US Treasury: Most COVID rental aid went to low-income residents

Fri., February 25, 2022


WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 80% of the billions of dollars in federal rental assistance aimed at keeping families in their homes during the pandemic went to low-income tenants, the Treasury Department said.

It also concluded Thursday that the largest percentage of tenants receiving pandemic aid were Black followed by female-led households. In the fourth quarter of 2021, Treasury found that more than 40% of tenants getting help were Black and two-thirds of recipients were female-headed households. The data was consistent with what Treasury saw throughout the year.

“This is money that flows from Treasury to every state and territory in the country, and we really have seen a real focus on delivering these dollars,” said Noel Andrés Poyo, the deputy assistant secretary for Community Economic Development at Treasury. "It has been encouraging from my point of view to see states that are very diverse and to see these agencies lean into something really hard, it was really tough to stand up these programs, this data reflects where the need was.”

According to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, those most likely to face eviction are low-income women, especially women of color. Domestic violence victims and families with children are also at high risk for eviction.

“It’s really encouraging to see so much of the rental assistance reaching those most in need: women, Black renters, and low-income households in particular,” Peter Hepburn, a research fellow at the Eviction Lab, said. “These are the groups that face highest risk of eviction and who were most severely affected by the economic impacts of the pandemic. They’re the ones that this money was meant to help.”

Lawmakers approved $46.5 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance last year. After early challenges getting the funds out, the pace of distribution has picked up significantly in recent months. Throughout 2021, over $25 billion has been spent and obligated. That represents 3.8 million payments to households, Treasury said Thursday.

The agency's findings on beneficiaries showed their efforts to reach low income communities the past year had paid off.

Among other things, Treasury recommended states and localities make applications multi-lingual and introduced flexible guidelines that allow tenants to self-attest for their income. It also targeted harder-to-reach communities and worked to promote the rental assistance program in Black and Spanish media.

“A year later, Treasury is pleased to report that the vast majority of rental assistance has gone to keeping the lowest-income families in their homes during the pandemic," Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement. “This wasn’t by accident, and we continue to use every lever to ensure these funds are distributed equitably and encourage state and local grantees to increase ease of access.”

A good example has been Oregon, which said it went beyond Treasury guidance in how funds would be prioritized such as whether a household lives in a census tract with a high percentage of low income renter at risk of experiencing housing instability or homelessness. Applications are available in five languages and priority given to those most in need, not those who are first to apply.

“Our collective efforts to ensure these funds reach the lowest income and most marginalized people is clearly working,” Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said. “Households that received assistance were predominantly very low and extremely low income and disproportionately people of color.”

___

Casey reported from Boston.

Michael Casey And Fatima Hussein, The Associated Press

Oregon Lawmakers Propose $400M For Housing And Homelessness

By SARA CLINE
Associated Press/Report for America

 Frank, a homeless man, sits in his tent with a river view in Portland, Ore., on June 5, 2021. Lawmakers in Oregon's Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, proposed a $400 million package to "urgently" address affordable housing and homelessness in a state that has one of the highest rates of unhoused people in the country. 

(AP Photo/Paula Bronstein, File)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Lawmakers in Oregon’s Legislature on Thursday proposed a $400 million package to urgently address affordable housing and homelessness in a state that has one of the highest rates of unhoused people in the country.

A 2020 federal review found that 35 people in Oregon are experiencing homelessness per 10,000. Only three states had a higher rate: New York (47 people per 10,000), Hawaii (46 people per 10,000) and California (41 people per 10,000).

The plan from majority Democrats, which is being offered during Oregon's current short legislative session, would allocate $165 million to address immediate homelessness needs statewide — including increasing shelter capacity and outreach to the vulnerable population — $215 million to build and preserve affordable housing and $20 million to support home ownership.

“We have heard from Oregonians that they want to see action to address homelessness and housing affordability and solutions that work,” House Majority Leader Julie Fahey said.

With the proposed package, officials are hoping to not only provide relief to people currently experiencing homelessness, but to also address some of the root causes.

