An unidentified Palestinian mother and daughter protest Jewish settlements in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Feb. 11, 2011. Photo credit: Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com.

By Odile Hugonot Haber
Co-chair, Middle East Peace & Justice Action Committee

May 2021

On April 15, 2021, Representative Betty McCollum (D-Minn) introduced H.R. 2590: Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, building upon legislation she introduced previously to promote the human rights and safety of Palestinian children. Your help is needed now to get this important bill passed!

Israel has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states in article 37(a) that ‘‘no child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Yet “The Government of Israel and its military detains around 500 to 700 Palestinian children between the ages of 12 and 17 each year and prosecutes them before a military court system that lacks basic and fundamental guarantees of due process in violation of international standards.” Some children are put under solitary confinement.

In the West Bank, there are 3 million inhabitants, and 45% are children under 18. Gaza is under a different jurisdiction and governed by Hamas.

This proposed legislation prohibits Israel from using U.S. taxpayer dollars in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem for: the military detention, abuse, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention; to support the seizure and destruction of Palestinian property and homes in violation of international humanitarian law; or, to extend any assistance or support for Israel’s unilateral annexation of Palestinian territory in violation of international humanitarian law.

Four Steps You Can Take to Help Palestinian Children

Here are four things you can do immediately to press for an end to the unjust and blatantly cruel mistreatment of children and families living under Israeli military occupation:

1. The first thing to do is to read the Bill. Here is the full text of bill H.R. 2590.

2. The second thing is to find out if your representative has co-signed the text. You can find a list of representatives that have already cosponsored the bill here.

• If YES: Thank him/her.
• If NO: Forward the text to them (find their email online through the Find Your Representative tool)
• Or call their office, inform them that you would like to request that they cosign and why (explain).

3. Make petitions for members of your branch and your community to sign then send a copy to your representative; try to get 50/100 people to sign. Use the list from the petition to build your branches by mailing those who signed flyers or emailing something about WILPF US

4. Schedule a Zoom appointment with your representative and make a Zoom group in which you can speak about your concern. If they have Jewish concerns, tell them that both Jewish Voice for Peace (700.000 strong, 70 chapters) and J Street are supporting this bill!

Thank you for caring and for doing the work!