20 Congress members send Obama letter requesting protection of Palestinian children from Israeli abuses

Twenty Congress members have called on President Obama to take action to protect the rights of Palestinian children. The lawmakers sent the president a letter on June 20, urging him to appoint a “special envoy for Palestinian youth” in order to monitor the Israeli government’s violation of Palestinian children’s human rights. Israel’s illegal military occupation marked its 49th anniversary earlier this month. Nearly half, 46 percent, of the roughly 4.7 million Palestinians living in the Israeli-occupied territories are minors under 18 years of age. The 20 lawmakers raised concerns about Israel’s frequent imprisonment of Palestinian children as young as 12, sometimes without charge or trial.