Congress: Urge President Obama to appoint a special envoy for Palestinian children
As your constituent, I am writing to ask you to urge President Obama to appoint a special envoy to protect Palestinian children living in the Occupied Territories. Forty-six percent of the 4.68 million Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are children under 18 years of age. This enormous youth population is growing up under a dehumanizing military occupation that severely limits basic opportunities and instills a sense of hopelessness. At the end of February, there were 440 Palestinian children in Israeli military detention.This is the highest number since data became available from the Israel Prison Service in 2008 and the numbers are growing. For the first time in nearly four years, Israel has reintroduced the use of administrative detention against children, a procedure whereby a child can be detained without charge or trial indefinitely. Any path towards the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires Palestinian children to be treated with dignity, respect and in accordance with their inherent human rights. I ask that you support Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s call for President Obama to appoint a “Special Envoy for Palestinian Children” to travel to the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel to hear directly from Palestinian youth and local leaders with a goal to promote greater human rights and opportunities for Palestinian youth. I look forward to hearing your views on this matter.
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