As part of the $165 million in homelessness spending, $50 million would be allocated to Project Turnkey, which buys and repurposes hotels and other buildings to convert into shelter.

In addition $80 million would be used for immediate statewide needs, such as rapid rehousing, and $25 million would go to local governments to respond to the specific needs in their communities –- including shelter, outreach, hygiene and clean-ups.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is leading a lobbying effort to pressure the state to immediately fund temporary homeless shelters.

Currently, Multnomah County, which includes Portland, has the capacity to shelter roughly 1,400 to 1,500 people year-round. There were about 4,000 people experiencing homelessness in Multnomah County in 2019, the last time there was a finalized count of the area’s homeless population — although local advocates predict that the homeless population has increased significantly since then.

Wheeler has blamed the lack of beds on state leaders, who he said have underinvested in temporary shelters compared with neighboring states.

“We need the state government to step up and match the funding levels to expand temporary shelter space now and save lives,” Wheeler said. “This is an Oregon issue, not just a Portland issue.”

Rep. David Gomberg, a Democrat representing Oregon's Central Coast, said: “Our rural and coastal communities suffer the highest child homelessness in the state.”

One of the root causes that advocates in Oregon say leads to homelessness is a lack of affordable housing, an issue that the state has long faced but has been exacerbated during the pandemic.

According to a study published by the state, Oregon must build more than 140,000 affordable homes over the next 20 years and not lose any existing homes.

Lawmakers are proposing $165 million investment in affordable housing. The investment includes supporting affordable housing construction projects struggling with market and supply chain disruptions, acquiring and producing manufactured housing parks, and supporting land acquisition for additional projects.

Fahey acknowledged that while some of the proposed investments may have a more immediate impact, the problems the state faces are not going to be solved overnight.

“We have to be thinking about things that will make a difference in the short term,” Fahey said. “But also, planning for the long term and addressing the root causes of issues.”

—-

Cline is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

NOT GREENWASHING

South African Province Clears Way for $10 Billion Coal Complex

Antony Sguazzin, Bloomberg News

African workers stand beneath a work safety sign at the construction site for a hydro pumping station which will supply water from the Limpopo river to nearby rice farms owned by Wanbao Grains & Oils Co., a Chinese company, in the Limpopo Valley near Xai Xai village, Mozambique, on Friday, March 24, 2017. The granaries and surveillance cameras in this corner of southern Mozambique were part of a wave of Chinese investment in overseas farms and agriculture companies a decade ago that sparked accusations of a land-grab as the Asian country tried to secure enough food for its future. Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) --

South Africa’s Limpopo province gave environmental authorization to a China-backed proposal to spend more than $10 billion building a 4,600 megawatt coal-fired power plant, a coking facility and ferroalloy and steel plants.

The authorization, granted on Wednesday, backed the establishment of the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone, in which a number of Chinese companies have pledged to invest, according to South Africa’s Trade, Industry and Competition ministry. 

The project, which is not factored into the country’s emissions targets, may still be opposed by the government at a national level and will draw opposition from activists concerned about its impact on thousands of Baobab trees, which take hundred of years to grow, water supplies and air pollution. 

The Chinese government has also said it won’t invest in coal projects outside the country.

The province acknowledged the potential impact on ancestral graves, cautioned against air pollution, saying measures would need to be taken to mitigate emissions and water will be imported from neighboring Zimbabwe. Still, in justifying the decision, it said the province is South Africa’s poorest and has high unemployment.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

 

South Africa Removes Anti-Nuclear Activist From Regulatory Board

Antony Sguazzin, Bloomberg News

Gwede Mantashe Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- South African Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe fired community representative Peter Becker from the board of the National Nuclear Regulator, citing a conflict of interest.

Mantashe said Becker was opposed to the development of new nuclear-power facilities or the extension of the life of South Africa’s existing one, Koeberg, and therefore couldn’t be objective, according to a letter sent to the activist on Friday that was seen by Bloomberg. 

