A group of five Palestinian children ages 8 to 13 were gathering wild vegetable near the illegal Jewish settlement of Havat Maon when they were arrested by Israeli troops. (Photo: Nasser Nawaj'ah/B'Tselem/Twitter)
McCollum Calls Israeli Troops' Arrest of Palestinian Children 'Extremely Disturbing'
"Using Israeli soldiers to capture little boys who were reportedly gathering wild vegetables in occupied Palestinian land is wrong," said the Minnesota Democrat.
U.S. Congresswoman Betty McCollum joined the international chorus of condemnation of Israeli troops shown in a video roughly arresting a group of Palestinian children near an illegal Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank.
"This is another example of the absolute disregard on the part of Israeli authorities and forces on the ground to the well-being and rights of Palestinians, no matter how young or vulnerable."
--Amit Gilutz, B'Tselem
The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem this week published video footage of the five children, ages 8 to 13, being dragged off and detained by heavily armed Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers near the Israeli settler colony of Havat Maon in the southern Hebron Hills.
McCollum (D-Minn.), who has been one of Congress' leading advocates for Palestinian human rights, told Middle East Eye that "using Israeli soldiers to capture little boys who were reportedly gathering wild vegetables in occupied Palestinian land is wrong."
"Seeing the images of heavily armed Israeli soldiers manhandling and detaining these five preteen Palestinian children is extremely disturbing," she added.
Al Jazeera reports the children were gathering wild vegetables when masked settlers approached them. The video shows IDF troops arriving on the scene and then pushing and dragging the boys to a nearby vehicle.
Gaby Lasky, an Israeli human rights lawyer representing the boys, said they were held for about five hours at a police station in the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba.
The video of the incident sparked international outrage and condemnation.
"This is another example of the absolute disregard on the part of Israeli authorities and forces on the ground to the well-being and rights of Palestinians, no matter how young or vulnerable," B'Tselem spokesperson Amit Gilutz told Al Jazeera.
In addition to regularly killing Palestinian children and teenagers with near-impunity, Israeli authorities also imprison hundreds of minors, some of whom have been tortured in custody, according to the United Nations. Earlier this year, B'Tselem reported 157 Palestinian minors were being held in Israeli prisons and administrative detention.
Palestinian children also face the sometimes deadly danger of Israeli colonists who, while in the process of settling on stolen Palestinian land and ethnically cleansing the indigenous population to make room for Jewish settlers, often initiate violence or carry out "price tag" attacks in response to Israeli government action against illegal settlement activity.
Common Dreams reported Friday that a dozen progressive U.S. lawmakers including McCollum sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Biden administration to "ground its engagement on Palestine and Israel in international law and human rights."
"I intend to continue to work as hard as I can to ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars provided as military aid to Israel are not being used in any way that violates the rights of any Palestinian, especially children," McCollum told Middle East Eye.
In 2019, McCollum introduced a bill that would have prohibited Israel from using any of the approximately $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid it receives to "support the military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-treatment" of Palestinian children. The bill failed to advance out of committee.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
U.S. Congresswoman Betty McCollum joined the international chorus of condemnation of Israeli troops shown in a video roughly arresting a group of Palestinian children near an illegal Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank.
"This is another example of the absolute disregard on the part of Israeli authorities and forces on the ground to the well-being and rights of Palestinians, no matter how young or vulnerable."
--Amit Gilutz, B'Tselem
The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem this week published video footage of the five children, ages 8 to 13, being dragged off and detained by heavily armed Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers near the Israeli settler colony of Havat Maon in the southern Hebron Hills.
McCollum (D-Minn.), who has been one of Congress' leading advocates for Palestinian human rights, told Middle East Eye that "using Israeli soldiers to capture little boys who were reportedly gathering wild vegetables in occupied Palestinian land is wrong."
"Seeing the images of heavily armed Israeli soldiers manhandling and detaining these five preteen Palestinian children is extremely disturbing," she added.
Al Jazeera reports the children were gathering wild vegetables when masked settlers approached them. The video shows IDF troops arriving on the scene and then pushing and dragging the boys to a nearby vehicle.
