Israel/Palestine

This week, a coalition of more than 60 national organizations sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to support the Justice for Shireen Act (H.R. 3477). The bill, introduced by Rep. Andre Carson (IN-07), would require the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State Department to publicly report on the circumstances surrounding Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s death.

The Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, H.R. 3103, introduced by Rep. Betty McCollum (MN-04), seeks to protect Palestinian human rights and ensure no U.S. taxpayer funds are used to support abusive practices in the occupied territories.

Nakba : An Arabic word meaning “catastrophe.” It refers to the ongoing violent displacement of Palestinians that began 75 years ago on May 15, 1948, when more than 700,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes during the creation of the state of Israel. For Palestinians, whether they live in Israel, the Occupied West Bank, Gaza, or in the diaspora, displacement is an ever-present reality. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) introduced a new bill, H.Res.388: Recognizing the Ongoing Nakba and Palestinian Refugees’ Rights, which seeks to recognize the Nakba as an ongoing process

On May 11, 2022, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was fatally shot by a soldier while covering an Israeli military raid at a refugee camp. The introduction of the Justice for Shireen Act (H.R.3477) one year later marks a significant step in work to prevent future human rights violations and attacks on press members.

The current situation in Israel-Palestine is a cause for great concern. In considering the role Congress should play in addressing the growing conflict, a panel of experts came together on March 23 to discuss recent actions by lawmakers and their consequences.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Win Without War, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and National Iranian American Council (NIAC) released a coalition letter, signed by nearly 50 national organizations, in response to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides’ worrying comments that “Israel can and should do whatever they need to deal with [Iran’s nuclear program] and we’ve got their back.”

Shadi Khouri is a 16-year-old student at the Ramallah Friends School, a 150-year-old Quaker school in Palestine. This week he was arrested, held in Israeli military detention, and interrogated without the presence of a parent or lawyer. What is happening to Shadi is terrifying and—devastatingly—not unique. This violation is just one example of the systematic abuse felt by Palestinian children living under occupation.

My time at RFS was part of my recent journey through Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territory (oPT). I wanted to better understand the Israeli occupation and blockade of Gaza from the perspectives of those living there and discuss ways to address these challenges.

To say the students at the Ramallah Friends School have had to grow up too fast under the Israeli occupation is an understatement. They described life under the restrictive system of checkpoints and other forms of control and repression.