[rad-green] Christian leaders urge Congress to curb Israeli torture of children

*https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/christian-leaders-urge-congress-curb-israeli-torture-children
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/christian-leaders-urge-congress-curb-israeli-torture-children>Electronic
Intifada          18 November 2019*



*Christian leaders urge Congress to curb Israeli torture of childrenBy Ali
Abunimah*

*[image: A woman with a microphone in front of American flag]*
*Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren markets herself as
fearless in the face of *
*entrenched interests, but won’t stand up for Palestinian children’s
rights. (Gage Skidmore)*

Two dozen Christian leaders are calling on the US Congress to support a
bill to curb Israeli torture of Palestinian children.

This comes as progressive lawmakers are being challenged over their failure
to uphold Palestinian rights. In Chicago, activists occupied the office of
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky to demand she back the bill.

In a letter <https://www.afsc.org/document/faith-leaders-support-hr-2407> to
US lawmakers, the faith leaders say that thousands of Palestinian children
have been “prosecuted and incarcerated” by the Israeli army in recent years.

“Often dragged from their homes in the middle of the night by armed
soldiers, they suffer physical and emotional violence and frequently face
verbal abuse, humiliation and intimidation,” the letter states.

“These children are interrogated, usually without family or lawyers
present, and often sign confessions in Hebrew, a language many do not
understand.”

Introduced by Congresswoman Betty McCollum
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/betty-mccollum>, HR 2407 would prohibit
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/democrats-clash-over-bill-curb-israeli-torture-children>
US
funding to Israeli military units found to be involved in abuses of
Palestinian children. It also allocates millions of dollars to investigate
such abuses.

Signatories of the letter urging lawmakers to back the bill include
Reverend Michael B. Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church,
Reverend Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, Jim Winkler, president of the National Council of
Churches, and Johnny Zokovitch, executive director of the Catholic peace
movement Pax Christi USA.

McCollum will be holding a briefing <https://www.afsc.org/NoWayBriefing> on
Capitol Hill this week to urge more lawmakers to support HR 2407.
Progressive except for Palestine

Last week in Chicago, activists staged a sit-in at the district office of
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky to demand she co-sponsor the McCollum bill.

Schakowsky, who has represented the city’s North Side and northern suburbs
since 1999, has a reputation as a progressive – except on the issue of
Palestine.

The activists from the US Palestinian Community Network, the Chicago
chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace and the American Friends Service
Committee held signs saying “Protect Palestinian children” as they occupied
Schakowsky’s office.

Jewish Voice for Peace is circulating a petition
<https://secure.everyaction.com/ByN0MYd010-y9Y3ngxyCCw2> demanding that
Schakowsky support the bill or at least stop thwarting it.

“For years, local activists and constituents have been urging her to take
concrete action to put an end to the arrest, detention and abuse of
Palestinian children by the Israeli military in the West Bank,” the
petition states.

“We have been asking her to ensure the annual $3.8 billion in military
funding the Israeli government receives from the US isn’t being used for
human rights abuses against Palestinian children.”

Yet Schakowsky has “consistently refused to do so,” according to the
petition.

Now, the petition states, the congresswoman is “refusing to join 22 of her
progressive colleagues in cosponsoring HR 2407. Even worse, she appears to
have begun misleading constituents as to the current situation on the
ground facing children to undermine support for the bill.”

Activists ended the sit-in after being promised a private meeting with
Schakowsky in coming weeks.

According <https://twitter.com/uspcn/status/1195394103279865858> to the US
Palestinian Community Network, activists plan to use the meeting to discuss
HR 2407 and “express our disappointment in the unconditional support she
has for Israel and its war crimes.”
“The worst dodge I’ve ever seen”

Last week, Democratic hopeful Senator Elizabeth Warren came under renewed
scrutiny for her failure to support Palestinian rights.

Journalists <https://twitter.com/WalkerBragman/status/1194799868335861760>
shared <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ht0cy7Fcss> a clip of Warren
dodging a direct question over whether she would support the McCollum
legislation.

The journalists shared the video apparently under the impression that
Warren’s comments were fresh.

In fact, the question was asked by journalist Sam Husseini at a press
conference in Washington last year
<https://husseini.posthaven.com/elizabeth-warrens-anti-corruption-specificity-evaporates-when-foreign-policy-is-raised>
.

The year-old video of Warren gained
<https://twitter.com/BerniesBack2020/status/1194781761252864009> traction
<https://twitter.com/samhusseini/status/1196079175649701889> in recent
days amid
criticism <https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1196075029554962432> of
Warren’s approach to foreign policy, after she failed to condemn the
military coup in Bolivia.

Husseini had also asked the senator if she would cut the bloated US
military budget to pay for basic needs of the American people.

But Warren failed to directly answer either question.

Last week, influential progressive commentator Kyle Kulinski slammed
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ht0cy7Fcss> Warren’s response as “the
worst dodge I’ve ever seen.”

“The question was so straightforward and so simple, and she couldn’t answer
it in a plain way,” Kulinski said.

“If you are in favor of cutting military spending, and are in favor of
protecting the rights of Palestinian children, here’s how you answer,”
Kulinski added: “Yes, I’m in favor of that bill and I’ll co-sponsor it, and
yes I’m going to cut military spending. That’s it. That’s all you gotta do.”

In recent weeks, Warren has indicated
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/michael-f-brown/democratic-pro-israel-group-attacks-bernie-sanders>
she
may use US military aid as leverage to curb Israeli abuses. But her most
detailed policy statement to date
<https://www.cfr.org/article/elizabeth-warren> on the question of Palestine
still contains no commitment to support McCollum’s legislation or introduce
it in the Senate.

Warren has a consistently poor record
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/elizabeth-warren-wont-stand-israels-crimes>
when
it comes to Palestinian rights.

Moreover she represents a state – Massachusetts – with a concentration
<https://www.massdevelopment.com/assets/who-we-help/pdfs/annual-reports/NEDIS_122015.pdf>
of
powerful war industry firms, including Raytheon, which she has long courted
<https://www.thedailybeast.com/elizabeth-warren-turns-on-the-defense-industry-she-once-courted>
.

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