Problematizing Law, Rights, and Childhood in Israel/Palestine

368 Pages·2021·2.074 MB·English

by  Hedi Viterbo

PROBLEMATIZING LAW, RIGHTS, AND
CHILDHOOD IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE
Inthisbook,HediViterboradicallychallengesourpictureoflaw,human
rights,andchildhood,bothinandbeyondtheIsrael/Palestinecontext.He
reveals how Israel, rather than disregarding international law and chil
dren’s rights, has used them to hone and legitimize its violence against
Palestinians.Heexposesthehumanrightscommunity’scomplicityinthis
situation,duetoitsproblematicassumptionsaboutchildhood,itsuncrit
ical embrace ofinternational law,and its recurring emulation ofIsrael’s
security discourse. He examines how, and to what effect, both the state
and its critics manufacture, shape, and weaponize the categories “child”
and “adult.” Bridging disciplinary divides, Viterbo analyzes hundreds of
previouslyunexaminedsources,manyofwhicharenotpubliclyavailable.
Bold, sophisticated, and informative, Problematizing Law, Rights, and
Childhood in Israel/Palestine provides unique insights into the ever
tighteningrelationshipbetweenlaw,children’srights,andstateviolence,
atboththelocalandgloballevels.
isLecturerinLawatQueenMaryUniversityofLondon.
Previously, he was Lecturer in Law at the University of Essex, a
LeverhulmeEarlyCareerFellowatSOAS,UniversityofLondon,avisiting
scholar at Harvard Law School, and a visiting researcher at Columbia
University. Dr Viterbo’s previous publications include The ABC of the
OPT:ALegalLexiconoftheIsraeliControloverthePalestinianTerritory
(co authoredwithOrnaBen NaftaliandMichaelSfard,2018).

PROBLEMATIZING LAW,
RIGHTS, AND CHILDHOOD
IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE
HEDI VITERBO
QueenMaryUniversityofLondon
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
OneLibertyPlaza,20thFloor,NewYork,NY10006,USA
477WilliamstownRoad,PortMelbourne,VIC3207,Australia
314 321,3rdFloor,Plot3,SplendorForum,JasolaDistrictCentre,NewDelhi 110025,India
103PenangRoad,#05 06/07,VisioncrestCommercial,Singapore238467
CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781316519998
DOI:10.1017/9781009019842
©HediViterbo2021
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2021
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Names:Viterbo,Hedi,author.
Title:Problematizinglaw,rights,andchildhoodinIsrael/Palestine/HediViterbo,QueenMary
UniversityofLondon.
Description:Cambridge,UnitedKingdom;NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,2021.|
Basedonauthor’sthesis(doctoral LondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalScience,2012)
issuedundertitle:ThelegalconstructionofchildhoodintheIsraeliPalestinianconflict.|
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2021024874(print)|LCCN2021024875(ebook)|ISBN9781316519998
(hardback)|ISBN9781009011556(paperback)|ISBN9781009019842(epub)
Subjects:LCSH:Children Legalstatus,laws,etc. Israel.|Children Legalstatus,laws,etc. West
Bank.|Children Legalstatus,laws,etc. GazaStrip.|ArabIsraeliconflict Lawandlegislation.
Classification:LCCKMK1475.V582021(print)|LCCKMK1475(ebook)|
DDC342.569408/772 dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2021024874
LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2021024875
ISBN9781316519998Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracy
ofURLsforexternalorthirdpartyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments viii
List of Abbreviations x
1 Conceptual and Theoretical Foundations 1
1.1 ChallengingDominantDiscourses 1
1.2 ProblematizingChildhood,Law,andRights 8
1.2.1 ProblematizingChildhood 8
1.2.2 ProblematizingChildLaw 14
1.2.3 ProblematizingLaw 18
1.2.4 ProblematizingHumanRights 22
1.3 ReframingIsrael/Palestine 25
