Date posted: April 01, 2010 By Hussein Ibish |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insisting the Palestinians recognize Israel as, in his words, “the nation-state of the Jewish people,” a new and problematic demand that raises serious questions about Israel’s “Jewish character.” The Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917, began with the phrase: “His Majesty’s government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people …” This declaration introduces the concept of a Jewish national home into international relations in a most decisive manner. On July 24, 1922, the Mandate for Palestine adopted by the Council of the League of Nations made the Zionist project a practical reality rather than a rhetorical position by holding that “the principal Allied Powers have also agreed that the Mandatory [power] should be responsible for putting [the Balfour Declaration] into effect.” Guided by British policy and interests, the international community, such as it was at the time, seems to have regarded the Jewish national project in Palestine as legitimate and simply refrained from commenting on the Palestinian national project, unless to damn it by silence. However, given the increasing assertion of Palestinian national identity and ambitions during the Mandatory period, this willful blindness could not extend itself into international decision-making about the end of the Mandate, as it had at its beginning. Beginning in the 1930s, several proposals, most notably the Peel Commission Report of 1937, suggested that Palestine be partitioned into Jewish and Arab states. A decade later, UN General Assembly Resolution 181 called for the establishment of “independent Arab and Jewish states and a special international regime for the city of Jerusalem.” This partition resolution, along with a unilateral declaration of “a Jewish state in Eretz Israel” by the Jewish leadership, is generally regarded as the birth certificate of the Israeli state. A central irony is that if the 1947 partition resolution has served as the primary international birth certificate for Israel, it must do the same for the yet-to-be-established Palestinian state. In its “land for peace” formula, United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967 and its numerous legal successors logically extend the fundamental attitude that seeks to balance Jewish and Arab rights in Palestine through two states. Israel’s status as a Jewish state plainly rests primarily on the fact that it has a substantial Jewish majority of more than 75 percent. As a sovereign member state of the UN, Israel defines its own character, and the question of Israel’s Jewishness was never raised and is not reflected in its peace treaties with Egypt or Jordan. The Palestinians have already recognized Israel as a Jewish state. This is most notable in PLO chairman Yasser Arafat’s September 9, 1993, letter to Premier Yitzhak Rabin, in which he stated unambiguously, “The PLO recognizes the right of the state of Israel to exist in peace and security.” Yet today, Palestinians are justifiably concerned that if they were to recognize Israel explicitly as “the nation-state of the Jewish people” (to use Netanyahu’s words), they might be perceived as endorsing measures that discriminate against the Palestinian citizens of Israel. Palestinians and many others also view this demand as an effort to pre-empt the refugee issue, a core permanent status negotiating issue. Having asserted that Israel plainly is a Jewish state in one sense, one must assert that, in another sense, Israel at present is clearly not a Jewish state. The interpretation depends entirely on which version of Israel one is talking about. If we refer to Israel in its internationally recognized boundaries, then the state is indeed Jewish; but if we include the Occupied Territories, then it plainly is not. Israel de jure, which excludes the Occupied Territories and assumes the creation of a Palestinian state in the foreseeable future, can certainly be considered both Jewish and democratic, although it still struggles to afford equality to a large non-Jewish minority. However, Israel de facto, on the other hand, includes the Occupied Territories, and assuming that no Palestinian state is created in the foreseeable future, one cannot consider this state either Jewish or democratic in any meaningful sense. It could be seen as ironic, but it is also eminently logical, that a Jewish Israel requires an Arab Palestine alongside it in order to be itself and not something radically different. Hussein Ibish is a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine. THE DAILY STAR publishes this commentary in collaboration with the Common Ground News Service (commongroundnews.org), with the author’s permission. |
Source: The Daily Star, 1 April. 2010 |
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Friday, April 2, 2010
Only an Arab Palestine Makes a 'Jewish' Israel Meaningful By Hussein Ibish
My letter PUBLISHED in USA Today 4-2-2010: Peace and Palestine need to be a priority — for everyone's sake.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2010/04/letters-as-sovereign-state-israel-has-right-to-disagree-with-us-.html#more
Policies create poverty
Anne Selden Annab - Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Good to see DeWayne Wickham's probing but polite commentary on Israel. It really is rather disturbing to find out that "while unemployment in Israel dropped to 7.4% in the last quarter of 2009, joblessness during that period in the U.S. hovered around 10%." In addition, contrast that to unemployment for Palestinians, and the difference is even more jarring. According to the CIA's World Factbook, unemployment in Gaza is 40%, and unemployment in the West bank is 19%.
