Former Quaker school student faces months in Israeli military prison

Shadi Khoury

Source: Quakers in Britain

Former Ramallah Friends School student Shadi Khoury has been sentenced by an Israeli military court to 32 months in prison and a 12,000-shekel fine. Palestinian Shadi Khoury was sentenced on unsubstantiated charges of participation in a protest more than three years ago, when he was still a child.

Shadi, who has consistently denied all the accusations, must turn himself in on 29 March.

Aged 16 when he was arrested by the Israeli army in October 2022, Shadi was taken blindfolded and barefoot from his home and held for 40 days without the presence or support of his parents.

During detention, he endured beatings, isolation, and intense surveillance.

This arbitrary detention and treatment are in clear breach of international law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Israel has signed and ratified.

Despite these challenges, Shadi continued his studies under house arrest. He graduated from the 150-year-old Ramallah Friends School and now studies at Birzeit University in Palestine.

Israel remains the first and only country in the world that systematically prosecutes children in military courts.

Each year, between 500 and 700 Palestinian children as young as 12 are detained and prosecuted under Israeli military law. Israeli settlers living in the same territory are subject to Israeli civilian law.

This dual legal system has been described by major human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, as amounting to apartheid under international law.

Since October 2023, conditions for Palestinians in the West Bank have worsened. In 2025 alone, Israeli forces and settlers killed 671 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 129 children.

Israeli forces have also escalated their arbitrary arrests of Palestinians, including children, with detainee numbers rising nearly sevenfold following October 2023.

Shadi's family is considering an appeal against his sentence. His mother Rania describes him as warm, shy, and confident.

"Shadi is strong and resilient," she said in January before sentencing. "He remains confident." But she warned that the student is enduring trauma which will never be forgotten.

Oliver Robertson, head of witness and worship for Quakers in Britain, said: "This sentencing is a stark reminder of the systemic injustice faced by Palestinian children.

"At Ramallah Friends School, Shadi learned about nonviolent peacemaking in line with Quaker values. His courage is a beacon of hope in dark times.

"Today, we continue to hold him, and all children facing injustice, in the Light, and pray for peace and justice to prevail."

Read more about Shadi's ordeal: https://afsc.org/newsroom/justice-shadi-khoury-and-all-palestinian-children

Israeli human rights group Btselem report that at the end of September 2025, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) was holding 350 Palestinian minors in detention or in prison on what it defined "security" grounds. At that time, the IPS was also holding 110 Palestinian minors for being in Israel illegally.