News

First-ever Bill in Congress for Palestinian Human Rights

(WASHINGTON D.C. 11/14/17)—Today, Rep. Betty McCollum [D-MN-4]  introduced historic legislation to end U.S. financial support for Israel’s abuse of Palestinian children. “The Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act” is a bill to prevent United States tax dollars from supporting the Israeli military’s ongoing detention and mistreatment of Palestinian children. The full text of the bill can be found here.

AMP has endorsed this bill and thanks Rep. McCollum for defending the rights of children in Palestine, particularly in the face of a powerful Israel Lobby. This legislation, which is cosponsored by nine other Members of Congress, is an important step towards breaking from the United States’ biased foreign policy that rarely holds Israel accountable for its crimes.

TAKE ACTION! Contact your Member of Congress to Cosponsor this Bill. 

In her press release, Rep. McCollum stated, “an estimated 10,000 Palestinian children have been detained by Israeli security forces and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system since 2000. Independent monitors such as Human RightsWatch have documented that these children are subject to abuse and, in some cases, torture — specifically citing the use of chokeholds, beatings, and coercive interrogation on children between the ages of 11 and 15. In addition, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has found that Palestinian children are frequently held for extended periods without access to either their parents or attorneys.”

Joining Congresswoman McCollum as original cosponsors of the Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act are Representatives:

Mark Pocan [D-WI-2] ✱ Earl Blumenauer [D-OR-3] ✱ André Carson [D-IN-7] ✱ John Conyers [D-MI-13] ✱ Danny K. Davis [D-IL-7] ✱ Peter A. DeFazio [D-OR-4] ✱ Raul Grijalva [D-CA-37] ✱ Luis V. Gutiérrez [D-IL-4] ✱ and Chellie Pingree [D-ME-1].

TALKING POINTS

  • This bill is a step towards justice and equality for Palestinians and would ensure transparency for American taxpayers, who deserve to know whether they fund human rights abuses of Palestinian children through the $3.8 billion in weapons we provide Israel annually.  
  • Ill-treatment of Palestinian children by Israeli forces is widespread, systematic, and institutionalized from the moment of their arrest in the Israeli military detention system.
  • Palestinian children deserve justice and equality under the law. The separate-and-unequal nature of the judicial system for Palestinian and Israeli children flies in the face of our values. US tax dollars should not fund the abuse of Palestinian children in this unequal system.

RELATED ARTICLES

Historic US bill would outlaw Israel aid used to abuse children (Electronic Intifada, 11/14/17)

Israel Uses U.S. Tax Dollars to Abuse Palestinian Children. This Bill Would Put an End to That. (The Intercept, 11/14/17)

Palestinian children's rights focus of new US bill (Al Jazeera, 11/14/17)