The dispute that led to Becker’s removal highlights the difficulties Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. is facing in its fight to keep its Koeberg nuclear plant in Cape Town operating until 2044. Mantashe, a former coal-mining labor unionist and chairman of the ruling African National Congress, has emerged as a vocal supporter of the nuclear industry, while drawing criticism from environmental activists. Becker, by contrast, is also a spokesman for the Koeberg Alert Alliance, which wants the plant closed.

“You confirm that the Koeberg Alert Alliance is opposed to any new nuclear plants being established, as well as the extension of the life of Koeberg and that you hold those same views,” Mantashe said in the letter. “How then can you make an objective decision when presented with objective, scientific evidence in respect of the extension of the life of Koeberg?” 

By law, the minister has to appoint a community representative to the board. He complained, in the letter, that Becker had brought the board into disrepute by objecting publicly to its decisions. Becker was suspended on July 18 and then sued Mantashe, forcing the minister to make a decision whether to retain him or fire him from the board.

Becker said he will consult with his legal team and the communities he was representing before responding.

While Eskom has yet to receive final permission to extend the life of Koeberg, the only nuclear-power facility in Africa, it has started a program to spend about 20 billion rand ($1.3 billion) on new steam generators as part of the work needed to keep it operating.

Becker and Koeberg Alert have opposed the extension of Koeberg’s operating license because of the nuclear plant’s proximity to Cape Town, a city of 4 million people, citing what they say is a potential for earthquakes.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

GOOD RIDDANCE TO MR.ANTI-SCIENCE 

Climate Skeptic Jim Inhofe to Quit U.S. Senate, Back His Chief of Staff

Ari Natter, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) -- Oklahoma Republican Senator Jim Inhofe, a leading skeptic of climate change who is his party’s ranking member on the Armed Services Committee, plans to resign the seat that he has held since 1994.

Inhofe, 87, told the Oklahoman newspaper that he’s endorsing Luke Holland, his chief of staff, as his replacement to finish out his term, which ends in January 2027. He plans to remain in office through the end of the year.

Inhofe, who was elected to fifth six-year term in 2020, told the Oklahoman that he and his wife, Kay, “have decided that we need to have time together.” 

As the top Republican of the Senate Armed Services Committee,  Inhofe is a prominent voice on national security and military spending issues. Inhofe, who also previously led the Senate’s environmental panel, vigorously defended his home state’s oil and gas industry and is one of the party’s leading skeptics on climate change. He made headlines for bringing a snowball onto the Senate floor during debate over the issue in 2015.

Other potential Republican contenders for Inhofe’s seat include include Matt Pinnell, the state’s lieutenant governor; T.W. Shannon, the former speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives; and R. Trent Shores, a former U.S. attorney in the state, according to the New York Times, which earlier reported on Inhofe’s plans. 

Under Oklahoma law, candidates for Inhofe’s seat would have to file by the mid-April deadline in order to run in the June primary. If no candidate gets a majority of the vote, the top-two vote-getters would compete in the August run-off. Whoever wins the GOP nomination would be favored to win the November election given the state’s solidly Republican history.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

HE BROUGHT A SNOWBALL TO

CONGRESS TO PROVE THERE IS NO

GLOBAL WARMING

Oklahoma's Inhofe confirms he is resigning US Senate seat

Oklahoma’s U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe says he will step down

 before his six-year term is up and that he is “absolutely” at 

peace with the decision

Election 2022 Inhofe
(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Oklahoma's U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, says he will step down before his six-year term is up and that he is “absolutely” at peace with the decision.

In an interview published Friday by The Oklahoman, the 87-year-old Inhofe said he and his wife, Kay, “have decided that we need to have time together.”

Inhofe has held the seat since 1994 and his departure will trigger a special election for his replacement.

“I didn’t make a solid decision until two or three weeks ago,” Inhofe told the newspaper. “There has to be one day where you say, ‘All right, this is going to be it.’”

Inhofe, who was elected to a fifth Senate term in 2020, said he will continue to serve until the next Congress begins in January.

The timing of Inhofe's announcement is related to a quirk in Oklahoma law that requires the governor to call a special election if a lawmaker announces they intend to retire before March 1. The special election would be held concurrently with the statewide primary, runoff and general election, part of the nation’s midterms.

