Britain called on Israel to improve the treatment of Palestinian minors in military detention on Friday and said Israel should do more to safeguard vulnerable individuals in its charge.
The Foreign Office issued a statement in the wake of the sentencing of Palestinian teen Ahed Tamimi, who was arrested in December for slapping an IDF soldier and an officer outside her home during a violent protest in the village of Nabi Saleh. The incident was streamed live on Facebook by her mother and quickly went viral.
Tamimi, who was 16 at the time of the incident, accepted a plea deal this week under which she will be sentenced to eight months in prison, her lawyer said.
Alistair Burt, Britain's Middle East minister, said in the statement: "The conviction and sentencing of Ahed Tamimi is emblematic of how the unresolved [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict is blighting the lives of a new generation who should be growing up together in peace, but continue to be divided."
"The treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention remains a human rights priority for the U.K. We will continue to call upon Israel to improve its practices in line with international law and obligations," he said.
Burt said Britain had offered to help the Israeli authorities through expert-to-expert talks with British officials. Israel has made some improvements, but still needs to do much more, he said.
