Under Israel’s prolonged military occupation, millions of Palestinians are denied their basic rights. Since 2000, more than 10,000 Palestinian children in the West Bank have been arrested and held in Israeli military detention, where their rights to protection and due process are systematically violated. And since 2006, at least 12,767 Palestinians, including 5,700 children, have lost their homes under Israeli policies that fuel forced displacement and home demolitions in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

In the United States, anyone age 16 or over can now schedule an appointment to get vaccinated against COVID-19. But in most places around the world, residents are waiting to have access to this life-saving protection. That includes my mother, who is over 90 years old and has no idea when she’ll have her shot at the vaccine. 

Everyone deserves dignity and justice. But in the United States, 2.3 million people are locked away in prisons, jails, and detention centers, where they are subject to civil and human rights violations and a lack of access to adequate health care.

Alice* is a peacebuilder in the Dinka community of South Sudan. She helps community members heal from the trauma of war, violence, and loss. She also helps resolve conflicts among family members, clans, and tribes.  

This week we look at HR 2590, a landmark piece of legislation in US Congress that hopes to hold the Israeli government accountable for the violent detention of Palestinian children, demolition of Palestinian homes, and other abuses. AFSC’s Jennifer Bing is joined by activist Zeina Hutchison and Shaina Low, advocacy officer at Defense for Children International-Palestine, AFSC’s partner organization in the #NoWayToTreatAChild campaign.