[5 June 2012] – On 1 June, a group of UK lawyers wrote to William Hague, the UK Foreign Secretary, seeking his urgent intervention regarding the systematic forcible transfer of Palestinian children out of the occupied West Bank to detention facilities inside Israel. The process of transferring Palestinian adults and children to detention facilities inside Israel is illegal under international law.

According to data released by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) in April 2012, 52 percent of Palestinian child prisoners detained in IPS custody were held in detention facilities located inside of Israel, in violation of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. In the case of adult Palestinian prisoners, the percentage held illegally inside Israeli rises to 85 percent. The practical consequence of this violation is that Palestinian prisoners receive either limited or no family visits, due to freedom of movement restrictions and the time it takes to issue permits to visit a prison. 

The letter is available online.

Related links:

•    Urgent Appeal – Forcible transfer of children