My comment online RE Washington Post " In Palestine, a ray of light A state-building plan that deserves the endorsement of the U.S" by David Ignatius

A demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag near tear gas fired by Israeli troops (not seen) during a protest against the controversial Israeli barrier in the West Bank village of Nilin near Ramallah, November 13, 2009. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

RE: In Palestine, a ray of light A state-building plan that deserves the endorsement of the U.S by David Ignatius Ramallah's road map to statehood http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/18/AR2009111802698.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/18/AR2009111802698_Comments.html

Dear Editor,

I was startled to see the online headline "In Palestine, a ray of light A state-building plan that deserves the endorsement of the U.S" Kudos to Ignatius for noticing Palestine in such a positive way.

I first heard of the Fayad plan from the ATFP- The American Task Force on Palestine. ( ATFP is dedicated to advocating that it is in the American national interest to promote an end to the conflict in the Middle East through a negotiated agreement that provides for two states - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace and security. The Task Force was established in 2003 to provide an independent voice for Palestinian-Americans and their supporters and to promote peace. AFTP’s Board of Directors is made up of a large group of noted Palestinian-Americans who agree with these principles. http://www.americantaskforce.org/about_us )

"This is a very powerful way of effectively resisting the occupation without doing anything violent. Israelis may fool themselves into thinking that this is just economic peace, but it's not; it's Palestinians preparing for independence." Hussein Ibish

Citizenship is a right- and a responsibility: I very much like the idea of putting energy into positive efforts to support a real Palestine- a firm facts on the ground Palestine where Palestinians (and their supporters) can focus in on what needs to be done in a day to day way to help Palestinians stay on their land right now- and to help establish an independent, sovereign, and viable Palestinian state as soon as possible... for everyone's sake.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

A Palestinian man sells goats on a street ahead of the holiday of Eid al-Adha, in al-Buraij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip November 19, 2009. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the haj by slaughtering sheep, goats, cows and camels to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on God's command.REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa