Submission of NGO Monitor on children in armed conflicts

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Introduction

NGO Monitor, a project of the Institute for NGO Research, an organization in Special Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 2013, respectfully submits the following information to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for its report on the “rights of the child and violations of the human rights of children in armed conflicts.” We hope that the information provided will aid in the preparation of the report to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council.

NGO Monitor has researched the rampant campaign of incitement targeting children and the endemic recruitment and use of child soldiers by the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hamas, and other terrorist factions. This campaign of incitement is endemic throughout Palestinian society and has damaged many generations of Palestinian children. Palestinian incitement undergirds the ongoing armed conflict with Israel and is responsible for countless deaths of both Palestinians and Israelis. 

The PA’s human rights obligations are not diminished because of its on-going armed conflict with Israel. The existence of this conflict and the unresolved legal status of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza cannot serve as an excuse for the PA’s non-compliance with its international legal obligations.