My letter to the Washington Post RE The limits of ambition, U.S. ambition alone won't forge Mideast peace By Jackson Diehl

RE: The limits of ambition, U.S. ambition alone won't forge Mideast peace By Jackson Diehl
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/10/AR2010011002146.html

Dear Editor,

Failures to forge peace in the Middle East are not an embarrassment for the US- or any administration: There is no shame in trying to find a way out for all the many men, women and children being tortured and destroyed by the Palestine/Israel conflict.

Jerusalem is crucially important to three major faiths and to many historians, which means outsiders worldwide feel a very real sense of ownership. Religious or not everyone wants the option to be free to explore and celebrate this valuable cultural treasure- and who gets to give the tour makes a big difference in what heritage is preserved for future generations as well as how the story is told. Decent people are drawn into taking sides and exasperating hostilities... and here we are today with hate mongering ideologues, bigots, bullies, con artists, useful idiots and terrorists worldwide thriving on the continuation of conflict in "The Holy Land".

As things are today, tomorrow it will only be worse. There is no magic moment for peace- there is only momentum away or momentum towards a fair and just negotiated settlement- a solution...and a better way forward. The Arab Peace Initiative "Emanating from the conviction of the Arab countries that a military solution to the conflict will not achieve peace or provide security for the parties" offers all sides a chance to calm down the angry rhetoric, rein in wild fantasies, halt religious extremism (and investments in injustice and institutionalized bigotry) in order to start the business of building a just and last peace for all the people... for everyone's sake.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

We need a Golden Rule Peace for Israel and Palestine
A peace based on do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Palestinian Sun Bird by Ismail Shammout