Shadi Khoury convicted in Israeli court
‘Shadi’s case is not unique.’
The parents of Shadi Khoury, a former student from Friends Ramallah School in the West Bank, have asked for prayers, support and advocacy after their son was convicted in an Israeli military court last month.
The court case for Shadi Khoury on 8 September followed nearly three years of legal proceedings. With sentencing scheduled for 15 December, the conviction follows his final hearing on 17 July. The ‘long ordeal’ began ‘when Shadi was only an eleventh grade student at Ramallah Friends School’, Kelly Kellum, general secretary of Friends United Meeting (FUM), said. ‘Over this period, he endured arrest accompanied by torture, a full year of house arrest, and thirty-seven court sessions.’
Shadi’s mother told the Friend: ‘We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Quakers and to Rania Maayeh, head of the Friends School for their ongoing support, care, and encouragement… Unfortunately, the circumstances remain very challenging, and the outcome of the court was unjust.’
In a statement released after the court case, the family said: ‘According to the prosecution, two minors allegedly mentioned Shadi during interrogation. However, during their testimony in court, both minors explicitly stated that they did not know Shadi and had never seen him. They further confirmed that they had been subjected to coercion and torture, and that it was the interrogators who, through methods including physical beatings and threats, compelled them to implicate Shadi during the interrogation.’
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) stressed that Shadi Khoury has consistently denied the charges that he was participating in a protest. ‘He was taken blindfolded and barefoot from his home and held for 40 days without the presence or support of his parents, enduring beatings, isolation and intense surveillance,’ it said.
Shadi’s family expressed ‘deep gratitude’ for the prayers and solidarity they have received. ‘There is now a pressing need for ongoing support, prayer, and advocacy as Shadi faces his sentencing,’ said Kelly Kellum. ‘His family also want the world to know that Shadi’s case is not unique, and that many Palestinian children and youth are detained in Israeli military prison.’
BYM echoed that Shadi’s case reflects ‘a pattern where Palestinian youth are detained, interrogated, and prosecuted under an opaque military system that denies them basic legal protections’. It suggested Friends write to their MPs to ask them to advocate for the human rights of Palestinian children, and to pressure Israeli authorities to end unjust military trials and arbitrary detentions.
‘Each year 500-700 Palestinian children are detained and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system,’ BYM highlighted. ‘UNICEF has been raising concerns about their rights with the Israeli authorities since 2013. Figures from Defense for Children International (Palestine) show that as of June 2025 there were 360 children aged 12-17 in military detention.’
