Child Prisoners and Detainees: Occupied Palestinian Territories Debate

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Department: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Child Prisoners and Detainees: Occupied Palestinian Territories

Caroline Lucas Excerpts
Wednesday 6th January 2016

(8 years, 10 months ago)

Westminster Hall
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Sarah Champion Portrait Sarah Champion
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I share those concerns and will come to them. The disparity between the two legal systems includes, for example, a maximum period of detention without charge of 40 days for an Israeli child and 188 days for a Palestinian child.

Caroline Lucas Portrait Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green)
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I congratulate the hon. Lady on securing this incredibly important debate. She is speaking eloquently in listing the human rights abuses in Israel and indicating that warm words to encourage Israel to act differently are not working. Does she agree that it is now time for action? For example, the UK could call for the suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement, which has a clause saying that if there are human rights abuses, there is a right to suspend the agreement. How can the agreement still be in place with that human rights clause when Israel completely ignores human rights concerns year after year?

Sarah Champion Portrait Sarah Champion
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I agree with the hon. Lady. That recommendation is superb and there are others.