Republicans will be heavily favored to retain the seat; Oklahoma hasn't sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1990.

Inhofe's announcement is likely to trigger a series of announcements from Republicans planning to run for the seat. Among those expected to consider the race are Republican U.S. Reps. Kevin Hern and Markwayne Mullin; former Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives T.W. Shannon, who ran for U.S. Senate in 2014; and Tulsa attorney Gentner Drummond, who is currently running for attorney general.

In his interview with The Oklahoman, Inhofe endorsed his chief of staff, Luke Holland, to replace him.

Oklahoma's three-day filing period begins April 13.

CANADIAN,EH

New Calpers CIO Maps Future With More Control and Fewer Private Equity Fees

Annie Massa, Dawn Lim and Layan Odeh, Bloomberg New

9Bloomberg) -- Nicole Musicco had a bold pitch: Cut out the giants of private equity and do the job yourself.

Musicco, 47, this week clinched one of the biggest jobs in investing, becoming chief investment officer of the $500 billion California Public Employees’ Retirement System.

Her appointment, and her plans for private equity, heralds a major shift in how the nation’s largest public pension plan, beset with staff turnover and political infighting, meets its obligations to millions of California workers. It could also mean billions less flowing to Wall Street.

In her interview with the board, Musicco laid out a vision for a team inside Calpers that would buy stakes in private companies, according to people familiar with the matter. The change would mean more control and reduce the fees to firms such as Blackstone Inc. or Carlyle Group Inc. It’s a common arrangement in her native Canada, but not in the U.S.

An industry veteran north of the border, Musicco’s focus has long been private equity. But she faced opposition from some board members in the hiring process, said the people familiar, who asked not to be named because the talks were private. Eventually, the concern that she lacked experience overseeing a pool of money as large and sprawling as Calpers was pushed aside by supporters who believed Musicco could embolden the organization’s private equity efforts.

“The full board is supportive of Nicole’s hire and we are excited to have her join Calpers,” Theresa Taylor, the Calpers board president, said in a statement, without providing further details on the hiring process.

Musicco, who spent more than 16 years at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and a year at the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario before joining RedBird Capital Partners, will arrive in California at a pivotal moment. The fund is making dramatic changes, including stepping up investments in private markets and using borrowed money to boost performance. 

But she faces a tricky task to win over different factions at the pension, all the while operating without the freedom typical at Canada’s public systems.

“I’m not sure Calpers is ready for Nicole Musicco,” said Claude Lamoureux, who was chief executive officer of Ontario Teachers’ for 17 years. “She will do a great job, I have no doubt about it.”

Canadian pensions have other advantages over their American peers. They can attract dealmaking talent more easily without the same stretched budgets and caps on pay, and many of them don’t operate in the same public glare as U.S. pension funds.

The Calpers CIO seat has been vacant since August 2020. During a first round of searches, the board couldn’t agree whether to pick an investing chief best suited as a manager or an investor.

Top candidates included Commonfund CEO and investment chief Mark Anson, people familiar said. He’s also a former Calpers CIO. Amid the disagreements, Calpers paused a search that consultant Korn Ferry spearheaded, and resumed later with recruitment firm Dore Partnership.

Spokespeople for Korn Ferry, Dore Partnership and Commonfund did not reply to requests for comment.

Job Challenges

“This role certainly comes with challenges but we believe Nicole is up to the task,” Calpers spokesman Joe DeAnda said in an emailed statement.

Calpers declined a request to interview Musicco after announcing her appointment Tuesday. She starts on March 28 and will report to CEO Marcie Frost. 

“I have ‘grown up’ in the Defined Benefits Pension industry, and have witnessed first hand with family, and in my community, the importance and impact defined pensions have on individuals and the economy,” Musicco wrote in a LinkedIn post about her new position.

Calpers, in sheer size and complexity, is unparalleled: It’s governed by an often quarrelsome 13-member board, some of whom are elected and often air their differences in public. It has a staff of more than 2,800 and a budget of $1.9 billion.

