UN warns against Israel’s treatment of men in Occupied Palestinian territories as security threat

An analysis by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories warned on Monday against the Israeli forces’ treatment of Palestinian men and boys as a security threat.

The Office confirmed in a series of posts on the X platform, monitored by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), that “Israeli forces treat Palestinian male identity, even that of children, as a fundamental security threat.”

It indicated that Palestinian men and boys constitute more than 99% of all Palestinian detainees, explaining that the vast majority are administrative detainees, including children held indefinitely without charge or trial. Furthermore, they account for 97% of those killed or injured as a result of the excessive use of force.

The analysis pointed out that men and boys in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, face severe protection risks that are often ignored or dismissed by Israeli security narratives.

According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), data shows that this group is at increased risk due to detention and the excessive use of force, including lethal force and systematic humiliation, necessitating urgent age-, gender-, and diversity-sensitive protection responses.

The OHCHR stressed that portraying men and boys as inherent security threats translates into real harm and prevents the provision of protection. It called on states to reject these narratives, emphasizing that Palestinian men and boys are human beings with rights to safety, dignity, and protection.

The OHCHR noted that conditions of detention include torture and ill-treatment, sexual and other forms of gender-based violence, severe physical and psychosocial harm, and death in detention.