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Palestinians and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
(Jerusalem Post) Alan Baker - Two months ago, PA President Mahmoud Abbas requested that the "State of Palestine" participate in 15 international conventions, including the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. One may wonder how the UN Secretary General will now relate to contractual obligations incumbent on the Palestinians pursuant to those agreements in light of the kidnapping of three Israeli youths. Even more pertinent is how all the parties view the Palestinian abduction and hostage-taking of the Israeli children in light of the obligation pursuant to Article 34 of the Fourth Geneva convention (1949) according to which "The taking of hostages is prohibited." Similarly, how do they view the Palestinian violation of Article 11 of the Geneva Convention on the rights of the child to prevent illicit transfer and non-return of children abroad, or Article 19 which obliges parties to the Convention to protect children from "all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation"? The writer, former legal adviser of Israel's Foreign Ministry and ambassador to Canada, is director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.