Returns lag the pension’s 20-year benchmark and until recently were behind its 5-year, 3-year and 1-year measures. Calpers had only about 80% of the funds needed to meet its long-term liabilities at the end of fiscal 2021. (That’s an improvement of nearly 10 percentage points over the previous fiscal year.)

As it seeks to boost gains, Calpers, like other large pension funds, is moving deeper into private equity. Last year it adopted plans to increase such investments to 13% from 8% of assets, and added a 5% allocation to private debt.

Some Calpers officials have expressed concern that private equity investments are riskier and more expensive than other asset classes. Buyout firms typically charge about 2% of assets under management and 20% of profits and require investors to keep money locked up for long periods.

One of the earliest public pension funds to get into private equity, Calpers started to see its returns in the asset class lag behind peers over time as more investors crowded into buyout funds in search of higher returns.

Ted Eliopoulos embarked on a plan to slash the number of managers during his tenure as CIO from 2014 to 2018, hoping for more bargaining power when negotiating fees and terms. He also floated plans to set up Warren Buffett-style vehicles that would hold companies for the long-haul and discussed the possibility of outsourcing the private equity business to BlackRock Inc.

Those ideas fizzled out after his successor Ben Meng took over. Under Meng, Calpers expanded coinvestments, which are typically deals done alongside funds that help to reduce fees.

PE Direction

During her time at Ontario Teachers’, Musicco moved to Atlanta when the fund struck a deal to buy travel tech firm Worldspan. She was there for several months to work with the company’s president. That helped the executive carry out a turnaround in a memorably successful deal, according to Jim Leech, who was head of the pension’s private equity division at the time and later became its CEO.  

“I’m not sure whether they have the courage to go as far as the Canadian model, but she will undoubtedly push them in that direction,” said Leech. Ontario Teachers’, established in 1990, has about C$228 billion ($179 billion) in assets, and is fully funded. 

In recent years, Calpers has faced turmoil in its leadership ranks. Meng, Musicco’s predecessor, left abruptly in August 2020. Calpers determined he approved an investment into a private equity fund managed by Blackstone at the same time he held Blackstone shares. Meng has said he had disclosed all his financial holdings to Calpers. No evidence has surfaced that he made investment decisions to boost personal shareholdings.

A trauma that continues to haunt many Calpers staff is a pay-to-play scandal in the aughts. In 2016, former Calpers CEO Federico Buenrostro was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for steering $14 million in fees to a former board member in exchange for cash bribes and gifts.

“People worried they couldn’t find anybody good,” to fill the CIO position, said Ashby Monk, executive director of the Stanford Research Initiative on Long-Term Investing. He added that it could take some time for Musicco to acclimate to the Calpers environment. 

“She’s really got to understand the organization in advance of understanding the portfolio,” he said.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Haitian journalist shot dead, 4 others injured during garment workers strike

BY ONZ CHÉRY

FEB. 24, 2022

A demonstrator is assisted after tear gas was launched by police during a wage protest in which a local journalist was killed, in Port-au-Prince, Feb. 23. 

(Reuters/Ralph Tedy Erol)

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Armed men in police uniform riding in a vehicle bearing Haitian National Police license plates shot into a crowd of demonstrators, killing one journalist and injuring four other people, during a demonstration by thousands of textile workers to demand a higher minimum wage, according to local reports.

The shooting happened Feb. 23, after police had tried to disperse the protesters on multiple occasions. When the demonstrators began throwing rocks at the men in the police vehicle, they fired, according to Le Nouvelliste.

Maxiben Lazzare, a Rois des Infos photojournalist, suffered wounds to his chest and abdomen, and died at the scene.

Of the four others injured, three were also journalists. Two were identified as Sony Laurore of Laurore News and Yves Moïse who works for RCH 2000. The victims were transported to Bernard Mevs Hospital, where one is in critical condition undergoing surgery.

The other two victims were not identified.

Police spokesperson Garry Desrosiers announced that the Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ) will start an investigation. The police have yet to say if the gunmen are police officers.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry offered condolences to the journalist’s family over Twitter. He also condemned “the violence that caused multiple injuries” to numerous workers during the demonstration.

