Israeli settlers have caused violence and vandalism against Palestinians - including children - in occupied territories, the UN human rights rapporteur for the Palestinian territories said Thursday.
Richard Falk, a former New York University professor, cited particular instances of arrests of and violence against Palestinian children in the West Bank. He called on Israel to adopt guidelines for the protection of Palestinian children living under Israeli occupation, dpa reported.
"Prolonged occupation deforms the development of children through pervasive deprivations affecting health, education and overall security," Falk said in a report to the UN General Assembly in New York.
He said the number of Palestinian children arrested and prosecuted by Israeli authorities has risen since 2007. He did not give a number. He said some of those children, who were arrested for allegedly throwing stones at the settlers, were subject to interrogation and abuses.
He said 178 Palestinians suffered injuries as a result of violence from Israeli settlers so far in 2011, compared to 176 cases for 2010. The violence involved stone throwing, assaults and shooting by settlers.
"There are almost daily accounts of settler vandalism against Palestinian agricultural land an villages," he said. He said several incidents were videotaped by individuals working for B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization.