http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?id=3181&letter_id=5284085406The USS Liberty, The Memorial Day Massacre & the vital importance of fully respecting the Palestinian Refugees right of return ASAP.
Dear President Obama,
There is and will be spin and plenty of hate mongering inspired by Israel's recent commando attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.
Please don't let the hate mongers and the obfuscation experts and angry extremists "win", for then we all lose... Please do not let this incident be swept aside as Israel's 1967 attack on the USS Liberty was swept aside. (On June 8, 1967, US Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty was suddenly and brutally attacked on the high seas in international waters by the air and naval forces of Israel. http://www.gtr5.com/ )
No matter what you think- or what you have been told to think about about what many have dubbed "The Memorial Day Massacre", Israel is and has been in long term and flagrant violation of international law on many counts.
Israel refuses to respect the Palestinian refugees inalienable legal, moral and natural right to return to original homes and lands... 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 of could not return to their homes while [Zionist] immigrants flowed into Palestine to take their place." This is still true today- and each and every Palestinian child knows this as an absolute fact.
Please note from the start: "The United Nations had certainly not intended that the Jewish State should rid itself of its Arab citizens" 5 May 1949 Application of Israel for admission to membership in the United Nations http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/85255e950050831085255e95004fa9c3/1db943e43c280a26052565fa004d8174?OpenDocument
What matters is the idea of home- and respect for the rule of fair and just laws.... true security for all people, for all families, for all children regardless of supposed race or religion, and regardless of borders.
Israel's sovereign failure to respect Palestinian homes and families takes on many forms- the Nakba of 1948 continues on and on as Palestinian men, women and children continue to be pushed into forced exile. For instance " The dig dividing Jerusalem: The search for the City of David may offer tourists a reminder of Jerusalem's ancient past. But for the Palestinians whose homes are threatened by the excavations, archaeology is merely the latest weapon being used against them" http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/26/jerusalem-city-of-david-palestinians-archaeology
Families are being fragmented and impoverished in many ways by the Israel/Palestine conflict.
Please get to the bottom of it all- insist that first and foremost Israel must FULLY respect UN Resolution 194 ... and keep in mind that "What is important is that individual refugees decide for themselves which option they prefer – a decision must not be imposed upon them." PLO Core Issues http://www.plomission.us/index.php?page=core-issues-3
One state or two or none- real peace and real justice in the Holy Land must start with true respect for the Palestinian refugees' very real right to return to live in peace, unmolested by institutionalized bigotry and free from religious tyranny of all types.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
American Homemaker & poet
"Palestinian refugees must be given the option to exercise their right of return (as well as receive compensation for their losses arising from their dispossession and displacement) though refugees may prefer other options such as: (i) resettlement in third countries, (ii) resettlement in a newly independent Palestine (even though they originate from that part of Palestine which became Israel) or (iii) normalization of their legal status in the host country where they currently reside. What is important is that individual refugees decide for themselves which option they prefer – a decision must not be imposed upon them." http://www.plomission.us/index.php?page=core-issues-3
Sometimes I just sit and wonder how many innocent men, women and children have to die so that Israel can have its security. Their security is always at the expense of the Arabs. It seems now that they even own the Mediterranean Sea. It makes me sick to think that my tax dollars are going to support this Zionist regime. Education is the key to change. Encourage your friends (especially Americans) to discover the truth.
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