S. Africa concerned over jailing of Palestinian minors

By Hassan Isilow
JOHANNESBURG (AA) - South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tuesday his government was deeply concerned at the continued imprisonment of Palestinian minors in Israeli jails.“We reiterate our call to the Israeli government to engage in meaningful dialogue with the Palestinian leaders to find a resolution that affirms the equal rights of both people to self-determination, freedom and security,” he told parliament in Cape Town.Reports claim hundreds of Palestinian children living in the occupied territories are arrested every year on allegations of throwing stones at the Israeli military.Activist Ahed al-Tamimi 17 is the most prominent among the Palestinian minors currently being held by Israeli security forces.She was arrested last year, after a video spread on social media showing her purportedly hitting two Israeli security officers who had stormed her home in the occupied West Bank.Al-Tamimi received Turkey’s Handala Courage Award in 2012 when she was 13 years old.South Africa was among the first countries in the region to condemn U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.