Israel's Jews-preferred policies in Israel proper as well as the illegally occupied Palestinian territories have been creating poverty and despair for countless native non-Jewish Palestinian families and communities for decades. That alone should be reason enough for America to be firm about supporting a fully secular two-state solution to end the conflict.
Peace and Palestine need to be a priority — for everyone's sake.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
April 2010 National Poetry Month... The Words Under the Words a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye
Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.
Poster Gallery: Visit the NPM Gallery to view or purchase copies of posters from previous years.
Poem In Your Pocket Day: Join thousands of individuals across the U.S. by carrying a poem in your pocket on April 29, 2010.
Naomi Shihab Nye
Born to a Palestinian father and an American mother, Naomi Shihab Nye gives voice to her experience as an Arab-American through poems about heritage and peace that overflow with a humanitarian spirit....
More >
What is National Poetry Month?: Frequently asked questions about NPM. |
Poster Gallery: Visit the NPM Gallery to view or purchase copies of posters from previous years.
Poem In Your Pocket Day: Join thousands of individuals across the U.S. by carrying a poem in your pocket on April 29, 2010.
for Sitti Khadra, north of Jerusalem My grandmother's hands recognize grapes, |
Naomi Shihab Nye
More >
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Libyan men on camels take part in a welcome ceremony for Arab leaders in the Libyan coastal city of Sirte on March 26. Arab leaders opened their summit determined to send a clear warning that the Middle East peace process is doomed unless Israel freezes Jewish settlements in annexed east Jerusalem (AFP/Joseph Eid)
A Palestinian shepherd walks in front of a Jewish settlement near Jerusalem known to Israelis as Har Homa and to Palestinians as Jabal Abu Ghneim March 22, 2010. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, left, receives flowers from a young girl during a rally for Land Day in the West Bank town of Qalqilya, Saturday, March 27, 2010. Tuesday will mark Land Day which commemorates the killing of six Arab citizens of Israel by the Israeli army and police on March 30, 1976 during protests over Israeli confiscations of Arab lan. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)
Palestinian children play with palm branches after the traditional Palm Sunday procession, in Jerusalem's old city, Sunday, March 28, 2010. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and is the start of the Christian Holy Week. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)
Palestinian Christians participate the Palm Sunday procession in the village of Al-Zababdeh near the West Bank town of Jenin, Sunday, March, 28, 2010. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and is the start of the Christian Holy Week. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)
A Palestinian man passes through a gate at the Kalandia checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem, Monday, March 29, 2010. Israel imposed a closure on the West Bank as a security measure for the duration of the weeklong Passover holiday. The routine measure bars almost all Palestinians from entering Israel. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinian artists paint a mural on a wall during a rally marking Land Day in Gaza City March 30, 2010. March 30 marks Land Day, the annual commemoration of protests in 1976 against Israel's appropriation of Arab-owned land in the Galilee. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
In this photo taken Feb. 22, 2010, Palestinian astrophysicist Suleiman Baraka is seen next to a telescope in his office in the AL-Aqsa University, in Gaza City. The eldest of 14 children of a butcher, Baraka rose from humble beginnings in violence-wracked Gaza to become an astrophysicist, space weather expert and researcher for NASA, the U.S. space agency. Now he is back home with a new mission to teach kids to look up from their blockaded, beaten-down surroundings and into the limitless beauty of the universe. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Protesters hold Palestinian flags during a protest marking Land Day near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip March 30, 2010. March 30th marks Land Day, the annual commemoration of protests in 1976 against Israel's appropriation of Arab-owned land in the Galilee. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
Thousands of Israeli Arabs protest during a demonstration to mark "Land Day" in the town of Sakhnin, near the coastal city of Haifa. A Palestinian teenager was killed and several others were wounded Tuesday as Israeli troops fired on protestors near the Gaza border while Israeli Arabs and Palestinians marked "Land Day. "(AFP/Jonathan Nackstrand)
A Palestinian youth holds a Palestinian flag during a demonstration marking Land Day in the village of Toura near the West Bank city of Jenin, Wednesday, March 31, 2010. Land Day, which was commemorated Tuesday, March 30, 2010, commemorates the killing of six Arab citizens of Israel by the Israeli army and police on March 30, 1976 during protests over Israeli confiscations of Arab land. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)