Some factories are closed Feb. 24 following the incident.

Textile workers have been holding protests for better pay since mid-January in Trou-du-Nord, a commune in the Northeast Department, and Port-au-Prince. Haiti announced that it will raise their salaries from 500 to 685 gourdes but they’re demanding 1,500 gourdes.

Before the Feb. 23 demonstration, many of the previous ones were also violent as protesters threw rocks at police officers who often tried to disperse them using teargas.

Gang members also shot two journalists dead, John Wesley Amady and Wilguens Louissaint, while they were reporting on the gang violence in Laboule 12, an area in Port-au-Prince Jan. 6.

Another North American church denomination sees apartheid in Israel

In a Pastoral Letter leaders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) write, “Israeli policies and practices that discriminate against Palestinians—Christians and Muslims alike—are consistent with the international definition of the crime of apartheid.”

BY JEFF WRIGHT 

MONDOWEISS

FEBRUARY 25, 2022 0

THE ISRAELI APARTHEID WALL IN THE WEST BANK TOWN OF ABU DIS ON JUNE 4, 2011. (PHOTO: MAHFOUZ ABU TURK/APA IMAGES)


Pointing to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Palestine/Israel, leaders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada issued a Pastoral Letter Wednesday, writing, “Israeli policies and practices that discriminate against Palestinians—Christians and Muslims alike—are consistent with the international definition of the crime of apartheid.”

“The continuing occupation, denial of rights, and injustice that Palestinians endure is not consistent with our understanding of God’s vision for justice for all people, and therefore is sin,” the letter reads.

Titled Compelled to Witness, the letter describes “an especially aggressive period of violations of international law and conventions vis-à-vis Palestinian rights. Recent acceleration of actions and circumstances has led to the deterioration of hope for a just peace in Israel/Palestine.”

The letter points to US recognition of Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights, de facto annexation of land and property through the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, demolitions of Palestinian homes and evictions, increasing settler violence toward Palestinians, the recent designation of Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations as “terrorist” organizations, Israel’s passage of its Nation State Law clearly elevating the rights of its Jewish citizens over its Arab citizens, and more.

“As leaders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),” the letter continues, “we must not be silent in the face of changes on the ground and further entrenched systemic factors… We are compelled to acknowledge and amplify the voices of our partners—in Israel/Palestine and around the world—and to witness to what we know and see.”

Disciples’ mission partners—more than a dozen in Israel and Palestine that the church supports both with appointed mission workers and its dollars—include the Israeli Jewish human rights organization B’Tselem, the most inclusive ecumenical, nonviolent Palestinian Christian organization Kairos Palestine, Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (Jerusalem), the Middle East Council of Churches, the Diyar Consortium, both the YWCA of Palestine and the East Jerusalem YMCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.

The denomination—commonly referred to as Disciples—sent its first missionaries to Palestine in 1849, a medical doctor and his wife. Since 1973, the church has taken clear positions in support of a just peace between Palestinians and Israelis. “The places of Israel and Palestine are dear to us as Christians,” the letter explains, “because of our Biblical history centered there, because of the people (siblings in Christ, as well as Jews and Muslims) who are suffering there, and because of the call we accept to seek justice and pursue peace.”

COVID-cancelled biennial General Assemblies, where policies of the church are established, and urgent pleas from the denomination’s mission partners in Palestine and Israel moved the church’s leaders to pen the letter. Authorized by the church’s constitution, The Design, the Pastoral Letter speaks both to members of the church and for the church in ecumenical settings.

While the Pastoral Letter may come as a surprise to some, members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), with congregations in both the US and Canada, have long been committed to issues of social justice and active in movements for civil rights and anti-racism in both countries.

Peter Makari is the Executive of Middle East and Europe for Global Ministries, the combined witness of the Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ. In a phone interview, Makari said, “The church is called to speak from a moral and theological perspective, and this letter addresses ongoing injustice against Palestinians that our partners have been living for too long.”

