A Catholic nun prays in Gaza's Der Latin church after the end of Christmas mass on Christmas Eve December 24, 2009. Less than 100 Gazans gathered in the church to take part in the Christmas celebrations. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (GAZA - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS SOCIETY)

A bird perches on tangled metal bars from buildings destroyed during the three-week offensive Israel launched last year, in the northern Gaza Strip on Christmas Eve December 24, 2009. December 27 marks one year since the start of a three-week offensive Israel launched in Gaza during which more than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (GAZA - Tags: ANNIVERSARY CIVIL UNREST POLITICS SOCIETY ANIMALS

My letter to the Guardian RE The separation wall, I would get rid of the Israeli separation wall, not just for Christmas, but for all our sakes

RE: The separation wall, I would get rid of the Israeli separation wall, not just for Christmas, but for all our sakes
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/dec/22/religion-christmas-separation-wall

Dear Editor,

Austen Ivereigh did an excellent job explaining how exactly Israel's monstrous wall strangles Bethlehem.... thank you for publishing his essay.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Palestinian schoolchildren visit the Grotto, where Christians believe the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, in the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem December 22, 2009, ahead of Christmas. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside (WEST BANK - Tags: RELIGION)

A Palestinian nun places a statue in a nativity scene to prepare for Christmas, in a Roman Catholic church in the northern West Bank village of Al-Zababedah near Jenin city, Tuesday Dec. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal, the top Roman Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, delivers his annual Christmas message in Jerusalem's Old City, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009. Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Mesezhnikov said he is expecting about 70,000 tourists to head to the town of Jesus' birthplace for Christmas. Israeli and Palestinian officials have worked closely in recent years to coordinate the movement of pilgrims. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

My letter to the LATimes RE Steps to create an Israel-Palestine by Jonathan Kuttab

Band members play at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009. According to Israeli police, nine activists were detained when they took part in an unauthorized march calling for a declaration naming Jerusalem as the cultural capital of the Arab world. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

RE: Steps to create an Israel-Palestine by Jonathan Kuttab, co-founder of Al Haq and the Mandela Institute for Political Prisoners.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-kuttab20-2009dec20,0,3289579.story

Dear Editor,

An American perspective: One state or two, Israel and Palestine (or Israel-Palestine) should be respecting basic human rights and investing in the rule of fair and just laws- not segregation and institutionalized bigotry... and certainly not religious extremism.

One state or two, the very real plight of the Palestinians has been a crime against all of humanity- and so is terrorism.

One state or two, Israel and Palestine (or Israel-Palestine) need to be serious about making peace for all the people- regardless of supposed race or religion... and one state or two all the world needs to be fully respecting the Palestinian refugees' inalienable right to return to live in peace as clearly spelled out by UN Resolution 194 from 1948 (and reaffirmed over and over and over again through out the years.) And I think we also need to be doing all we can to help the Palestinian refugees leave if they want- to resettle far away from the source of so much misery and suffering. To be able to start anew still connected to their roots, their extended families and their cherished homeland, but able to earn a decent living and create a better future wherever they might want to go.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
homemaker & poet