Tourists walk in front of in front of the Dome of the Rock, on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City March 24, 2010. Forty-two years come June since Israel captured Jerusalem, the city remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict. For Israelis, it is their "eternal and indivisible" capital. For Palestinians, there can be no peace deal until Israel cedes them control over at least part of the city. To match feature PALESTINIANS-ISRAEL/JERUSALEM REUTERS/Ammar Awad
A Palestinian shepherd walks in front of a Jewish settlement near Jerusalem known to Israelis as Har Homa and to Palestinians as Jabal Abu Ghneim March 22, 2010. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, left, receives flowers from a young girl during a rally for Land Day in the West Bank town of Qalqilya, Saturday, March 27, 2010. Tuesday will mark Land Day which commemorates the killing of six Arab citizens of Israel by the Israeli army and police on March 30, 1976 during protests over Israeli confiscations of Arab lan. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)
Palestinian children play with palm branches after the traditional Palm Sunday procession, in Jerusalem's old city, Sunday, March 28, 2010. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and is the start of the Christian Holy Week. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)
Palestinian Christians participate the Palm Sunday procession in the village of Al-Zababdeh near the West Bank town of Jenin, Sunday, March, 28, 2010. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and is the start of the Christian Holy Week. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)
A Palestinian man passes through a gate at the Kalandia checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem, Monday, March 29, 2010. Israel imposed a closure on the West Bank as a security measure for the duration of the weeklong Passover holiday. The routine measure bars almost all Palestinians from entering Israel. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinian artists paint a mural on a wall during a rally marking Land Day in Gaza City March 30, 2010. March 30 marks Land Day, the annual commemoration of protests in 1976 against Israel's appropriation of Arab-owned land in the Galilee. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
In this photo taken Feb. 22, 2010, Palestinian astrophysicist Suleiman Baraka is seen next to a telescope in his office in the AL-Aqsa University, in Gaza City. The eldest of 14 children of a butcher, Baraka rose from humble beginnings in violence-wracked Gaza to become an astrophysicist, space weather expert and researcher for NASA, the U.S. space agency. Now he is back home with a new mission to teach kids to look up from their blockaded, beaten-down surroundings and into the limitless beauty of the universe. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Protesters hold Palestinian flags during a protest marking Land Day near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip March 30, 2010. March 30th marks Land Day, the annual commemoration of protests in 1976 against Israel's appropriation of Arab-owned land in the Galilee. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
Thousands of Israeli Arabs protest during a demonstration to mark "Land Day" in the town of Sakhnin, near the coastal city of Haifa. A Palestinian teenager was killed and several others were wounded Tuesday as Israeli troops fired on protestors near the Gaza border while Israeli Arabs and Palestinians marked "Land Day. "(AFP/Jonathan Nackstrand)
A Palestinian youth holds a Palestinian flag during a demonstration marking Land Day in the village of Toura near the West Bank city of Jenin, Wednesday, March 31, 2010. Land Day, which was commemorated Tuesday, March 30, 2010, commemorates the killing of six Arab citizens of Israel by the Israeli army and police on March 30, 1976 during protests over Israeli confiscations of Arab land. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)
Tourists walk in front of in front of the Dome of the Rock, on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City March 24, 2010. Forty-two years come June since Israel captured Jerusalem, the city remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict. For Israelis, it is their "eternal and indivisible" capital. For Palestinians, there can be no peace deal until Israel cedes them control over at least part of the city. To match feature PALESTINIANS-ISRAEL/JERUSALEM REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Princeton University: Hussein Ibish, Senior Fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine to speak, March 31
Hussein Ibish, Senior Fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine to speak, March 31
Hussein Ibish, a Senior Fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) and Executive Director of the Hala Salaam Maksoud Foundation for Arab-American Leadership, will present a public talk titled, "A Real Plan to Build Palestine" at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31, Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall, on the Princeton University campus.
From 1998-2004 Ibish was the Communications Director for the American-Arab Anti-discrimination Committee (ADC), the nation's largest Arab-American membership organization. From 2001-2004 he was Vice-President of the National Coalition to Protect Political Freedom. He has written for the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. He was the Washington, D.C. correspondent for the Daily Star (Beirut).Ibish is author of "At the Constitution's Edge: Arab Americans and Civil Liberties in the United States" in States of Confinement; "Anti-Arab Bias in American Policy and Discourse" in Race in 21st Century America; “Race and the War on Terror,” in Race and Human Rights; and “Symptoms of Alienation: How Arab and American Media View Each Other” in Arab Media in the Information Age.
His most recent book is “What’s Wrong with the One-State Agenda? Why Ending the Occupation and Peace with Israel is Still the Palestinian National Goal” (ATFP. 2009). In the book, Ibish examines the arguments generally put forward by Palestinian and other Arab American proponents of abandoning the goal of ending the occupation and establishing a Palestinian state and instead seeking to promote a single, democratic state in all of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
He has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
This event is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and is free and open to the public.
My letter to the IHT RE Lo, the Mideast Moves by Roger Cohen
RE: Lo, the Mideast Moves by Roger Cohen
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/opinion/30iht-edcohen.html?ref=global
Dear Sir,
Obama is a politician- and a good diplomat. All who take real peace, justice, and Palestine seriously would be wise to follow Obama's example: He obviously knows the vital importance of having a civilized and reasonable conversation: The importance of calming down and ending the Israel/Palestine conflict rather than inciting more rage, religious extremism, hate mongering rhetoric and counterproductive moves by both sides.
Various enemies of peace and a two state solution are quick to accuse peace makers and diplomats of being collaborators and quislings and other such insults- quick to sabotage good intentions and the hard work of many different people who seek to calm down and end the disastrous Israel/Palestine conflict. The biggest shift towards a just and lasting peace already is firm and obvious support for a nonviolent and secular two state solution for everyone's sake. Focus in on that if you want to help shift things along in more positive and helpful ways.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
Growing Gardens for Palestine
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/opinion/30iht-edcohen.html?ref=global
Dear Sir,
Obama is a politician- and a good diplomat. All who take real peace, justice, and Palestine seriously would be wise to follow Obama's example: He obviously knows the vital importance of having a civilized and reasonable conversation: The importance of calming down and ending the Israel/Palestine conflict rather than inciting more rage, religious extremism, hate mongering rhetoric and counterproductive moves by both sides.
Various enemies of peace and a two state solution are quick to accuse peace makers and diplomats of being collaborators and quislings and other such insults- quick to sabotage good intentions and the hard work of many different people who seek to calm down and end the disastrous Israel/Palestine conflict. The biggest shift towards a just and lasting peace already is firm and obvious support for a nonviolent and secular two state solution for everyone's sake. Focus in on that if you want to help shift things along in more positive and helpful ways.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
Growing Gardens for Palestine
My letter to the LATimes RE "A script that may never be finished, Frequent revisions by its playwright have made 'Salam Shalom' a living chronicle..."