1.3.1 Israel“Proper”(WithinItsPre 1967Borders) 26
1.3.2 TheWestBank,ExcludingEastJerusalem 28
1.3.3 EastJerusalem 33
1.3.4 TheGazaStrip 34
1.4 MethodologyandSources 37
1.5 OutlineofChapters 43
2 Casting the First Stone: The Israeli Legal System, Its Human
Rights Critics, and Their Approaches to Young
Palestinians 50
2.1 AnotherDayinCourt 50
2.2 TheChildrenoftheStones 55
2.3 MassIncarcerationand“SecurityPrisoners” 59
2.4 TheMilitaryCourtSystem 65
2.5 The“Real”Trial 70
2.6 Israel’sLegalism 74
2.7 Israel’sHumanRightsCritics 79
3 TheAgeofGoverning:YoungAgeasaMeansofControl 87
3.1 Introduction:TermsofAge 87
3.2 AgeonTrial 88
3.2.1 YouthasanAggravatingFactor 88
v
vi 
3.2.2 TheAppearanceofAge 95
3.2.3 AgeCategorization:OriginsandJudicialInconsistency 99
3.3 Vagueness,Control,andChildhood 105
3.3.1 GoverningthroughUncertainty 106
3.3.2 ElusiveChildhood 108
3.4 AgeasaLife and DeathMatter 111
3.4.1 AgeinIsrael’sOpen FireRegulations 111
3.4.2 Age BasedFoodRestrictions 118
3.4.3 AgeasaRiskManagementToolinIsrael’s
MovementRestrictions 123
3.5 ResistancethroughAgeManipulation 127
4 Boundary Governance: Amending Childhood and
Separating Palestinians 131
4.1 Introduction 131
4.2 Hyperlegality,Tokenism,andtheRuleofException 133
4.3 GenerationalSegregationandItsPitfalls 140
4.3.1 TheBattleoverthePalestinianChild’s“Soul” 142
4.3.2 HarmingYoungPalestiniansintheNameof
ChildRights 147
4.3.3 TheBlindSpotsoftheHumanRightsCommunity 153
4.3.4 HarmingOlderPalestinians 157
4.4 TheBiggerPicture:ContextualizingPalestinians’Age
SegregatedIncarceration 160
4.4.1 ThePitfallsofChildLaw 161
4.4.2 SeparationinandbeyondPrison 164
4.4.3 ConfiningPalestinianMinds 169
4.4.4 TheGrowingConvergencebetweenMilitaryandNon military
IsraeliLaw 174
5 Stolen Childhood: Voice, Loss, and Trauma in Human
Rights Reports 178
5.1 Introduction 178
5.2 TheMentalHealthDiscourseandItsPitfalls 179
5.2.1 InterpretiveFrameworksandExpertise 179
5.2.2 EssentialismandDevelopmentality 182
5.2.3 IndividualizationandPathologization 184
5.2.4 Securitization 185
5.3 ChildhoodLostandStolen 188
5.3.1 LostChildhood 188
5.3.2 LostContext 193
5.3.3 StolenLand 196
5.4 TheRighttoChildhood 200
5.5 LostVoices 206
5.5.1 OverlookingYoungPeople’sAccounts 207
5.5.2 PrioritizingOlderPeople’sVoices 211
 vii
5.5.3 AmbivalenceaboutYoungPeople’sReliability 213
5.5.4 MarginalizingtheYoung 214
5.5.5 ShroudingYoungPeople’sTestimonies 214
5.5.6 ReducingVoicetoSpeech 215
5.5.7 BlindnesstoPowerRelations 216
5.6 OverarchingDualities 217
6 SightsofViolence:ChildhoodintheVisualBattlefield 221
6.1 Introduction 221
6.2 TheVisibilityofStateViolence 225
6.2.1 ArrestingImages 225
6.2.2 VisuallyCapturingthePotentialDelinquent 229
6.2.3 TheComplicitCamera 232
6.3 State InducedInvisibility 233
6.3.1 Concealment 233
6.3.2 Denial 238
6.3.3 Impunity 241
6.3.4 FramingViolenceasanIsolatedException 245
6.4 IncriminatoryEvidenceReenvisaged:HowVisibilityConcealsand
WhatInvisibilityCanHighlight 251
6.4.1 “Strong”EvidenceandItsPitfalls 251
6.4.2 AlternativeVisualEvidence:MetapicturesofInvisibility
andAbsence 259
7 Infantilization and Militarism: Soldiers as Children, Children
as Soldiers 265
7.1 Introduction:TheChild/SoldierDyad 265
7.2 SoldiersasChildren 267
7.2.1 BetweenAdulthoodandChildhood 269
7.2.2 InfantilizedSoldiersonTrial 275
7.2.3 ConflictingChildhoods 281
7.2.4 InfantilizationinMilitaryHazing 287
7.3 MilitarizedChildren 291
7.3.1 PalestinianChildrenasWeapons 291
7.3.2 IsraeliSettlerChildrenasSoldiersintheMaking 297
8 Unsettling Children: Israeli Law and Settlers’
Childhood 303
8.1 Introduction:Law,HumanRights,andYoungIsraeliSettlers 303
8.2 LegalDisparityandDiscrimination 307
8.2.1 StoneThrowing 316
8.2.2 Age SegregatedDetention(andtheLackThereof) 323
8.3 Age,Silence,andInfantilization 326
