Stolen Youth: The Politics of Israel's Detention of Palestinian [Paperback]

Catherine Cook (Author), Adam Hanieh (Author), Adah Kay (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0745321615 | ISBN-13: 978-0745321615 | Publication Date: January 20, 2004

Stolen Youth is the first book to explore Israel's incarceration of Palestinian children. Based on first-hand information from international human rights groups and NGO workers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it also features interviews with children who have been imprisoned. The result is a disturbing and often shocking account of the abuses that are being carried out by Israel, and that have been widely documented by human rights groups such as Amnesty, but yet have never been addressed by the international community.The book presents a critical analysis of the international legal framework and the UN system, arguing that a major failure of these instuitutions is their appeal to neutrality while ignoring the reality of power. The book attempts to address the inadequacy of these institutions by placing the issue of Palestinian child prisoners within the framework of Israeli strategy and the overall system of control.The book is divided into three main sections: the first chapters introduce the major issues, and propose a framework for understanding Israel's policy towards Palestinian detainees, particularly children. The second section examines the actual experience of children from the moment of arrest until their release from prison based on hundreds of affidavits collected from children released from prison. The final section of the book analyses in detail the reasons underlying Israel's incarceration of children and the impact on Palestinian society. It outlines Israel's system of institutionalized discrimination and state torture, challenges the legitimacy of Israel's 'security' argument, and argues that Israel's treatment of Palestinian detainees forms one pillar of a policy designed to quash resistance to the occupation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A remarkable testament of how evil can become routine." -- Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies, Middle East Institute, Columbia University

About the Author

Adam Hanieh is a PhD student at York University, Canada and was Research Coordinator for Defence for Children International/Palestine Section in Ramallah on the West Bank (2000 – 2002). Adah Kay is Honorary Professor, City University Cass Business School, London and Senior Consultant with CVS Consultants and was a volunteer with DCI/PS (2002 – 2003). Catherine Cook is Senior Analyst and Media Coordinator for the Middle East Research and Information Project. She is the former DCI/PS International Advocacy Coordinator (1999 – 2002).

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Pluto Press (January 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745321615
• ISBN-13: 978-0745321615
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,303,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's refreshing to hear an unbiased voice, March 11, 2005

By 

Emma Goldin (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stolen Youth: The Politics of Israel's Detention of Palestinian Children (Hardcover)

This book tells an important an often-overlooked story about some of the forgotten victims of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It takes courage to tell the story of the young victims, the Palestinian children detained by the Israeli government. In what other "civilized" society would such human rights violations be tolerated? The book is well written and balanced in its approach to the problem, and presents a clear picture of the hardships the Palestinians, particularly young Palestinians, face.

3 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Praises the aggressors and blames the victims, February 2, 2005

By 

Jill Malter ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stolen Youth: The Politics of Israel's Detention of Palestinian (Paperback)

Israel doesn't want to be at war. Jews spent plenty of time and effort draining swamps and making the deserts bloom again. They didn't do that as a joke. They wanted to be allowed the human rights of life, liberty, and property in their homeland. And live in peace there.

Unfortunately, some Arabs are fighting a war against the Jews. And people are getting hurt and killed in this war. But the authors don't ask for the aggressors to call off their war against human rights. Instead, they blame it all on the Jews.

One of the chapter headings discusses the foundations of "Israel's impunity." The authors appear to wonder how Israel can get away with trying to defend its land and its people. And they have it all figured out! Listen to this:

"The answer lies in part with Israel's ability to manipulate human rights and humanitarian law and the UN bodies responsible for overseeing compliance."

Wow. You sure could have fooled me. I always wondered why the UN invited a notorious terrorist, Arafat, to lecture it in 1974. And why it came up with an embarrassingly inane resolution that Zionism was a form of racism in 1975. I wondered why the UN spent half its time defaming Israel instead of doing something useful or productive. Was it a big Israeli plot to get the UN to do all that?

And have you noticed that even Israel's capital city, Jerusalem, is special? The international community recognizes the capitals of other nations. But most don't recognize Jerusalem. Is that yet another example of Israeli manipulation?

No, all these things were done by those who, um, manipulated the UN to defame Israel and to discriminate against it.

Of course it is sad to see the book's shameless and absurd propaganda. But it somehow makes me wonder about those who are doing the complaining. Given all the demonization of Israel in the UN, just what is it that the authors want? If all this anti-Israeli bias isn't good enough for them, I can hardly imagine what their reaction would be were the international community to suddenly become color-blind and give everyone, even the Jews, rights to life, liberty, and property.

Meanwhile, two generations of Arab youth have been propagandized to damage society rather than trained to help it. And books like this are simply part of the problem.

2 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wrong, March 14, 2005

By 

Eric Kent (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stolen Youth: The Politics of Israel's Detention of Palestinian (Paperback)

the premise of this book is wrong.

the facts in this book are wrong.

It is biased, it is one-sided.