Reject Israeli criminalization of Palestinian NGOs

Posted by Miranda Cleland · July 27, 2022 12:07 PM

Rep. McCollum joins Christian leaders for a virtual briefing

Posted by Miranda Cleland · June 10, 2022 10:56 AM

Christian leaders call on Congress to support H.R. 2590

Posted by Miranda Cleland · June 10, 2022 10:33 AM

H.R. 2590, the “Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act” was introduced by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) on April 15, 2021. It seeks to ensure that no U.S. taxpayer funds are used by the Israeli government for the military detention of Palestinian children, the demolition of Palestinian homes and property, or to further annex Palestinian land in violation of international law.

Click to download and print this two-page fact sheet

Approximately 3 million Palestinians live in the occupied West Bank, of which around 45 percent are children under the age of 18.

Palestinian children in the West Bank, like adults, face arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment under an Israeli military detention system that denies them basic rights.

On June 20, 2016, twenty members of Congress signed a letter to President Obama urging the appointment of a Special Envoy for Palestinian Children. These lawmakers are calling for justice and equality for Palestinian children and challenging the decades-long U.S.-led 'peace process' that has consistently demanded peace without justice.

In June 2015, after three days of advocacy coordinated by the No Way to Treat a Child campaign, 19 members of Congress sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urging him to prioritize the issue of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention.

The letter, initiated by Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN), noted that "Israel's military detention system targeting children is an anomaly in the world," and that UNICEF has found ill-treatment of Palestinian children is "widespread, systematic and institutionalized" throughout the detention process. The lawmakers urged "the Department of State to elevate the human rights of Palestinian children to a priority status in [the U.S.'s] bilateral relationship with the Government of Israel."