Apartheid Israel: World's Leading Abuser of Children

by Stephen Lendman

From inception, the Jewish state treated Palestinians of all ages abusively as untermenschen, subhuman nonpersons because they're Arabs, not Jews — in flagrant breach of international law.

While hegemon USA tops the list of rogue states worldwide by far — pound for pound based on size, its policies and menace it poses, apartheid Israel stands out for its daily criminality against defenseless Palestinians and throughout the region.

Released this week, a UN report on Children and Armed Conflict explained the following:

In 2021, the world body "verified 2,934 grave violations against 1,208 Palestinian children and 9 Israeli children (915 boys, 302 girls) in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and Israel."

The apartheid state detained 637 Palestinian children for invented reasons.

Israel falsely claimed it was for "security offenses"— code language for unwanted Arabs in land wanted for exclusive Jewish development and use.

Numbers of illegally detained Palestinians included 557 in East Jerusalem. 

All Palestinian detainees are treated harshly.

Most of them were subjected to "extreme violence."

In 2021, Israeli forces killed 86 Palestinian children with "live ammunition" — for the "crime" of wanting to live on their own land in their own country, free from illegal occupation.

A total of 1,221 Palestinian children (boys and girls alike) were maimed by Israeli forces and racist settlers in Gaza's (world's largest) open-air prison, the Occupied West Bank and Occupied East Jerusalem.

They were irreparably harmed by terror-bombing and shelling, live ammunition and potentially deadly rubber-coated steel bullets, along with weapons used by settlers.

Attacks occurred on 134 Palestinian schools, 112 hospitals, as well as against ambulances, paramedics, at countless numbers of checkpoints and on residences.

Apartheid Israel prevented 1,582 Palestinians from accessing vital medical treatment by denying them permission to get it through the Erez crossing.

A UN statement expressed alarm over increased numbers of "grave violations against children, particularly the dramatic rise in killing and maiming" gratuitously by Israeli forces and settlers.

It also occurred during Israeli terror-bombing and shelling of Gaza during 11 days of May 2021. 

According to Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) earlier:

Palestinian youths and children, including ones engaged in peaceful protests, are prime targets for Israeli arrests and brutal mistreatment.

They're also shot, and at times killed or maimed, by Israeli security forces — what amounts to cold-blooded assaults to intimate others against protesting for justice denied them.

In May 2021 alone, scores of Palestinian youths and children were violently arrested, detained and brutalized in captivity — because they were demonstrating for rights denied them.

The scourge of Zionist tyranny operates against millions of Palestinians for not being Jewish.

Zionism is tyranny by another name — a scourge threatening Jews and non-Jews alike. 

It's extremist, undemocratic, hateful, ruthless, racist, destructive, and hostile to peace, equity and justice.

It's contemptuous of fundamental legal, moral and ethical principles – a monster threatening everyone and everything it opposes.

It's a cancer infesting Israel, the US, other Western societies and elsewhere.

It considers Jews and others unequal, Muslims especially demeaned, Palestinians viciously persecuted and otherwise harmed.

In response to the UN's 2021 report of Israeli violence against children, secretary general Guterres issued the following hollow statement, saying:

He's "shocked (sic) by the number of children killed and maimed by Israeli forces during hostilities, in air strikes on densely populated areas and through the use of live ammunition during law enforcement operations (sic)," adding:

"Should the situation repeat itself in 2022, without meaningful improvement, Israel should be (black)listed."

Hegemon USA installed Guterres as UN secretary general to serve its imperial interests.

He's held the post since January 1, 2017.

In the run-up to and since establishment of the Jewish state on stolen Palestinian land in May 1948 — continuing thereafter annually for over 74 years — the apartheid state horrifically abused Palestinians in similar fashion to what occurred throughout 2021.

For over 5 years as UN secretary general, Guterres pretended not to notice.

The same was true for most of his predecessors.

His statement in response to the world body's latest Children and Armed Conflict report can't be taken seriously.

Like most of predecessors, Guterres operates as an imperial tool — supporting or turning a blind eye to crimes of war, against humanity and related atrocities by the empire of lies, its Western vassals and apartheid Israel.

For the remainder of his time in office, the prospect of his turning a page to support the rule of law on all things related to the US/West and apartheid Israel is virtually zero.

Ignore his rhetoric. Follow what he does alone.

It's in stark contrast to his hollow public statements.