AMERICAN LEFT HISTORY

This space is dedicated to the proposition that we need to know the history of the struggles on the left and of earlier progressive movements here and world-wide. If we can learn from the mistakes made in the past (as well as what went right) we can move forward in the future to create a more just and equitable society. We will be reviewing books, CDs, and movies we believe everyone needs to read, hear and look at as well as making commentary from time to time. Greg Green, site manager

Thursday, May 09, 2019

NO WAY TO TREAT A CHILD: Stand Up for Palestinian Children Jeff Klein

Jeff Klein<info@masspeaceaction.org>

9:01 AM

To Al Johnson

NO WAY TO TREAT A CHILD: Stand Up for Palestinian Children

**Tell Your Member of Congress:

U.S. tax dollars should not be used to fund the abuse of Palestinian children

** Attend a local briefing/talk on Friday, May 24 (details below)

Dear Al,

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) has reintroduced her Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, HR 2407. Last year, a similar bill – the first in Congress to explicitly uphold the human rights of Palestinian children – garnered 30 cosponsors (Including McGovern, Clark and Moulton from Massachusetts) but was blocked in the then Republican-controlled House.

Contact your member of Congress today to cosponsor HR.2407!

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 Rights Watch have documented that th

ese 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) found that Palestinian children are frequently held for extended periods without access to either their parents or attorneys. The United States Department of State and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child have also raised serious concerns about the mistreatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military custody.

As an amendment to the Leahy Law (fundamental U.S. human rights legislation to prevent U.S. complicity in human rights atrocities), H.R. 2407 creates an accountability mechanism to prohibit U.S. funds from being used for the “military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-

treatment” of children anywhere. It also authorizes the appropriation of funds to monitor human rights abuses and to provide physical, psychological, and emotional rehabilitation to Palestinian child victims of Israel’s military detention system.

Israel is the only country in the world that systematically prosecutes 500-700 children each year in military courts lacking fundamental fair trial rights. According to Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP), Israel has, since 2012, held more than 200 Palestinian children on average in military detention at any given time.

This bill aligns US policy with our shared values of equality, freedom, and justice for all people and across all issues. Those values mean we support dismantling structural injustices and inequalities, and protecting all children from harm—especially the brown and Black children, from the US to Palestine, that are the most vulnerable to structural violence.

Challenge your member of Congress to uphold justice today. Send them an email urging them to cosponsor Rep. McCollum’s legislation and hold Israel accountable for the ongoing abuse of Palestinian children.

* * * *

And to learn more:

Friday May 24

Meet Farah Bayadsi, Palestinian Human Rights Lawyer

7-8:30 pm - Community Church of Boston

565 Boylston St. (Copley Square) Boston,

Farah Bayadsi represents children facing unlawful detention, physical abuse and psychological trauma in the Israeli military court system. She will describe her experiences and address the importance of support for H.R. 2407, a bill recently introduced in Congress. The proposed legislation bars U.S. taxpayer funding for the military detention of children by any country, including Israel. An Israeli citizen fluent in Arabic, Hebrew and English, Farah is an experienced advocate for justice, equality and human rights for Palestinian children subject to Israel’s current system of military juvenile detention. Co-Sponsors: Jewish Voice for Peace - Boston (JVP), UU’s for Justice in the Middle East(UUJME MA), Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA), Dorchester People for Peace, GRALTA Foundation, Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine, United for Justice with Peace, Jewish Women for Justice in Israel/Palestine