Among eight “commitments” described in the letter, leaders condemn antisemitism and anti-Muslim bigotry, draw a distinction between antisemitic discourse and legitimate criticism of the State of Israel’s laws and actions, and support economic measures to hold countries and companies accountable to standards of human rights and national and international laws.

The letter specifically charges, “The US should apply such laws and standards consistently by conditioning its immense military aid to Israel upon Israel’s compliance” with the US Foreign Assistance Act, the Arms Export Control Act, and the “Leahy Laws” which are designed to prevent the use of US military aid in actions that violate human rights.

Regarding the letter’s call for accountability, Makari observed how international law and human rights conventions are applied inconsistently. “Robust opposition to Russian occupation of the Ukraine is an example,” he said, “where Israel has occupied Palestinian lands and people for decades. This Pastoral Letter is a call to apply those principles as they were intended.”


“We reject any theology or use of [Christian] scripture to justify any system of discrimination, oppression, violation of any person’s dignity, or exclusivist claim on land, including Christian Zionism.”– From the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Pastoral Letter “Compelled to Witness”

In another clearly expressed position, Disciples leaders write, “We reject any theology or use of [Christian] scripture to justify any system of discrimination, oppression, violation of any person’s dignity, or exclusivist claim on land, including Christian Zionism.” Christian Zionism is an interpretation of the Bible focused the gathering of Jews in Israel as a key to “the end-times,” an understanding that has privileged Jews in Israel at the expense of Palestinian Christians a well as their Muslim neighbors.

“Practically speaking,” said Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Disciples, “our Pastoral Letter ensures that the Disciples and the United Church of Christ are walking together as Global Ministries, the common witness of the Christian Church and the United Church of Christ.”

At its General Synod last year, the United Church of Christ became the first US denomination to officially describe Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians as “apartheid” and to name it a sin. After spirited debate, the resolution passed by a vote of 462 to 78, with 18 abstentions.

Anticipating questions—and perhaps criticism—a FAQ document was released at the same time as the Pastoral Letter. To the query, “Is the church taking sides?”, the document responds, “In its global work, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) works with and through partners, both Palestinian and Israeli. Palestinian Christians are long-term partners, and we respond to the issues they face. While acknowledging the legitimacy of the State of Israel and denouncing violent acts by both Palestinians and Israelis, we name the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands—including the continuing growth of settlements—as a major obstacle to peace in the region.”

“Is religion the root cause of this conflict?” the FAQ asks, offering this response: “Religion has never been the main motivation in this conflict, even taking into account the modern surge in political religious movements inside both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Religion may inflame tensions that already exist, but the conflict and the military occupation are about land, security and self-determination, not about religion.”

“Should the church be involved in politics?” The FAQ says, “The prophets got involved with the justice issues of their time, and Jesus did likewise. God calls us to end conflict and share creation, to seek justice and love kindness. These are holy and faithful words!”

The Pastoral Letter is signed by the three church officers authorized to speak on behalf of the Disciples: the denomination’s General Minister and President the Rev. Teresa Hord Owens, the Rev. LaMarco Cable, President of the Division of Overseas Ministries, and the Rev. Sheila Spencer, Interim President of the Disciples Home Missions.

Acknowledging that the conflict seems as distant as ever and that advocacy for a particular solution may not be effective, Disciples leaders express the church’s support for “a rights-based approach… based on principles of peace and justice, human rights and international law.”

“We pray for the day when pain and sorrow are relieved, when peace and justice prevail for Palestinians and for Israelis,” the letter ends. “We yearn for the time when all parts of the body are healed and restored. And we will work for this vision, which is eminently consistent with our understanding of the Gospel message, to be realized.”

Ocasio-Cortez calls out Israel for detaining Palestinian children in cage-like prisons

February 16, 2022

US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on February 12, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas [Brandon Bell/Getty Images]

February 16, 2022 

Democrat representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has accused Israel of putting Palestinian children in cage-like prisons during a campaign rally for Greg Casar, who is running for Congress in Texas.

