UN Children’s Rights Committee harshly criticizes Israel for unequal treatment of Arab and Arab Bedouin children

23/06/2013

On 20 June 2013, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) issued its Concluding Observations on Israel, following its latest review on 3 June 2013. The Committee raised serious concerns about Israel’s violations of the health and education rights of Palestinian Arab Bedouin children, as well as the substantially lower state budget and resources allocated to children belonging to the Arab minority.

On 20 June 2013, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) issued its Concluding Observations on Israel, following its latest review on 3 June 2013. Israel ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in August 1991, and is thus obligated to uphold its provisions.

The Committee raised serious concerns about Israel’s violations of the health and education rights of Palestinian Arab Bedouin children, as well as the substantially lower state budget and resources allocated to children belonging to the Arab minority.

Adalah and several other human rights NGOs drew the attention of this body of experts to Israel’s failure to comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child regarding Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel and Palestinians residing in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

Adalah submitted an NGO report to the Committee in October 2012, and submitted a response to Israel’s replies to the Committee’s List of Issues in June 2013.

Adalah Attorney Sawsan Zaher represented Adalah at Israel’s review session on 3 June 2013 and met with Committee members to raise key concerns regarding the rights of Palestinian Arab children in Israel.

Highlights of the CRC’s concluding observations regarding the rights of Arab children who are citizens of Israel include calling upon Israel to:

Ensure that budgetary allocations including for the health sector “no longer discriminate against Arab Israeli families and their children and define strategic budgetary lines for children in disadvantaged or vulnerable situations, in particular Bedouin, Palestinian, [and] Arab Israeli children” (CO #14);
“Include the prohibition of discrimination and the principle of equality in its Basic Laws and to undertake a comprehensive review of its legislation and policies to ensure that laws that discriminate against non-Jewish children be repealed without delay” (CO #22);
Revoke the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law and take “immediate measures to ensure that all separated Palestinian children are reunited without delay with both their parents and with their siblings, and that all family members obtain proper registration to avoid any further risk of separation” (CO #50);
Take all measures to ensure that all children enjoy the right to the highest attainable standard of health “without discrimination,” including “safe and unconditional access” for children and pregnant women from Bedouin communities in the Negev (CO #54);
“Unconditionally commit itself to refrain from any actions that would further deprive Palestinian and Bedouin families of their land and of access to safe drinking water, sanitation and food,” and to “Restore confiscated land to Bedouin and Palestinian families and their children” (CO #60);
“Build an education system based on tolerance and understanding among children from all communities,” and to “take active measures to ensure the right to education of Bedouin children” (CO #62);
Adopt a “comprehensive national policy” for early childhood education and development in order to address the “disproportionately low number” of Arab children enrolled in early childhood education (CO #68).