ANNIE TRITT PHOTOGRAPHY

reportage: caught in the cross fire

Since 2001, Israeli authorities have arrested 5,200 Palestinian teenagers. International law allows for the detention of children or adolescents under 18, but only under specific conditions. Article 37 of the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child states that detaining children should be a measure of last resort, and must be for the shortest possible period of time. Israel signed this pact in 1990 but many NGOS say that it is only being applied to Israeli children.

A mother and her children walk from Israel into the West Bank town of Nablus.At least 83 Palestinians seeking medical care have died during delays at checkpoints, according to the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group. 39 Israeli soldiers and police officers have been killed at checkpoints and roadblocks, according to the Israeli military.
   
  
An IDF soldier shoots rubber bullets at a youth who had been throwing stones. Most of the soldiers are not much older then the youth who throw the stones.
     
  
Nasser Abu Aziz, right, spokesperson of the AL-Aqsa Brigade, the militant wing of Fatah, at his home in Nablus, West Bank. The group has been accused of recruiting young people to be suicide bombers but Aziz denies this.
   
The mother of Ayat Dababsa, show the only picture she has of her daughter who is in Israeli jails.
  
The family of Ayat Dababsa, walk into Ofer Military Court in the West Bank town of Ramallah. The families wait outside and have to go in one by one and are searched by IDF officers, Thursday March 28, 2007.
     
  
Ayat Mohammed Abd Dababsa was arrested and accused of attempted murder. She had a knife at a checkpoint that she had brought to school for a cooking class. The Israli's claim that as her school bag was being searched she tried to stab a soldier. She was age 14 at arrest and is 15 now. Her hearing took place at Ofer Military Court.
   
Mohammed Dababsa father of Ayat prays at his home before attending Ayat's trial.
   
In'Hussnm Abdu holds a picture of her son Hassam Abdu who was arrested at a check point, at age 15 in 2006. He was planing on blowing himself up. The IDF was aware of his plans and invited journalists to the check point to witness his arrest. His mom blames the militants for praying on her son who had no friends, as well as Israel for the occupation.
     
  
Yousef Ahmad Khalil,15, draws a picture of his time spent in jail while at the Defense of Children office in Hebron, West Bank. The group supports the children and offers legal as well as emotional support.
   
  
Qalandiya refugee camp, West Bank.