Gaby Lasky, an Israeli human rights lawyer representing the boys, said they were held for about five hours at a police station in the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba.
The video of the incident sparked international outrage and condemnation.
"This is another example of the absolute disregard on the part of Israeli authorities and forces on the ground to the well-being and rights of Palestinians, no matter how young or vulnerable," B'Tselem spokesperson Amit Gilutz told Al Jazeera.
In addition to regularly killing Palestinian children and teenagers with near-impunity, Israeli authorities also imprison hundreds of minors, some of whom have been tortured in custody, according to the United Nations. Earlier this year, B'Tselem reported 157 Palestinian minors were being held in Israeli prisons and administrative detention.
Palestinian children also face the sometimes deadly danger of Israeli colonists who, while in the process of settling on stolen Palestinian land and ethnically cleansing the indigenous population to make room for Jewish settlers, often initiate violence or carry out "price tag" attacks in response to Israeli government action against illegal settlement activity.
Common Dreams reported Friday that a dozen progressive U.S. lawmakers including McCollum sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Biden administration to "ground its engagement on Palestine and Israel in international law and human rights."
"I intend to continue to work as hard as I can to ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars provided as military aid to Israel are not being used in any way that violates the rights of any Palestinian, especially children," McCollum told Middle East Eye.
In 2019, McCollum introduced a bill that would have prohibited Israel from using any of the approximately $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid it receives to "support the military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-treatment" of Palestinian children. The bill failed to advance out of committee.
U.S. Congresswoman Betty McCollum joined the international chorus of condemnation of Israeli troops shown in a video roughly arresting a group of Palestinian children near an illegal Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank.
"This is another example of the absolute disregard on the part of Israeli authorities and forces on the ground to the well-being and rights of Palestinians, no matter how young or vulnerable."
--Amit Gilutz, B'Tselem
The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem this week published video footage of the five children, ages 8 to 13, being dragged off and detained by heavily armed Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers near the Israeli settler colony of Havat Maon in the southern Hebron Hills.
McCollum (D-Minn.), who has been one of Congress' leading advocates for Palestinian human rights, told Middle East Eye that "using Israeli soldiers to capture little boys who were reportedly gathering wild vegetables in occupied Palestinian land is wrong."
"Seeing the images of heavily armed Israeli soldiers manhandling and detaining these five preteen Palestinian children is extremely disturbing," she added.
Al Jazeera reports the children were gathering wild vegetables when masked settlers approached them. The video shows IDF troops arriving on the scene and then pushing and dragging the boys to a nearby vehicle.
Gaby Lasky, an Israeli human rights lawyer representing the boys, said they were held for about five hours at a police station in the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba.
The video of the incident sparked international outrage and condemnation.
"This is another example of the absolute disregard on the part of Israeli authorities and forces on the ground to the well-being and rights of Palestinians, no matter how young or vulnerable," B'Tselem spokesperson Amit Gilutz told Al Jazeera.
In addition to regularly killing Palestinian children and teenagers with near-impunity, Israeli authorities also imprison hundreds of minors, some of whom have been tortured in custody, according to the United Nations. Earlier this year, B'Tselem reported 157 Palestinian minors were being held in Israeli prisons and administrative detention.
Palestinian children also face the sometimes deadly danger of Israeli colonists who, while in the process of settling on stolen Palestinian land and ethnically cleansing the indigenous population to make room for Jewish settlers, often initiate violence or carry out "price tag" attacks in response to Israeli government action against illegal settlement activity.
Common Dreams reported Friday that a dozen progressive U.S. lawmakers including McCollum sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Biden administration to "ground its engagement on Palestine and Israel in international law and human rights."
"I intend to continue to work as hard as I can to ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars provided as military aid to Israel are not being used in any way that violates the rights of any Palestinian, especially children," McCollum told Middle East Eye.
In 2019, McCollum introduced a bill that would have prohibited Israel from using any of the approximately $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid it receives to "support the military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-treatment" of Palestinian children. The bill failed to advance out of committee.