Suicide Bombing as a Crime Against Children

A new documentary argues that the brainwashing of Palestinian children to become suicide bombing constitutes, in of itself, a human rights violation.

Many believe that [director Brooke] Goldstein is onto something with her film. Jonathan Todres, a professor on human rights law and children at NYU Law School and an adjunct at Cardozo where Goldstein took a class with him, says that Palestinian children are certainly being fed dangerous propaganda from their own leaders.

But, he says, "I suspect that this is not going to be a case any time soon in an international tribunal. The law is clear that this is a violation of human rights law, but whether a court will hear a case on this issue is another issue." Todres said that among other concerns, the International Criminal Court, which is where cases like Goldstein's are tried, has a nefarious record when it comes to Israel and Palestine. The conflict's controversy discourages the court, fearful of being deemed biased, from taking any action.

Even if the documentary doesn't lead to any legal action (which it won't--Todres is right that the ICC would never hear the case), Goldstein would like to air the film on al-Jazeera.