8.4 BetweenMentalHealthandVisualRepresentation 330
Index 335
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is the culmination of fourteen years of research. Its first
incarnation was a doctoral study conducted at the London School of
Economics and Political Science (LSE) under the supervision of Nicola
Lacey, Emily Jackson, and Jenny Kuper. My heartfelt gratitude goes to
Niki, Emily, and Jenny for their invaluable guidance and their rock-
steady support. I am also indebted to many others who have kindly
provided helpful feedback, advice, and assistance along the way. Key
among them are (in alphabetical order of surnames): Mimi Ajzenstadt,
Shulamit Almog, Jonathan Alschech, Shira Atsmoni, Daphne Barak-
Erez, Elizabeth Bartholet, Orna Ben-Naftali, Smadar Ben-Natan,
Netanel Benischou, Shani Benkin, Jacqueline Bhabha, Brenna Bhandar,
Michael Birnhack, José Brunner, Eric Cheyfitz, Hagai Elad, Elizabeth
Emens, Itay Filiba, Michael Freeman, Shelley Gavigan, Yuval Ginbar,
NeveGordon,AeyalGross,DafnaHacker,LisaHajjar,HamedHamdan,
Ariel Handel, Fahim Hasson, Sharif Hasson, Dorit Itzhak, Sarah Joseph,
Felicity Kaganas, Lisa Kelly, Tobias Kelly, Duncan Kennedy, Laleh
Khalili, Coel Kirkby, Yitzhak Klein, Martti Koskenniemi, Hagar Kotef,
Khaled Kuzmar,Nicolas Lamp,GabyLasky, JenniferLeaning, DarrylLi,
Terri Libesman, Assaf Likhovski, Jinee Lokaneeta, Alex Lubin, Orly
Lubin, Kate Malleson, Brinkley Messick, Sarit Michaeli, Sabine
Michalowski, Steven Mintz, Iyad Misk, Daniel Monk, Leslie Moran,
Linda Mulcahy, Dianne Otto, K-Sue Park, John Parry, Roy Peled,
Noam Peleg, Andrew Poe, Alain Pottage, Nery Ramati, Ronald Ranta,
Maya Rosenfeld, Sue Ruddick, Ilan Saban, Ahmad Sa’di, Dana Salmon,
Austin Sarat, Elizabeth Scott, Michael Sfard, Hamutal Shamash, Richard
Sherwin, Yehoshua Shohat Gurtler, Ronen Shor, Lana Tatour, Kendall
Thomas, Charles Tripp, Ilias Trispiotis, Lorenzo Veracini, Robert van
Krieken, Sonja van Wichelen, Jane Wright, Dan Yakir, Shai Yaniv, Adi
Youcht,EyalZisser,KamelZiyan,andthetwoanonymousreviewersfor
CambridgeUniversityPress.Finally,IamgratefultoNadavEdenforhis
dedicatedandcompetentresearchassistanceinthelatestagesofworking
viii
 ix
on this book; to Selihom Yuhannes for her technical assistance with the
footnotes; to Stephen Pigney for his superb copyediting; and to Finola
O’Sullivan for shepherding this book through the publication process.
Apologies to anyone I have omitted. The research on which this book is
based was made possible thanks to the generous support of the
Leverhulme Trust, the LSE Law Department, the LSE Middle East
Institute, the Queen Mary University of London School of Law, Essex
University Law School, the Emile Zola Chair of Human Rights in the
College of Management, and the Anglo-Israeli Association.
ABBREVIATIONS
ACRI AssociationforCivilRightsinIsrael
AdminA AdministrativeAppeal
AdminC AdministrativeCase
AppR AppealRequest
CivA CivilAppeal
CivC CivilCase
CMA Court MartialAppeal
CMC Court MartialCase
COGAT CoordinatorofGovernmentActivitiesintheTerritories
CRC ConventionontheRightsoftheChild
CrimA CriminalAppeal
CrimC CriminalCase
Ct. Court
DCIP DefenceforChildrenInternational Palestine
DisC DisciplinaryCase
Dist. District
GA UNGeneralAssembly
HCJ HighCourtofJustice
IDF IsraelDefenseForces(theIsraelimilitary)
IPS IsraelPrisonService(Israel’snationalprisonservice)
Jer/Jer. Jerusalem
MAG MilitaryAdvocateGeneral
Mag. Magistrates’
MilA MilitaryAppeal
MilC MilitaryCase(involvingnoncitizenPalestiniandefendants)
MP MemberofParliament
MPD MilitaryJudgments,ascollatedandpublishedbytheMilitaryAdvocate
General(“PD”isshortforPiskeiDin theHebrewtermfor
judgments whichiscommonlyusedtocitenon militaryIsraeli
judgments)
PCATI PublicCommitteeAgainstTortureinIsrael
PTSD Post TraumaticStressDisorder
x