Israel Identifies 15-Year-Olds as 'Terrorists,' World Agrees to Disagree
The story, as framed, presents two competing narratives: the Palestinian Authority mourning slain children, and Israel characterising them as 'terrorists' attempting an attack. This 'he said, she said' approach neatly sidesteps the brutal reality of an occupied territory where children, some as young as 12, are routinely arrested, detained, and killed by an occupying military. (Source: Defense for
Children International - Palestine). The 'surge in settler violence' mentioned is also historical context that gets soft-pedaled; this isn't a new phenomenon but an escalating feature of the occupation, often occurring with military protection. One might observe that when one party controls the narrative, the weapons, and the land, their classification of a 15-year-old as a 'terrorist' tends to
stick in the international press. How many 'terrorists' under 18 have to be killed before the West Bank is considered a combat zone for children, not just a 'disputed territory'?