Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota) and 16 other congresswomen have reintroduced a bill banning Israel from using US aid to detain Palestinian children, destroy Palestinian homes, or annex Palestinian lands.

Rep. McCollum and her colleagues reintroduced Friday, May 5 with the support of a growing list of civil society organizations and faith-based groups—introducing the Defense of the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, which calls for accountability and investigation of the use of American taxpayer funds.

According to a press release from McCollum's office, "The legislation prohibits the Israeli government from using US taxpayer dollars in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem for the military detention, abuse, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention; the confiscation and destruction of Palestinian property and homes in violation of international humanitarian law." or any assistance or support for the unilateral annexation of Palestinian territory in violation of international humanitarian law.”

Congresswoman McCollum said, “No dollar of American aid should be used to commit human rights abuses, demolish family homes, or permanently annex Palestinian land. The United States provides billions in aid to the government of Israel every year — and those dollars should go toward Israel’s security.” , and not towards actions that violate international law and cause harm.”

The bill, which was first introduced in Congress in 2017, builds on the advocacy efforts of Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP). In 2013, activists concerned about Israel's treatment of Palestinian children gathered in Chicago.

“We at DCIP believe the bill is a strong step toward holding the United States accountable for ensuring that U.S. military funding does not support these abuses,” Brad Parker, DCIP senior policy and advocacy advisor, told MoonDuice. .

In addition to the bill's restrictions on Israel's use of American taxpayer funds, Parker says, "The law sets forth annual certification requirements for the Secretary of State to submit to Congress to prove that the Israeli government has not used any US funding to support these activities, as well as oversight reports describing the nature and extent of Government of Israel on these activities. Furthermore, the bill calls for the Comptroller General to submit a report to Congress detailing Israel's expenditures for foreign procurement."

Reintroducing the bill Friday, Representative McCollum said, "Peace can only be achieved when the human rights of all are respected, and Congress has a responsibility not to ignore the well-documented mistreatment of Palestinian children and families living under Israeli military occupation."

In her statement, she continued, “Support is growing rapidly for the Palestinian people, who deserve justice, equality, human rights, and the right to self-determination. Civil society groups, as well as Christian, Jewish, and Muslim organizations, have signed on to support this law — because we all agree that no Palestinian child, no child, should A Jew should sleep at night in fear of continued violence. There is a path to a peaceful future, and it requires leadership with our American values of democracy and equal justice for all."

Joining Rep. McCollum as original participants: Rep. Don Baer, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Donald Payne Jr., Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Raul Grijalva, Rep. Jamal Bowman, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Cory Bush, Rep. Pramilla Jayapal, Representative Jesus "Choy" Garcia, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Representative Barbara Lee, Representative Summer Lee, and Representative Dwight Evans.