My letter to the Independent RE The presence of the Palestinian in the Israeli painter's eye & In the West Bank's stony hills, Palestine is slowly ...

Maurycy Minkowski's Refugees

RE: Robert Fisk’s World: The presence of the Palestinian in the Israeli painter's eye : Many of the Tel Aviv paintings show an emergent Israel with fewer Arabs http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fiskrsquos-world-the-presence-of-the-palestinian-in-the-israeli-painters-eye-1890927.html & In the West Bank's stony hills, Palestine is slowly dying: In the richest of the Occupied lands, Israeli bureaucracy is driving Palestinians out of their homes. Robert Fisk reports from Jiftlik http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/in-the-west-banks-stony-hills-palestine-is-slowly-dying-1883669.html

Dear Sir,

Last week it was In the West Bank's stony hills, Palestine is slowly dying : In the richest of the Occupied lands, Israeli bureaucracy is driving Palestinians out of their homes. Robert Fisk reports from Jiftlik

This week it is Robert Fisk’s World: The presence of the Palestinian in the Israeli painter's eye: Many of the Tel Aviv paintings show an emergent Israel with fewer Arabs

Two articles a week apart giving a mere glimpse of how, for one hundred years, Palestinians have been consistently pushed aside and impoverished as Zionist immigrants and now sovereign Israel itself gains more and more power and land. Bigotry and guns started the problem and perpetuate the problem: Modern militancy and religious extremism are a dangerous mix which only makes the situation worse.

Nothing is inevitable but one thing is for sure- the longer the Israel/Palestine conflict is allowed to continue the less real Palestinians will have to call home... and the harder it will be for everyone to adjust to a just and lasting peace.

The Arab Peace Initiative with its firm focus on the sacred trinity of (1) ending Israel's illegal occupation (2) finding "a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem to be agreed upon in accordance with U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194", and (3) "the acceptance of the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian territories occupied since June 4, 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital", is the last best chance to begin the process of redeeming both Israel and Palestine.

Furthermore Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has a plan- a very good plan: The Palestinian State and Institution Building Program.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Made in Palestine : Emily Jacir's Memorial to 418 Palestinian Villages Which Were Destroyed, Depopulated and Occupied by Israel in 1948