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by Shamus Slaunwhite - IMEMC & Agencies

Earlier today, Israeli soldiers detained two Palestinian children near the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron. Mohammad Abu Mayaleh, 7, and Ahmad Abed al-Qader, 10, were held for several hours and then released. No reason has been given for their detainment.

This latest detainment of Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers in Hebron comes on the heels of the detainment of a 5-year-old boy last week. That story caught international attention, and the behaviour of the Israeli soldiers involved was internationally condemned.

According to the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem, the age of criminal responsibiltiy in the West Bank and Israel is 12, and this means that “the security forces are not allowed to arrest or detain children under that age, even when they are suspected of having committed criminal offenses, and the authorities must deal with the law breaking in other ways”.