With just hours left before today’s deadline, 13 Members of Congress have now joined the call for Palestinian children’s human rights.
Led by U.S. Representative Betty McCollum, these elected officials are signing a letter (PDF) to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that urges him to raise the human rights of Palestinian children in his dealings with the Government of Israel.
Many – but not all – of the signers are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. But many members of the Progressive Caucus have yet to sign the letter.
Scroll down to see the list.
According to UNICEF (PDF), since 2003, more than 7,000 Palestinian children living in the occupied West Bank have been detained, interrogated, prosecuted, and/or imprisoned within the Israeli military justice system. The UN has separately reported that Israeli forces have been responsible for injuring more than 1,500 Palestinian children there in the span of three years.
Call Your Member of Congress Now: (202) 224-3121
- Whether they are liberal or conservative, your elected U.S. Representative needs to hear from you.
- Ask them to support the human rights of Palestinian children and sign U.S. Representative Betty McCollum’s “Dear Colleague” letter to Secretary of State John Kerry.
- The deadline is today, June 18th.
The letter includes the following message to Secretary of State John Kerry:
“Secretary Kerry, we urge the Department of State to elevate the human rights of Palestinian children to a priority status in our bilateral relationship with the Government of Israel. Furthermore, we fully expect the State Department to address the status of Israel’s military detention system’s treatment of Palestinian children in its annual human rights report.”
Who has already signed the letter?
Rep Betty McCollum
Rep Jim McDermott
Rep Keith Ellison
Rep Bobby Rush
Rep Danny Davis
Rep Raúl M. Grijalva
Rep André Carson
Rep Anna G. Eshoo
Rep Peter DeFazio
Rep Earl Blumenauer
Rep John Conyers
Rep Chellie Pingree
Rep Barbara Lee
Who signed the letter from the Congressional Progressive Caucus?
Rep Jim McDermott
Rep Keith Ellison
Rep Danny Davis
Rep Raúl M. Grijalva
Rep André Carson
Rep Peter DeFazio
Rep John Conyers
Rep Chellie Pingree
Rep Barbara Lee
Who are the Progressive Caucus Members who haven’t yet signed?
Rep. Michael Honda
Rep. Alan Grayson
Rep. Maxine Waters
Rep. James McGovern
Rep. John Lewis
Rep. Charles Rangel
Rep. Mark Pocan
Rep. Matt Cartwright
Rep. David Cicilline
Rep. Ruben Gallego
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Rep. Jan Schakowsky
Rep. Mark Takano
Rep. Alma Adams
Rep. Karen Bass
Rep. Xavier Becerra
Rep. Don Beyer
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici
Rep. Corrine Brown
Rep. Michael Capuano
Rep. Judy Chu
Rep. Katherine Clark
Rep. Yvette Clarke
Rep. Steve Cohen
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman
Rep. Elijah Cummings
Rep. Rosa DeLauro
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier
Rep. Debbie Dingell
Rep. Sam Farr
Rep. Chaka Fattah
Rep. Lois Frankel
Rep. Marcia Fudge
Rep. Luis Gutierrez
Rep. Janice Hahn
Rep. Jared Huffman
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
Rep. Hank Johnson
Rep. Joe Kennedy III
Rep. Brenda Lawrence
Rep. Ted Lieu
Rep. David Loebsack
Rep. Alan Lowenthal
Rep. Carolyn Maloney
Rep. Gwen Moore
Rep. Jerrold Nadler
Rep. Grace Napolitano
Rep. Rick Nolan
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
Rep. Frank Pallone
Rep. Jared Polis
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard
Rep. Jose Serrano
Rep. Louise Slaughter
Rep. Mark Takai
Rep. Bennie Thompson
Rep. Nydia Velazquez
Rep. Peter Welch
Rep. Frederica Wilson
Take Action:
While Palestinian children and adults face Israeli military courts, Israeli settlers benefit from Israeli civil law. Israel gives settlers a different system of justice — even though they are living illegally in the very same occupied Palestinian territories.
That’s why more Members of Congress need to support the call. Urge your U.S. Representative to sign the “McCollum letter on Palestinian children’s human rights.”
If this does nothing more than raise awareness for the thousands of Palestinian political prisoners being held illegally in apartheid Israeli jails many of them children, I feel it is a start. No one expects Kerry to do anything but the world is rousing from its slumber and we are seeing the millions of people who are sharing their humanitarian desire for a free PALESTINE. My thoughts are with the families of the kidnapped and imprisoned children. Often tortured and afraid their poor parents are powerless to protect them as they have no rights under apartheid Israeli law. My heart goes out to the families and communities of the youngsters routinely killed. The Israelis kill a Palestinian child every three days we can not even imagine what that kind of torment does to a community and their stoic peaceful resistance is amazing.
We are our brothers keeper an as God children, we should share God love an sign: Secretary Kerry, we urge the Department of State to elevate the human rights of Palestinian children to a priority status in our bilateral relationship with the Government of Israel. Furthermore, we fully expect the State Department to address the status of Israel’s military detention system’s treatment of Palestinian children in its annual human rights report.”
#WeNeedEachOther
A heart felt thank you to all the real leaders who signed. We see you and stand with you against this crime against humanity.
In America we always saying for the children. Well how about these children. Why we stop caring?
Is this the right photo to use when you are referring to Palestinian Children being held by Israeli Soldiers?
Betty McCollum is my representative, and I'm feeling very proud of her! Can't believe any progressive would fail to sign this letter.
Your "Take Action" link is not working.
même soldat même petites filles? ………………. .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sxqsmv0T1A