Protect Palestinian children

Tax season is over, so now we have time to consider how our tax dollars are being spent. One glaring concern should be our funding of the Israeli military. Part of that money is used to incarcerate and torture Palestinian children as young as 10 years old – arresting them at night, harassing them, keeping them in frigid rooms, forcing them to sign confessions in a foreign language without defense lawyers or parents - in military not civilian courts. Convictions are 99%, according to UNICEF. These terrible procedures are carried out with your tax dollars.

A bill coming before the House of Representative sponsored by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) would put brakes on these insidious practices: H.R. 2407, Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act. In addition to prohibiting U.S. military aid from being used to support the detention, interrogation and prosecution of Palestinian children in the Israeli courts, the bill requires the State Department to detail amounts and types of military equipment used by Israel against Palestinian children in military detention. The bill also provides treatment for children.

Please write or call our Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (509-353-2374) , and urge her to co-sponsor H.R. 2407 and help protect Palestinian children.

Nancy Street

Cheney