33 years have passed since the eruption of the First Intifada on December 8, 1987. The first spark dates back to the Israeli truck driver who ran over a car with Palestinian workers inside in Jabalia Camp in North Gaza. All Palestinians from all groups participated in the Intifada working under the directions of the joint national leadership of the revolution. Stones were the primary weapon of the Palestinians; hence the name ‘the Intifada of Stones’ (Al-Hijara Intifada). This revolution was a form of popular protest by the Palestinians against the conditions which were under the occupation’s rule. The Intifada ended when the occupation and the PLO signed the Oslo Accords in 1993.
Resisting the Occupation
The Palestinian children played a major role in the Intifada. Their pictures while carrying stones in the face of Israeli tanks were all over the news. The children would face the soldiers’ rifles without any cover holding only stones in their small hands. They changed the stereotype about children worldwide, and their job was to throw stones at the soldiers and patrols of the occupation; and set up blocs to prevent the occupation’s troops from advancing into the cities and camps.
Iyad Mohammed, 10 years at the time, shares his memories about his participation in the Intifada and says, “We used to make booby-traps by putting nails on the roads to damage the occupation’s vehicles’ tires. Then we would surround the soldiers and throw stones at them. We used to use slingshots, but those who did not have slingshots would simply use their keffiyehs. Whenever the soldiers threw poisonous gas at us, we would grab the bomb with our hand and put in a water bucket to put it out”. His friend Abdullah, also 10 at the time, jumped in and said, “We used to train on throwing stones at a long distance and hitting the target accurately. Then we would go to the battle field and start resisting the soldiers”.
Children’s role was not limited to throwing stones. They used to write slogans on the walls. They would divide themselves into two groups: One group would do the writing and the other would watch over. They also used to distribute the statements and flyers in front of the mosques and from under the doors; participate in demonstrations; take part in complete and partial strikes; and wave the Palestinian flag.
Torture and Murder
The occupation’s soldiers would intentionally harm the children through chasing them down and breaking their limbs using stones, stocks and bats. Yitzhak Rabin, the occupation’s Minister of War at the time, was the one to announce the use of such policy against anyone who resists them in the Intifada. Hundreds of children were wounded; some were severely injured to the extent that they suffered from permanent disabilities. Iyad Mohammed added, “Children were not an exception. The soldiers intentionally broke the bones of the children in front of everyone in order to spread fear among us; they thought it would be a lesson for anyone who would attempt to resist them. They used collective punishment as well. They closed down the schools whose students participated in the throwing of stones. The closure would last for 30 days, or the students would be sent to schools that are from their residences”.
The occupation doubled the children’s arrest operations. The charge would usually be ‘throwing stones at the occupation’s soldiers and vehicles’. Raed Abdul Aziz, 15 years at the time, says, “I was arrested 9 times during the Intifada. I was tortured for 18 days. I was beaten half-naked. I was kept in the cold and under the rain. They would tie me to a small chair and prevent me from sleep for 4 days in a row. They would also spit at me, swear me and curse me. When it was time for my trial, I could not walk or move. They took me to the court on a stretcher”.
The Israeli occupation forces intentionally shot live and rubber bullets at the children. Out of 1162 martyrs, 241 were children during the Intifada. Hundreds were injured. Abdullah Subuh was shot with live bullets. He recalls the day of his shooting and says, “The occupation’s soldiers topped one of the roofs and started sniping the protestors. Suddenly, I heard a gunshot and felt pain in my leg. I collapsed on the ground and blood started flowing out of my right thigh. I was then taken to the hospital. Two years later, I was shot again but it was in my left thigh this time”.
According to the Sweden branch of Save the Children organization, in the first and second years of the Intifada about 23600 to 29900 children needed treatment for being beaten and tortured. One third of these children were under 10.
Violation of International Laws
On November 2, 1989, the UNGA adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child and enlisted it as part of the International Law as a way to protect the children and to ensure them a stable life away from violence, torture and terrorism. However, the Israeli occupation ignored all international conventions in general and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in particular. The occupation attacked, killed, arrested and caused permanent physical and psychological disabilities to the Palestinian children, and dealt with them as ‘future vandals’. It even tried to bypass the international law about the age of children (which is up to 18 years) through using the term ‘young adults’ in order to inflict the children with maximum amount of harm; taking cover behind American support. The occupation still considers itself above the law, and still follows oppressive policies against the Palestinian children amidst international silence.