Israeli army operation to arrest this 3-year-old “terrorist stone-thrower”

Youssef the toddler vs the new Goliath.

Ma’an News • 6 Oct 2015

HEBRON— Israeli forces on Monday raided a home in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, searching for a Palestinian boy they accused of throwing stones, only to discover the “suspect” was three year-old toddler, the boy’s father told Ma’an.

Muhammad Jamal al-Jaabri said that Israeli forces raided his home in the al-Ras neighborhood of Hebron seeking to arrest his son Youssef, who they accused of throwing stones.

Even after Muhammad told them that his son Youssef was only a child, the soldiers ransacked his house and threatened to detain the child, at which point the father said to the soldiers: “Go ahead and take him if you want.” The soldiers left his home without any arrests after that. (At least 7 soldiers can be seen in one of the photo of this great operation.)

Human Rights Watch has condemned Israel over its “abusive arrests” of Palestinian children as young as 11 and of using threats to force them to sign confessions.

Israeli authorities regularly failed to inform parents of their children’s arrest or whereabouts, the New York-based watchdog said in a report in July.

“Forces have choked children, thrown stun grenades at them, beaten them in custody, threatened and interrogated them without the presence of parents or lawyers, and failed to let their parents know their whereabouts,” the report said.