UCC and Disciples leaders join in letter to Congress supporting Palestinian children’s rights
On November 18, 2019, twenty-six religious leaders–including United Church of Christ, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ, and Global Ministries leaders–signed a letter to Congress in support of the “Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act” (H.R. 2407), legislation that prohibits any U.S. taxpayer funds from contributing to the military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-treatment of children by any country, including Israel.
The letter and effort are consistent with UCC General Synod and Disciples General Assembly resolutions (2017), which call, among other things:
- Attention to the plight of children suffering under Israel’s prolonged military occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. In particular, these resolutions name the traumatic situation of children living with constant fear of arrest, detention, and violence at the hands of Israeli forces.
- To advocate for the human rights of the children of Palestine. These resolutions insist that, from the moment of arrest, all operations and procedures imposed on Palestinian children be carried out in accordance with international juvenile justice standards, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Israel ratified in 1991.
Click here to read the letter. And you can now sign on in support of the November 18 letter! Click here to voice your support of this initiative.
You can also take action by contacting your elected representative by using this ecumenical 3rd Thursday Action Alert (Nov. 2019) (be sure to edit the sample letter to exclude the invitation to the briefing, which has already taken place, and which can be viewed online here) or this Churches for Middle East Peace action alert (Aug. 2019).