Introduction
Palestinians represent the largest refugee population in the world. Millions of Palestinians have been forced to flee the area and find solace in the neighboring nations. Palestinian people have been subjected to various humiliations in the new areas they are now residing on as refugees. In most cases, it encompasses both social as well as economic hardships. It is thereby a severe threat to the new and future generation at large, be it to those who have settled in countries like Lebanon, Syria, or Jordan (Bligh, 2003).
Most of the children residing in the West Bank, west Jerusalem, and Gaza strip, have been disrupted both physically as well as psychologically by the presence of Israeli forces, checkpoints, and settlers. The Palestinian uprising, commonly known as the intifada, started in 1987, thus transforming the dynamics ground wise resulting in violence by the young Palestinians. It was then followed by the first Gulf War in which the Palestinians had to endure the consequences of the Iraqi leadership, which was led by Saddam Hussein. Israeli forces have been associated with constant preoccupations of cities and towns on the West Bank by carrying out assassinations of the Palestinian leaders. They have launched offensive full-scale military attacks against the Gaza strip. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed and maimed to the extent of losing their property, livelihoods, and homes. At the same time, Israeli civilians were being targeted by the Palestinian militants.
Mechanism of Self-Government and, at the Same Time, Civil Society
The Palestinian Authority has developed the mechanism of self-government and, at the same time, civil society by laying down the building blocks of a future state through the development of a distinctive Palestinian infrastructure of social services and institutions. The Palestinians in the contemporary world are residing in a spread geographical location with split leadership authorities. New harsh Israeli measures were imposed on the occupied Palestinian territory. Israeli began construction of the wall demarcating it with the West Bank. It disrupted the annexation of substantial tracts of Palestinian land accompanied by severe consequences for the holistic livelihoods of the majority of Palestinian children. The international legal declarations and instruments explain on the human rights of children in war times. Legal protection is provided to children aged less than 15 years. The conduct of the Palestinian children has been under the control of Israeli forces.
Tens of thousands of Palestinian children became orphans, homeless, refugees, and displaced from their homes. They were subjected to many coercive regulations as well as restrictions in a climate of intimidation and fear. Israeli occupation led to discrimination the Palestinian children. After alteration in the general physical character of OPT as well as its demographics by Israeli forces, many houses were demolished, thus depriving their only shelter. The Israeli authorities destroyed an estimated 24,000 homes belonging to the Palestinians since 1967. House demolition is a direct violation of international law.
Palestinian authorities jointly collaborated with other organizations in viewing the destruction of homes as a collective form of punishment and, at the same time, an approach of seizing the Palestinian land to Israeli settlers. Demolitions were attached to psychological as well as the financial consequences. Not only did they lose their shelter but also hope. The disabled children could also suffer from accessing essential health facilities due to the Gaza blockade.
Many Palestinian children have lost their parents, thus bridging them from the access of psychosocial treatments that could enable them to deal with such devastating losses. They were unable to leave Gaza since the borders were under the strict control of Israeli forces. The presence of the military in the West Bank and the Gaza strip is putting children to injury subjection (Elbedour, 2007). Children were also reported to experience settler violence. Settlers are known for impeding movement due to the infrastructural routes. Some of the settlers also believe that the land incorporated in the occupied Palestine territory belongs to the Jews and thereby should be declared nationally as a homeland for Jewish people. The kind of belief can be manifested in the violence towards the Palestinian population, where children suffered a lot. Settler attacks entail a group of Israeli men throwing stones at children while in other physical beatings.
The occupied territories were turned into the controlled market for goods belonging to the Israeli government. Cases of child labor thereby escalated since children below 12 years of age were employed. Child labor intensified to be a serious matter of social concern. They would handle much work at a meager pay with no rights at all that could protect them. Both Gaza, as well as West Bank, were known as a significant source of income as well as employment. Palestinian pupils were interrupted with military interference and, at the same time, learning in overcrowded classes. The Israeli forces could open fire to schools merely because some children threw stones at their military tanks. Both physical, as well as the mental health of the children within the Palestine territory, has been dismal as a result of poverty constant conflicts and overcrowded houses. They suffered from malnutrition due to the lack of enough food.
Moreover, both the emotional as well as mental strength of the children living under the OTP was sharply hindered. The epidemic of acute illness blossomed as a result of the anxiety. The separation of children from their parents results in psychological damage as they are still growing. Every person is entitled to the right to life, freedom for expression, oppression, fear, and intimidation. There was a discussion in Geneva on the rights that Palestinian people in the OTP (Imseis, 2003). Israeli occupation is itself a violation of the right to personal security. In Palestinian territory, the violation of the personal rights involved injury infliction and arrests. Cruel treatment was also evident among Palestinian children. The Israeli forces often accuse the Palestinian children as terrorists and throwers of stones.
They received a harsh punishment after being arrested, they were tortured and exposed to extreme temperatures. They were also detained in military camps while attempting to recruit them as collaborators. The Israeli occupation in the West Bank is being governed by orders enforceable in military courts within the territory. The rules permit the detention of children under the age of 16 while Israelis residing in various places in the country or within the West Bank is only exempted for detention until 18 years of age. They can also be subjected to severe treatment such as excessive use of handcuffs blindfolds or even beatings and, in some cases, life sentences depending on the offenses. The Israeli forces can deny the Palestinian children's sleep and water for drinking. While interrogations are being done, the children may be subjected to electric shocks and attack by military dogs.
The continuous humiliation and expropriation in the occupied Palestinian territory led to the eruption of the terrorism epidemic as well as uprisings. During the latest intifada, Palestinian children and youth have proceeded to challenge the Israeli forces by throwing stones while at the same time burning tires. The extensive and indiscriminate application of force by the Israeli troops resulted in an unprecedented violation of human rights. There have also been cases of mass killings of students while heading to school (Anati, 2019). Some armed groups used children in the frontline either as fighters or human shields due to the presence of Israeli forces. The use of children in the battlefield is a direct reflection of Palestine in the quest against Israel. Palestinian authorities, at the same time, provided regular military training to children. They were trained in Palestinian camps regarding the use of firearms and essential methods of kidnapping Israeli leaders while at the same time launching ambushes. Moreover, children were also encouraged to be martyrs even in the classroom.
Palestinian children have developed a sense of natural hatred towards the Zionists. It is thereby making children to the vulnerability of being recruited to perform suicide bombings targeting the Israelis. The media in Palestine is known to glorify children because of martyrdom. The society in Palestine, including the parents themselves, to celebrate and support the martyrdom of their young ones. The Palestinians vowed not to surrender and see their lands taken forcefully, thus the alignment and encouragement of martyrdom to children. Besides, the Palestinian children are known to be involved in school-drop outs. The root causes are both educational as well as economical; educational issues may be as a result of repeated failures and total lack of interest in school. The male children might, at some point, quit school for work while females quit for early marriages (Mansour, 2012).
Denial of Humanitarian Access
In other cases, there was a denial of humanitarian access for Palestinian children. In West Bank, some children have died on their way to the hospital as a result of the checkpoints closure and other alternative emergency channels. Israeli control on occupied Palestine territory has led to the transformation of Palestinians to refugees in their ancestral land. Palestinians living in the neighboring countries nearly do not get equal access to many rights like they would have been in their homelands.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the difference between the Palestinians and the Israelis is a clear glimpse of endless conflicts. Fighting and humiliation could still be witnessed if caution and some adjustments are not well taken into account. The more vulnerable groups are children since they are being used for various injustices. They also lack access to fundamental rights like other children in all parts of Israeli territories and any child in different parts of the world.
