Mohammad Shehadeh, 18</em> </span></td>
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<p><span style="font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;">Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC)</span> &#8212; Young Palestinians throughout Jerusalem, Silwan in particular, are  subject to a sustained and arbitrary campaign of the Israeli  authorities. Many analysts and social academics believe that this  criminalization of Silwan’s youth is aimed at weakening both the  standard of living and resolve of Palestine’s future generation.</p>
<p>Mohammad Shehadeh, 18, was arrested from Silwan on 18 October 2010  while he was job-hunting in Bir Ayyub district. Israeli undercover  forces arrested 3 other youths from the village on the same day, the  youngest aged 12. The youth were transferred in a civilian car to Jaffa  Gate of the Old City, where they were handcuffed with plastic binding  and held there until they were transferred by uniformed police to the  station for interrogation.</p>
<p>All 4 youth arrested that day were subjected to methods of  intimidation and physical assault, including standard techniques  employed by Israeli investigators such as beating, insults and threats.  Investigations continued for over 6 hours at a time. Detainees were held  in cells and summoned to interrogation without warning at random hours,  often late at night or in pre-dawn hours of the morning.</p>
<p>Shehadeh was held in prison for over 20 days, then sentenced to house  arrest outside Silwan. After a lengthy court process he was finally  cleared of charges of stone-throwing on 16 February 2011 when  conflicting undercover Israeli forces gave conflicting testimonies at  his trial. Those testifying offered highly differing accounts of the  circumstances of his arrest; as such the case against him was proved  baseless.</p>
<p>Settlers living in Silwan, who frequently engage in violent acts  against Palestinian residents such as stone-throwing or firing of live  ammunition are almost never arrested, let alone prosecuted, for their  acts. This stands in contrast to the vast number of arrests of  Palestinian children, some detained over a dozen times on charges of  throwing stones at settlers and police.</p>
<p><a href="http://silwanic.net/?p=12336">The criminalization of Silwan’s youth « Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Silwan, Jerusalem</a>.</p>
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