Stolen Youth | Catherine Cook, Adam Hanieh & Adah Kay

Stolen Youth: The Politics of Israel's Detention of Palestinian Children

Extended Synopsis

Stolen Youth is a pioneering study examining the systemic incarceration of Palestinian children within the Israeli military court and prison systems. Utilizing direct, firsthand testimony from international human rights organizations, NGO field workers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and hundreds of affidavits collected from formally detained youth, this volume outlines an analytical account of institutional abuses that remain largely unaddressed by the broader international community.

Divided into three comprehensive sections, the authors offer a rigorous critique of contemporary international legal frameworks and United Nations systems, demonstrating how an institutional insistence on neutrality often masks underlying power disparities. The book traces the trajectory of youth experiences from the immediate point of arrest through interrogation, detention, and release. By analyzing the structural mechanics behind these policies, Stolen Youth evaluates how institutional discrimination and security arguments are deployed within the broader system of territorial control.

Reader Targeting

• Scholars, researchers, and students of Middle Eastern history, geopolitics, and international relations.
• Human rights advocates, legal professionals, and NGO workers specializing in juvenile justice and international humanitarian law.
• Readers seeking documented, academic perspectives on state security policies and structural systems of control.

Author Biographies

Catherine Cook, Adam Hanieh, and Adah Kay are dedicated researchers and human rights advocates with extensive backgrounds in documenting geopolitical conflicts and institutional policy frameworks. Their collaborative scholarship bridges rigorous field documentation with structural political analysis, providing critical, accurate insights into the intersection of international law and human rights in the Middle East.

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