Rights group accuses Jewish West Bank settlements of using Palestinian child labor in farming

JERUSALEM – Human Rights Watch says Jewish West Bank settlements are using Palestinian child labor in farming.

In a 74-page report issued Monday, the group says the farms employ children as young as 11, pay them low wages and subject them to dangerous working conditions. It says they often work in high temperatures, carry heavy loads and are exposed to hazardous pesticides.

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war and has built dozens of settlements there since. Palestinians from nearby villages often find employment there in construction and agriculture.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, says: "Israel's settlements are profiting from rights abuses against Palestinian children."

Israel's Economy Ministry said they were looking into the report.