WASHINGTON – When U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum was growing up, the violent “troubles” in Northern Ireland divided families with Irish heritage like hers.

The conflict, born out of the desire of Catholics in Northern Ireland to join the Irish Republic instead of remaining part of the United Kingdom, played out differently in her home, where her mother was a Lutheran and her father Catholic.

If her parents could accept each other’s beliefs and backgrounds, why couldn’t other nations in conflict over religion also be able to settle their differences, McCollum wondered.

That concern over conflict resolution and human rights led her to become an early and vocal critic of Israel on Capitol Hill, including its treatment of juvenile detainees and blockade of humanitarian aid in its conflict with Pa

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