At the Democratic Socialists of America event, Ocasio-Cortez compared migrant children at the US-Mexico border to Palestinian children in the West Bank, indicating that they were both in cages.

"Palestine is basically a banned word. It's censored. We don't talk about it. No one knows about it… we shouldn't allow people's humanity to be censored in the United States of America," Ocasio-Cortez said.

She went on to speak against charges of anti-Semitism that she says are levelled against some of Israel's biggest critics in the House, such as US Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.

All are members of a progressive group of lawmakers known as "The Squad", famed for their highly critical stance on Israel. They have previously called to end the many decades of America's unconditional aid to the occupation state.

"Believing in the basic human dignity and the ability for a person to not be jailed or beaten for who they are, it does not mean that you are bigoted against any other community," she said. "And we got to call that for what it is."

Ocasio-Cortez added: "We need to remember that the people who are taking those tough votes are disproportionately black, brown, and women members of Congress carrying the fire.

Israel detains thousands in solitary confinement despite health risks, study finds

February 24, 2022 

Palestinians take part in a demonstration demanding the release of Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jail Hisham Abu Hawash, who has been on a hunger strike for 141 days, in front of International Committee of the Red Cross building in Ramallah, West Bank on January 04, 2022. 

[Issam Rimawi - Anadolu Agency]

February 24, 2022 

Thousands of detainees are forced into isolation for years, including minors, by the Israel Prison Service (IPS), according to the NGO Physicians for Human Rights.

Figures published by the prison service reveal 1,587 inmates had been held in complete solitary confinement in the first ten months of 2021, including 66 minors.

By the end of August of the same year, another 1,134 prisoners, among whom 53 were minors, were held in "individual seclusion" or "two-person seclusion".

Forms of isolation are considered psychological torture prohibited under Article 1 of the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. It is also inhumane and degrading behaviour prohibited under Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

READ: Israel's oppression of Palestinian prisoners may lead to protests, experts warn

Palestinian prisoners and detainees are held in solitary confinement as a disciplinary measure, or in isolation, for reasons of state, prison or prisoner's security, authorities claim. Some are forced to carry out large parts of their sentence in such detention.

The figures provided by the prison service also indicate how long prisoners were held in "seclusion."

Of the 1,134 prisoners, 63 inmates were held for more than two months, reported Haaretz, 17 were held for a period of more than six months, 19 were held for a period between one and three years and 18 prisoners were held in seclusion for over three years.

The Israeli authorities have established special isolation units in many of their prisons, most notably Nafha Prison opened in 1980, Nitzan-Ramle opened in 1989 and in Beersheba, opened in 1992.

Anat Litvin, who oversees the department for incarcerated persons within Physicians for Human Rights, said:

The prison service is holding hundreds of inmates in solitary conditions, with full knowledge of the destructive impact it can have on their health.

The stats were compared to the year 2020, which exposed that the number of prisoners confined in solitary confinement was not unusual. In 2020, 1,979 inmates were held in solitary confinement, among them 88 minors, and 2,015 inmates, 64 of whom were minors, were held in seclusion.

Frustrated at the lack of cooperation regarding Israel's prison service's response to its freedom of information request, Litvin added: "Although the prison service said it had manually reviewed over 1,100 inmate files in its response to the request, it could not provide data as to the number of inmates held in solitary confinement."

"They also could not determine who or how many among them suffer from psychiatric illnesses and are under psychiatric care, which would place them among one of the at-risk groups whose solitary confinement is banned by the United Nations."

This led NGO Physicians for Human Rights to conclude that, "In the best case, the prison service is trying to prevent the requested information from emerging and in the worst case, it is not conducting proper follow-up for prisoners held in solitary conditions, and knowingly putting their health at risk."

Hundreds of Palestinians have been held in solitary confinement by Israel, to the extent that the policy is now part of the systematic approach approved by the legislature and implemented by the executive. Palestinian women are not excluded from this inhumane policy.

Israel is holding more than 4,500 Palestinian prisoners in its prisons, including 41 women and 140 children, all of whom are subject to the policy of isolation and are thus cut off from the outside world, which constitutes a form of psychological torture.