The Mission of the State of Palestine would like to share the annual UN report on Children in Armed Conflict covering January to December 2020.

The report outlines trends regarding the impact of armed conflict on children and information on violations committed, as requested by the Council in its resolution 1612 (2005) and subsequent resolutions. Where possible, violations are attributed to parties to conflict and the annexes to the present report include a list of parties engaging in violations against children. However, Israel was omitted from the list of violators despite the facts presented which show that the Israeli occupation forces are overwhelmingly responsible for the grave violations against children in Palestine.

In this report:

• The UN verified 1031 grave violations against 340 and 3 Israeli children – 327 boys and 13 girls.
• 361 children were detained in 2020, 83% of whom reported the use of physical violence against them
• 2 children were killed, 8 by the use of live fire from Israeli occupation forces and 1 killed during an arrest
• 326 children were injured or maimed, the majority by Israeli occupation forces and settlers, using tear gas, rubber bullets or live fire
• 30 attacks took place against schools and hospitals which were attributed to Israeli occupation forces or settlers
• Denial of humanitarian access by Israeli occupation forces was identified in 661 cases.

This report contains several recommendations for Israeli forces but the occupier has shown in the past that they disregard recommendations from the international community. Recommendations such as these must be accompanied by justice and accountability if we are to see any meaningful changes.

The State of Palestine has written to the UN again regarding the latest violations and drawing urgent attention to the “deepening hardships and vulnerabilities being endured by the Palestinian people like Israel, the occupying Power, escalates its illegal policies and practices in tandem with the rising lawlessness it has cultivated among the most extreme elements of its population, particularly the settlers illegally transferred to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.”

Their statement clearly outlines what must be done:

“The so-called “temporary” occupation entered its 54th year this month, proving that Israel has no intention whatsoever to end it. Faced with this reality, States and the Security Council must utilize all available diplomatic, political, legal mechanisms and capabilities to assert international law as a source of authority on the question of Palestine in order to make this regime of colonial occupation and apartheid costly and finally bring it to an end, the only path to justice for the Palestinian people and to Palestinian-Israeli peace and security.”