Israel have approved a new law proposed by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked which will allow Palestinian kids under the age of 14 to be imprisoned.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked had originally proposed the bill following an aggressive campaign to charge a 13-year-old Palestinian boy with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing two Jewish Israelis.
“Unfortunately, terror does not have an age, and today there are no punishments matching the cruel reality we face,” she said. “In order to create a deterrent and a change in the reality, we must make the necessary changes.”
Jpost.com reports:
According to Shaked, the bill “gives minors the special protection they need, while giving a serious response to terrorists who think that hands of the courts and justice will not reach them.”
MK Anat Berko (Likud), who has a PHD in Criminology, specializing in Palestinian terrorism, proposed a similar bill last year that passed a preliminary Knesset reading.
“My research shows clearly,” Berko said, “that the central motive for acts of terrorism by minors is that they are prompted to do so by those older than them, who tell them Israel won’t put them in jail and will send them home in a short time.
“This distortion will come to an end soon,” Berko added.
Sean Adl-Tabatabai