New Legislation for Palestinian Children’s Rights

Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota just reintroduced her legislation in Congress that would prohibit US tax dollars from funding the Israeli military detention of Palestinian children—and this time, it’s an even stronger challenge to occupation and apartheid. The bill is the followup to H.R. 4391 in the last Congress, which gained 31 cosponsors.

This bill exists because every year, Israel detains and prosecutes between 500 and 700 Palestinian children in military courts that have a conviction rate of 99.74%. Instead of living free and safe childhoods, Palestinian children fear Israeli soldiers pulling them from their beds in the middle of the night to face torture and ill-treatment.

H.R. 2407, the Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, amends an existing human rights law known as the “Leahy Law” to specifically prohibit US funds from being used for the “military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-treatment” of children.

The bill aims to end US funding for Israeli human rights abuses and lay the groundwork for achieving justice. H.R. 2407 authorizes the appropriation of funds to monitor human rights abuses and to provide physical, psychological, and emotional rehabilitation to Palestinian children who have been victims of Israel’s military detention system.

To see the legislation, click here.

Help encourage Congressional support for this important Human Rights legislation by signing the Resolution in Support of H.R. 2407 and getting other organizations and individuals to do so as well. As we build a list of endorsements we will deliver the Resolution to Congresspersons to show that their constituents want them to support H.R. 2407.