Anti-Israel lawmaker, backed by terror-linked groups, renews effort to cease US aid to Israel

For years, Betty McCollum, claiming to protect Palestinian children, has been pushing a bill to stop U.S. funding to the Jewish state.

By Adina Katz, World Israel News

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn) has relaunched a bill titled “Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act” – this time with the support of terrorist groups.

“Not $1 of U.S. aid should be used to commit human rights violations, demolish families’ homes, or permanently annex Palestinian lands,” Congresswoman McCollum stated recently in a press release.

“The United States provides billions in assistance for Israel’s government each year–and those dollars should go toward Israel’s security, not toward actions that violate international law and cause harm. Peace can only be achieved when everyone’s human rights are respected, and Congress has a responsibility to not ignore the well-documented mistreatment of Palestinian children and families living under Israeli military occupation.

“Support is growing rapidly for the Palestinian people, who deserve justice, equality, human rights, and the right to self-determination. Prominent civil society groups, as well as Christian, Jewish, and Muslim organizations have signed on in support of this bill—because we all agree that no Palestinian child and no Jewish child should go to bed at night fearing ongoing violence. There is a path to a peaceful future, and it requires leading with our U.S. values of democracy and equal justice for all.”

McCollum provided no evidence of Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinian children, nor did she reference any Palestinian abuse of the children, such as training them to become “martyrs.” Neither did she mention Palestinian terror attacks against innocent Israelis.

Among the anti-Israel supporters of the bill are Addameer and Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P). Israel has designated both as terrorist organizations due to their ties with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

In fact, the PFLP was involved in some of the recent deadly attacks against Jews in Samaria, near the Palestinian city of Huwara, a hotbed of terror.

Regarding Addameer in particular, NGO Monitor has reported on more than a dozen current and former employees who were active members of the PFLP, including one who was actively involved in the 2019 bombing in Judea and Samaria that murdered 17-year-old Israeli Rina Shnerb.

In June 2021, AIPAC blasted McCollum when she originally launched the same bill.

In May 2022, McCollum was co-sponsor of a bill recognizing the ‘Nakba’ – Arabic for ‘catastrophe,’ referring to the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948 – together with fellow anti-Israel lawmakers Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Marie Newman.