Who Lives in Sheik Jarrah? By Kai Birdhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/01/opinion/01bird.html?ref=opinion
Dear Editor,
Thank you for publishing Who Lives in Sheik Jarrah? by Kai Bird- concerning Palestinians being forced out of their homes and denied their right to return... However I vehemently disagree with the idea that the right of return should only be respected if a two state solution fails.
Race, religion, and/or ethnicity must not be the determining factor in who gets rights, freedom, security, respect, jobs, and the ability to preserve one's own personal history and potential prosperity: Every refugee's right of return is an inalienable legal and moral right that is above and beyond all borders, both real and imagined.
Furthermore UN 194 from 1948 clearly follows the two state formula- The United Nations had certainly not intended that the Jewish State should rid itself of its Arab citizens.
In 1948 United Nations Mediator Count Folke Bernadotte pointed out that "It would be an offence against the principles of justice if those innocent victims [Palestinian refugees] could not return to their homes while [Zionist] immigrants flowed into Palestine to take their place." (page 4 far left column http://unispal.un.org/pdfs/AC1SR207.pdf )
Negotiations are a necessary part of all political processes, but negotiations need to be about how to best respect basic human rights and international law- not how to dismiss them.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
Refugees, Borders & Jerusalem... "The State of Israel, in its present form, directly contravened the previous recommendations of the United Nations"
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