Khaled Quzmar: "Attacking the new generations of Palestinians, Israel is committing suicide"

Lawyer Khaled Quzmar(1964) has been working for almost four decades to defend the rights of the Palestinian population. Executive Director of the Palestinian Centre for Child Rights (PCCR), a few days ago he visited Barcelona at the invitation of the NGO Mundubat to denounce the impact of the occupation and genocide on children in Gaza and the West Bank. He spoke to ARA before meeting with representatives of the Parliament and travelling to Madrid to meet with the Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego.Since October 7, 2023, more than 20,000 Palestinian minors have been killed in Gaza, 44,000 have been injured, and 58,000 have been orphaned, according to UN data.

— I do not know of any situation in the world where children suffer like in Palestine. I have worked for decades before Israeli military courts and never would have imagined this. But it is part of the plan that began with the Nakba in 1948. Israeli historian Ilan Pappé interviewed Israelis who had participated in that ethnic cleansing and they said they regretted not having gone further. October 7 was the excuse to continue.

The United Nations has also denounced that Israel deliberately kills Palestinian children, with "shots to vital organs". What do you think when you read this?

— Israel is killing children to end the hope and future of Palestinians. They are murdered, raped, besieged, suffering from hunger and medical neglect. The message is clear: Palestine belongs to Israelis and there will be no life for Palestinians. If the international community does not wake up, we are heading to hell.

Denounces that there is also a silent genocide in the West Bank, where arrests of minors have skyrocketed.

— There are over 300 Palestinian children in prison. More than half are under administrative detention, arrested without charge and without knowing when they will be released. Previously, this practice was uncommon, with perhaps five cases a year.

What is the life of a child in an Israeli prison like?

— Any child held in an Israeli prison is at high risk of death from starvation, torture, or medical neglect. Two years ago, I learned of the case of a 17-year-old minor who died after seven months in prison. His family managed to have an autopsy performed, and it was concluded that he had died of starvation. Israel also withheld his body.

Do organizations like yours have the capacity to face this reality?

— We try. Every arrested or mistreated child needs psychological, legal, and social support, but the room for action is very limited and risky under occupation. Lawyers' visits are very restricted, and Israeli officials do not allow any message from the family to be sent to the child; only their case can be discussed for a few minutes.

The objective is to try to end the spirit of resistance of young Palestinians?

— Once I asked Israeli prosecutors if they believed that by punishing them they would turn them into friends of Israel. They told me no, but that their role was to punish them.

In an interview you said that those who rose up on October 7 were the children who had suffered for years from the Israeli siege.

— Israel is creating enemies and pressuring them to act against him. Children see no future under occupation. By attacking new generations of Palestinians, Israel is committing suicide. He will never be able to kill everyone and the fight will continue as long as there is injustice.

Social networks have become a recruitment ground for armed struggle.

— Palestinian families worry about protecting their children, but children are people. They don't see life staying at home with their eyes closed. With social media, they cannot disconnect from what is happening around them. They are part of a community and everything that happens in it. That's why some choose to defy Israeli attacks.

Is becoming martyrs a goal for some children?

— Yes, I have known many cases. I remember a visit three years ago to Jenin very well. I met a 15-year-old boy who kept telling me that a friend of his had been murdered here, or that another one had been killed there. I told him I was glad he was alive. And he told me no, that he had gotten engaged and would get married soon. I didn't understand him, but a farm worker explained it to me: he told me that boy had gotten engaged to those in heaven and would soon be murdered to become a martyr. A week later, Israeli soldiers killed him for throwing stones at tanks.

Are there also children who aspire to flee Palestine instead of resisting?

— Palestinian children, like all children in the world, love their lives and would like to live them. But they need the opportunity, the space to live in peace. When we explain the Convention on the Rights of the Child to them, they are surprised and ask us: does this apply to us?

Despite the ceasefire announcement, Israel continues to bomb Gaza.

— And there are states that call for a ceasefire while continuing to supply arms to Israel. What is happening in Gaza demonstrates hypocrisy and complicity with crimes against Palestinians. I celebrate that in Spain and Catalonia voices have been raised, but I would also like to see this reaction elsewhere; otherwise, the message is sent that criminals can live with total impunity. It is shameful that the world accepts a state like Israel.

Do you have hope in the international community?

— There is hope, especially in international law and political change. I decided to study law at 14, when my brother was arrested, so I could hug him in prison. Now I explain to children the importance of using human rights to defend themselves. We have no other option but to keep going.

We are approaching the third year of genocide. How do you imagine Palestine in three years?

— I can't imagine it, because I couldn't imagine everything that has happened either. What else can they do? Lock up all Palestinians and burn them? What is happening in Gaza should be a lesson for everyone. If there is no peace in Gaza, there will be no peace in the world.