One of the difficult things to do in these trying times is come together. The politicalization of our daily lives leads us to often forget that sometimes issues can be broken down simply into wrong and right. We must come together for the protection of children.
On April 15, Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., introduced House Resolution 2590, the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act. HR 2590 seeks to promote human rights for Palestinian children and families by prohibiting Israeli authorities from using U.S. taxpayer funds to detain Palestinian children, seize Palestinian homes and further annex Palestinian land in the West Bank.
In 2020, U.S. taxpayers contributed $3.8 billion in aid to Israel. This is part of a yearly commitment made by the Obama administration. Almost all of this aid is for military assistance. However, there is no transparency if the money is being used to detain Palestinian children in military detention, as there is currently no tracking of how this money is spent. HR 2590 calls for certification from the State Department that U.S. taxpayers are not blindly funding the systemic abuse of children.
Gino Ferretti
South Park
The writer is communications coordinator for the Western Pennsylvania chapter of Veterans for Peace.