United Methodists are responding to Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth ,a statement of faith and urgent call to action from Christians in Palestine. UMKR seeks, through nonviolent means and in partnership with Palestinian Christians, freedom, justice and equality for all Palestinians and Israelis.
🔸= Something New or Recently Updated
News & Commentary;
Resources
Defense for Children International - Palestine
Video: HR 2590 Explained in One Minute
This short video is about HR 2590, the Palestinian Children & Families Act introduced by Betty McCollum to the previous Congress.
The current bill in Congress, H.R. 3013, has virtually the same legislative content as its predecessor, H.R. 2590, with a few updates.
The Nation
My Bill Would Stop US Aid From Funding Palestinian Suffering
by Betty McCollum See this
Mondoweiss
Betty McCollum introduces historic bill seeking to end US complicity for Israeli human rights abuses
by Josh Ruebner See this
Haaretz
Americans for Peace Now Is First U.S. Zionist Group to Back Conditioning Israel Aid See this
JVP Action Handout on HR 2590 (predecessor of HR 3103), one page
Great to use when visiting legislators and in many other ways
Download it
Congress.gov
The full text of HR 3103, the current co-sponsors, the actions taken in Congress and more See it all
Political Action Resources
H.R. 3103: The Palestinian Children and Families Act
Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act
In May of 2023, Representative Betty McCollum again introduced this historic legislation for Palestinian human rights: the first bill to leverage U.S. funding around multiple Palestinian rights issues.
H.R. 3103 would ensure that our taxpayer dollars aren’t used by the Israeli government to imprison and torture Palestinian children, destroy Palestinian homes and property, or further annex Palestinian land to Israel.
It was introduced on 5 May with 16 original cosponsors. As of 4 September, the bill has 28 co-sponsors, and that will keep growing: see the current list.
The bill has been endorsed by over 100 organizations and institutions including United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR) and the General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) of the United Methodist Church. See the list of endorsing organizations.
First endorsers also included many of our well-known partners in the Palestinian rights movement, such as Defense for Children International- Palestine (DCIP, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), and Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). There were also many groups that organize on a range of social justice issues, such as Black Lives Matter, United We Dream, and the Working Families Party.
The introduction of this legislation demonstrates the strength of the Palestinian rights movement. This bill, which could not have been imagined in Congress a decade ago, has grown from the No Way to Treat a Child campaign, which has been led by Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) and American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), and from the consistent advocacy of so many caring people across the U.S., including thousands of United Methodists.
Learn more about this bill with resources from No Way to Treat a Child:
See their Legislation Overview
See their fact sheet: Palestinian Children in Israeli Military Detention
We need many more members of Congress to stand up for the human rights of Palestinians.The taxes paid by Americans should not be bankrolling Israel’s violent oppression of Palestinians. This bill is how we start holding the U.S. accountable for where we put our money.
For those with a U.S. address:
Urge your legislators to support HR 3103 in the House of Representatives and to introduce or support a companion bill in the U.S. Senate.
See more about this bill in the column on the right »»