Tell Congress: Protect the Children of Umm Al-Kheir

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House Leads Signers

I am writing to urge you to sign the letter led by Representatives Raskin, DeLauro, Casten, and Jacobs calling on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to see to the removal of a razor wire fence obstructing access to school for Palestinian children from the West Bank village of Umm Al-Kheir.
Since mid-April, settlers from the nearby settlement of Carmel have maintained a fence blocking the path that Umm Al-Kheir's children use to travel to school. Villagers sought assistance from Israeli police and soldiers arrived. Rather than intervening against the settlers, the soldiers shot tear gas toward the children, exposing more than two dozen children to gas on their own route to class. The Israeli military has since proposed an alternative route, but it roughly doubles the distance students must travel and forces them to pass dangerously close to the settlement itself. Many families have judged it too dangerous to use. As a result, children in the village have gone without an education for over three months.
This episode is part of a broader pattern facing Umm Al-Kheir, which has endured sustained demolition threats and settler violence in recent years. In July 2025, a settler killed Awdah Hathaleen, a teacher at the village school and a contributor to the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. His five-year-old son was among the children exposed to tear gas at the fence this April.
This letter asks Prime Minister Netanyahu to order the fence removed and safeguard these children's right to get to school. This incident is one of many violations of the rights of Palestinians that his government needs to address. Your signature would help convey that Members of Congress are paying attention to what the Israeli government is doing in the West Bank.
I urge you to sign this letter.

I am writing to thank you for your letter calling on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to see to the removal of a razor wire fence obstructing Palestinian children's access to school in the West Bank village of Umm Al-Kheir.
As you know, since mid-April, settlers from the nearby settlement of Carmel have maintained a fence blocking the path that Umm Al-Kheir's children use to travel to school. Villagers sought assistance from Israeli police and soldiers arrived. Rather than intervening against the settlers, the soldiers shot tear gas toward the children, exposing more than two dozen children to gas on their own route to class. The Israeli military has since proposed an alternative route, but it roughly doubles the distance students must travel and forces them to pass dangerously close to the settlement itself. Many families have judged it too dangerous to use. As a result, children in the village have gone without an education for over three months.
Thank you for leading this important letter. This incident is one of many violations of the rights of Palestinians that the Israeli government needs to address. Your leadership helps to demonstrate that Members of Congress are paying attention to what the Israeli government is doing in the West Bank.

I am writing to thank you for signing the letter led by Representatives Raskin, DeLauro, Casten, and Jacobs defending the children of Umm Al-Kheir’s ability to grow up in a safe environment with access to education.
As you know, since mid-April, settlers from the nearby settlement of Carmel have maintained a fence blocking the path that Umm Al-Kheir's children use to travel to school. Villagers sought assistance from Israeli police and soldiers arrived. Rather than intervening against the settlers, the soldiers shot tear gas toward the children, exposing more than two dozen children to gas on their own route to class. The Israeli military has since proposed an alternative route, but it roughly doubles the distance students must travel and forces them to pass dangerously close to the settlement itself. Many families have judged it too dangerous to use. As a result, children in the village have gone without an education for over three months.
This episode is part of a broader pattern facing Umm Al-Kheir, which has endured sustained demolition threats and settler violence in recent years. In July 2025, a settler killed Awdah Hathaleen, a teacher at the village school and a contributor to the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. His five-year-old son was among the children exposed to tear gas at the fence this April.
Thank you for signing this letter. This incident is one of many violations of the rights of Palestinians that the Israeli government needs to address. Your signature helps convey that Members of Congress are paying attention to what the Israeli government is doing in the West Bank.

Dear [Your Elected Official],

I am writing to urge you to sign the letter led by Representatives Raskin, DeLauro, Casten, and Jacobs calling on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to see to the removal of a razor wire fence obstructing access to school for Palestinian children from the West Bank village of Umm Al-Kheir.

Since mid-April, settlers from the nearby settlement of Carmel have maintained a fence blocking the path that Umm Al-Kheir's children use to travel to school. Villagers sought assistance from Israeli police and soldiers arrived. Rather than intervening against the settlers, the soldiers shot tear gas toward the children, exposing more than two dozen children to gas on their own route to class. The Israeli military has since proposed an alternative route, but it roughly doubles the distance students must travel and forces them to pass dangerously close to the settlement itself. Many families have judged it too dangerous to use. As a result, children in the village have gone without an education for over three months.

This episode is part of a broader pattern facing Umm Al-Kheir, which has endured sustained demolition threats and settler violence in recent years. In July 2025, a settler killed Awdah Hathaleen, a teacher at the village school and a contributor to the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. His five-year-old son was among the children exposed to tear gas at the fence this April.

This letter asks Prime Minister Netanyahu to order the fence removed and safeguard these children's right to get to school. This incident is one of many violations of the rights of Palestinians that his government needs to address. Your signature would help convey that Members of Congress are paying attention to what the Israeli government is doing in the West Bank.

I urge you to sign this letter.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your City & State]

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Summary

All children deserve to grow up in a safe environment with access to education, but for over three months, a new fence erected by settlers in the southern West Bank has blocked the path students use to get to school. Members of Congress are paying attention and are preparing a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about this outrage. Ask your Representative to add their name.  In mid-April, settlers from the settlement of Carmel erected a razor-wire fence to block the path that children in Umm Al-Kheir use to reach their school. Villagers called Israeli police for help. But instead of removing the fence, soldiers showed up and shot tear gas toward the children. More than two dozen kids, including a five-year-old, were gassed on their way to class. Parents have been forced to choose: send their kids down a route that roughly doubles the distance and passes dangerously close to the settlement, or keep them home. Many have chosen to keep them home. This is the latest chapter in a long string of injustices facing Umm Al-Kheir. The village has spent years fending off demolition threats and settler violence, including the killing of Awdah Hathaleen by a settler in July 2025. Hathaleen was a teacher at the village school and a contributor to the Oscar-winning film No Other Land. His five-year-old son was among the children tear-gassed at the fence this April. Representatives Jamie Raskin, Rosa DeLauro, Sean Casten, and Sara Jacobs are circulating a letter demanding Prime Minister Netanyahu order the fence removed and ensure these kids can get to school safely. This incident is one of many violations of the rights of Palestinians that the Israeli government needs to address. This letter sends a message that Congress is paying attention. Ask your representative to sign on.

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