April 30, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 70 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E508-E509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS FOR PALESTINIAN CHILDREN LIVING UNDER ISRAELI 
                          MILITARY OCCUPATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 30, 2019

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, it is my hope that Members of Congress 
and the American people can stand united in the belief that justice, 
human dignity, and human rights are values we share and promote. 
Certainly, when it comes to protecting the rights of children we should 
be able to find universal agreement that ensuring their safety and 
well-being is a priority.
  Today, I am introducing legislation to protect children from abuse, 
violence, psychological trauma, and torture. This bill condemns the 
targeting of children with the intent to intimidate, mistreat, and 
abuse in a manner designed to leave lifelong scars. This abuse is 
completely preventable. Unimaginably, it is abuse that is perpetrated 
not only with intent, but systematically applied to intimidate, 
control, and create fear amongst families, communities, and an entire 
population. And, unbelievably, it is in part funded by U.S. taxpayers.
  The children this legislation seeks to protect are Palestinian who 
have lived their entire lives under Israeli military occupation. The 
perpetrator of this system of child abuse is the Government of Israel 
and its military, police, and intelligence apparatus occupying the 
Palestinian West Bank. And, it is U.S. tax dollars provided by 
Congress, the unregulated $3.8 billion military aid package to Israel, 
that helps to cover the cost of Israeli soldiers arresting, 
interrogating, and abusing children, some as young as 9-years old, in 
the name of Israeli security.
  The legislation I am introducing--Promoting Human Rights for 
Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act--is 
expressly intended to end U.S. support and funding for Israel's 
systematic military detention, interrogation, abuse, torture, and 
prosecution of Palestinian children. This bill not only highlights 
actions by the Government of Israel that violate international 
humanitarian law by their treatment of Palestinian children in 
detention, it affirmatively declares that equality, human rights, and 
dignity for Palestinians and Israelis are the values the American 
people expect the U.S. government to advance.
  On March 16, 2019, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz ran an in-depth 
expose detailing the detention and mistreatment of Palestinian boys by 
Israel's military. It identifies Omar, a ten-year old boy who ``looks 
small for his age.'' Omar was arrested by Israeli soldiers last 
December as he played in front of his house because ``he threw pebbles 
at birds that were chirping in the trees.'' Soldiers saw Omar, caught 
him, knocked him down, and kicked him. Omar wet his pants. The Haaretz 
story states, ``The 10-year old is one of hundreds of Palestinian 
children whom Israel arrests every year: the estimates range between 
800 and 1,000.''
  Why would one of the world's most advanced and powerful military 
forces, a nation that possesses nuclear weapons, send soldiers to 
attack, terrorize, and detain a 10-year old boy? There can be no 
justifiable explanation.
  On April 1, 2019, only weeks ago, CNN reported on armed Israeli 
soldiers entering a primary school in Hebron to arrest a 9-year old boy 
and his 7-year old brother. Such a story is simply too extreme a 
violation of human rights and decency to be rational. Yet, it happened 
and there is video footage (provided by the Israeli human rights 
organization B'Tselem) of the soldiers in the school and the principal 
and teachers trying to protect the children. Eventually, CNN reports 9-
year old Zein was ``frog-marched away and taken to an army vehicle.'' 
Neighbors said the boy ``was taken off to a nearby military post.''
  In a terrifying description, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz tells what 
happens to the Palestinian children victimized by Israel's system of 
occupation and military detention: ``They're seized in the dead of 
night, blindfolded and cuffed, abused and manipulated to confess to 
crimes they didn't commit.''
  Since 2000, it is conservatively estimated that more than 10,000 
Palestinian children have been detained by Israeli security forces. The 
brutality and trauma inflicted on Palestinian children by Israel's 
occupation and system of military detention in the West Bank has been 
extensively documented by credible international human rights monitors, 
including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Israel's B'Tselem, 
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Defense of Children/Palestine, 
and the U.S. Department of State.
  Israel's system of military detention of Palestinian children must be 
condemned and it must stop. At a minimum, U.S. funding for this state-
sponsored child abuse must be explicitly prohibited by law and fully 
monitored and enforced by the State Department. The detention and ill-
treatment of Palestinian children is a cruel and intentional tactic of 
Israel's military occupation. It is intended to terrorize, inflict 
fear, and send an unmistakable message that Palestinian lives lack 
value.
  Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli 
Military Occupation Act amends a provision of the Foreign Assistance 
Act known as the ``Leahy Law'' (22 U.S.C. 2378d) to prohibit funding 
for the military detention of children in any country, including 
Israel. The bill explicitly declares that

[[Page E509]]

it is the policy of the United States to identify Israel's system of 
military detention of Palestinian children as a human rights violation 
inconsistent with international law and the laws of the U.S. The bill 
also establishes ``The Human Rights Monitoring and Palestinian Child 
Victims of Israeli Military Detention Fund.'' The bill authorizes $19 
million annually for NGO monitoring of human rights abuses associated 
with Israel's military detention of children. The Fund also authorizes 
qualified NGOs to provide physical, psychological, and emotional 
treatment and support for Palestinian child victims of Israeli military 
detention, abuse, and torture. Any Palestinian age 21 or younger 
providing documentation of military detention as a child is eligible 
for services under this provision.
  In 2017, I introduced H.R. 4391, the Promoting Human Rights by Ending 
Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act. My goal was to 
shine a light on the dehumanizing effects of military occupation and 
human rights abuses on Palestinian children. The more than thirty 
colleagues who joined as co-sponsors in the 115th Congress were 
courageous and fearless promoters of human dignity and the belief that 
the U.S. has the obligation to protect human rights, not use U.S. tax 
dollars to help fund the abuse of children.
  I strongly believe there is a growing consensus among the American 
people that the Palestinian people deserve justice, equality, human 
rights, and the right to self-determination. After more than fifty 
years of Israeli military occupation and now the promise by Israel's 
prime minister to annex Palestinian lands, it is time to stand up for 
Palestinian rights and stand with Palestinians, Americans, Israelis, 
and people around the world to reject the destructive, dehumanizing, 
and anti-peace policies of Prime Minister Netanyahu and President 
Trump.
  The Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under 
Israeli Military Occupation Act is a step in that direction. It gives 
my congressional colleagues a clear choice--support human rights for 
Palestinian children and their families or support perpetuating the 
occupation and repression in the name of Israel's security. For the 
cause of peace, justice, human dignity, and a better future for 
Palestinians, Israelis, and Americans I intend to work tirelessly this 
Congress to advance this bill.

                          ____________________