MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Israeli parliament passed in final readings a bill allowing the imprisonment of terrorists under the age of 14, according to a statement published Wednesday.
"This law was born of necessity… We've witnessed numerous cases where 11-year-old children were suicide bombers. Perhaps this law will also do something to protect these children from being used to slaughter people," Anat Berko, the author of the bill, said, as quoted in the statement.
Under the Youth Bill, Israeli authorities will be allowed to put minors in jail if they are convicted of grave crimes such as murder, attempted murder or manslaughter.
The initiative comes as a response to numerous attacks on Israeli citizens carried out by Palestinians below the legal age of criminal responsibility.