US lawmakers seek to prohibit taxpayer funds from supporting Israeli human rights violations
AMMAN: For the first time in the history of the US Congress, eight members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday introduced a bill prohibiting American financial support of abuses against Palestinian children in Israeli military detention.
The Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act requires the secretary of state to certify annually that no funds obligated or expended in the previous year for assistance to Israel have been used to support the ill-treatment of detained Palestinian children.
Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum, who brought the bill to the floor with eight original co-sponsors, said the legislation highlights Israel’s system of military detention of Palestinian children, and ensures that no US assistance to Israel supports human rights violations.
“Peace can only be achieved by respecting human rights, especially the rights of children,” she told Arab News.
“Congress must not turn a blind eye to the unjust and ongoing mistreatment of Palestinian children living under Israeli occupation.”
The original co-sponsors are Mark Pocan, Earl Blumenauer, Andre Carson, John Conyers Jr., Danny K. Davis, Peter A. DeFazio, Raul Grijalva, Luis V. Gutierrez, and Chellie Pingree.
Seventeen religious, peace and human rights organizations in the US have publicly supported the bill.
Defense for Children International (DCI) estimates that 10,000 Palestinians between the ages of 12 and 17 in the West Bank have been subjected to arrest, detention, interrogation or imprisonment under the jurisdiction of Israeli military courts since 2000.
The bill was drafted in response to widely documented rights violations by Israeli military and police against children in military detention, including torture and cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment.
“Despite ongoing engagement with UN bodies and repeated calls to abide by international law, Israeli military and police continue night arrests, physical violence, coercion and threats against Palestinian children,” said Khaled Quzmar, general director of DCI — Palestine.
“These practices remain institutionalized and systemic rather than last-resort measures, and we call on the US to halt its support of these violations.”
The bill aims to establish, as a minimum safeguard, a US demand for basic due-process rights and an absolute prohibition against torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian children arrested and prosecuted within the Israeli military court system.
Israel prosecutes 500-700 children each year in military courts that lack fundamental fair-trial rights and protections.
Jewish Voice for Peace, one of the US-based organizations publicly supporting the bill, said in a statement: “Jewish tradition teaches that each and every single person has inherent dignity and worth and must be treated accordingly. This legislation recognizes and acts upon the inherent dignity and worth of Palestinian children and sends the message that the United States is committed to a future with freedom, safety, and equality for both Palestinians and Israelis.”
In every annual report on Israel and the occupied territories released since 2007, US authorities have acknowledged the prevalence of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian children, and the denial of fair-trial rights in the Israeli military detention system.
Despite sustained engagement by UNICEF and repeated calls to end night arrests and ill-treatment of Palestinian children in military detention, Israeli authorities have persistently failed to implement substantive reforms to end violence against child detainees.
Brad Parker, a US attorney and staffer with DCI — Palestine, said the bill is the culmination of a congressional effort that began in 2015 with a “dear colleague” letter by McCollum.
“This was followed up in 2016 when we did another ‘dear colleague’ letter by McCollum calling on the US State Department to create a special envoy to look into systematic Israeli violations against Palestinian children. This letter was signed by 20 members of Congress,” Parker told Arab News.
“We’re realistic that it won’t become law soon, but for us the goal is to send a message about international law and bring some type of accountability to Israeli actions.”