Israeli police indicts 15 Palestinian minors accused of throwing stones
APRIL 27, 2017 5:08 P.M. (UPDATED: APRIL 27, 2017 5:08 P.M.)
Palestinian protesters throw stones towards Israeli security forces during clashes near Beituniya in June 2015 (AFP/Abbas Momani, File)
According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, all the Palestinian youths were between the ages of 15 and 17, and were suspected of throwing stones near the illegal Israeli settlement of Gush Etzion in the southern occupied West Bank.
Ynet added that several Israelis had been wounded by stone-throwing in the area.
Palestinian stone throwers face harsh penalties by Israeli authorities, with Israel passing a law in 2015allowing for up to 20 years in prison if charged with throwing stones at vehicles and a minimum of three years for the act of throwing a stone at an Israeli -- legislation rights groups say was designed specifically to target Palestinians, as Israelis and settlers are rarely prosecuted under the same standards of law.
Included in the legislation are provisions allowing Israeli authorities to strip stone throwers of their state benefits and canceling access to national health insurance and social services for the families of the accused.
A Palestinian youth was sentenced to 18 years in prison in January for allegedly throwing a rock at an Israeli vehicle -- representing the harshest sentence ever handed down for stone throwing.
Meanwhile, right groups have widely documented the abuse of Palestinian children by Israeli forces and the harsh interrogation practices used to force their confessions, which has long been the target of criticism by the international community.
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