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Friday, January 29, 2010

My letter to the NYTimes RE Israel Signals Tougher Line on West Bank Protests


RE: Israel Signals Tougher Line on West Bank Protests
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/world/middleeast/29palestine.html?ref=world

Dear Editor,

A two state solution can and should remove Israel's illegal settlements, its occupation, and its ability to build barriers and conflict within Palestine.

Two popular relevant albeit brief and easy to watch videos are making the rounds right now. The first one is very serious. It begins with a bright young American college student attending a town hall meeting, as she politely but firmly asks President Obama why the US doesn't condemn Israeli human rights violations (VIDEO). Carefully Obama answers, concluding that ".... we are working to strengthen the ability of both parties to sit down across the table and begin serious negotiations. And I think that it's important when we're talking about this issue to make sure that we don't just knee-jerk, use language that is inflammatory or in some fashion discourages the possibility of negotiation. We've got to recognize that both the Palestinian people and Israelis have legitimate aspirations and they can be best served if the United States is helping them understand each other as opposed to demonizing each other." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/28/obama-asked-why-us-doesnt_n_440816.html

The second one is a very funny- it is an Israeli parody of Zionist propaganda:
Eretz Nehederet in Haiti. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kqZ-GtNaM8

It is very easy and tempting to become totally enraged by the situation in "The Holy Land" but it is crucial to try to be calm- rational- reasonable.... and to realize that there are signs of hope we need to notice: There are many people here there and everywhere working tirelessly to bring awareness, justice and peace to the region.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
"Almost any scenario that does not involve the realization of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement and an end to the occupation instead promises the likelihood of a lose-lose outcome with no winners and horrifying consequences for all parties." Hussein Ibish

"
I need not tell you how difficult this period is for the Palestinian people. We are all painfully aware of the counterproductive policies collectively punishing the people of the Gaza Strip; conscious decisions that have caused untold suffering and a dramatic deterioration in the lives of the population, in contravention of international law. One of my key priorities will be to continue to advocate strongly on behalf of the 1.5 million Gazans, and to do so not only until the end of the blockade and the occupation, but also until a just and lasting solution to the plight of the refugees is achieved." unwra's new Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi’s inaugural letter to staff

"Perhaps the biggest failure of the politicians was that they were unable to provide hope to their people and were unable to stand up to those who tried to take violent shortcuts to resolve the conflict." Daoud Kuttab

"The Assembly considered that the conflict in the Middle East above all concerns two equaly legitimate aspirations - Israel's right to be recognised and to exist in safety and the Palestinians' right to have an independent, viable and contiguous state."
Council of Europe (COE): Middle East: a negotiated solution agreed by both parties is the only way forward

"The people of Gaza, along with all the peoples of the region, must see that the United States is dedicated to addressing the legitimate security needs of the State of Israel and to ensuring that the legitimate needs of the Palestinian population are met." ATFP supports letter sent by 54 members of [America's] Congress to the administration urging immediate action to ease humanitarian suffering in Gaza.

Palestine:
Moving Forward

Priority Interventions for 2010


A Palestine to Return to

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