RE: A script that may never be finished, Frequent revisions by its playwright have made 'Salam Shalom' a living chronicle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By Raja Abdulrahim
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/mideastemail/la-me-salam-shalom31-2010mar31,0,6544268.story
Dear Editor,
Thank you for publishing the fascinating story "A script that may never be finished, Frequent revisions by its playwright have made 'Salam Shalom' a living chronicle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." by Raja Abdulrahim. I am intrigued by the idea of a play that changes with the times- evolves to reflect reality.
Always good to see people using their time and talent in positive and productive ways. I wish Saleem Azzouqa the best of luck with his ongoing play and his acting career. What a shame that he has had problems getting acting roles in part because he's been told that he doesn't look enough like an Arab: Stereotypes really can be so stifling- and wrong!
I very much hope that one day soon Azzouqa's play is forced to confront a happily ever after ending for Palestine and Israel- perhaps not perfection but a good enough peace agreement to end the contentious Palestine/Israel conflict with a peacefully negotiated secular two state solution- a place to start peace and progress for everyone's sake, regardless of supposed religion or DNA markers.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/mideastemail/la-me-salam-shalom31-2010mar31,0,6544268.story
Dear Editor,
Thank you for publishing the fascinating story "A script that may never be finished, Frequent revisions by its playwright have made 'Salam Shalom' a living chronicle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." by Raja Abdulrahim. I am intrigued by the idea of a play that changes with the times- evolves to reflect reality.
Always good to see people using their time and talent in positive and productive ways. I wish Saleem Azzouqa the best of luck with his ongoing play and his acting career. What a shame that he has had problems getting acting roles in part because he's been told that he doesn't look enough like an Arab: Stereotypes really can be so stifling- and wrong!
I very much hope that one day soon Azzouqa's play is forced to confront a happily ever after ending for Palestine and Israel- perhaps not perfection but a good enough peace agreement to end the contentious Palestine/Israel conflict with a peacefully negotiated secular two state solution- a place to start peace and progress for everyone's sake, regardless of supposed religion or DNA markers.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
My letter to FT RE Foxman's letter "Painting Israel as the problem undermines prospects for peace"
RE: Painting Israel as the problem undermines prospects for peace
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/57169082-3c5d-11df-b316-00144feabdc0.html
Dear Sir,
It is very hard to believe Mr. Foxman's claim that Israel intends on leaving the West Bank as Israel continues to build, operate and subsidize settlements on Palestinian land. Furthermore, a sovereign Palestinian state should indeed welcome home any and all Palestinian refugees who have no wish to become Israeli.... but people are not things that can or should be traded.
For Palestine's sake I hope that most Palestinians in forced exile decide to help empower Palestine with good intentions and positive efforts as hard working, tax paying, law abiding, loyal, letter writing citizens. Tragically angry radicals, religious extremists and naive followers on both sides (Israel and Palestine) are very much misusing and abusing the Palestinian refugees right of return in order to stymie and sabotage peace talks.
A secular two state solution in line with international law and fully respecting basic human rights (including but not limited to respecting every refugee's very real right to return to original homes and lands) would go along ways towards ending the conflict as well as halting religious extremism and bigotry on all sides of every border. We need to be working towards the day that both Israelis and Palestinians are free to come and go, free to visit each other, free to like each other, and free to explore their respective family and cultural histories: We need to be advocating a people's peace- and a Golden Rule peace whereby a "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" reality and mindset helps shape a better way forward- and fair and just laws for all the people in that very troubled region.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
Growing Gardens for Palestine
"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world"
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/57169082-3c5d-11df-b316-00144feabdc0.html
Dear Sir,
It is very hard to believe Mr. Foxman's claim that Israel intends on leaving the West Bank as Israel continues to build, operate and subsidize settlements on Palestinian land. Furthermore, a sovereign Palestinian state should indeed welcome home any and all Palestinian refugees who have no wish to become Israeli.... but people are not things that can or should be traded.
For Palestine's sake I hope that most Palestinians in forced exile decide to help empower Palestine with good intentions and positive efforts as hard working, tax paying, law abiding, loyal, letter writing citizens. Tragically angry radicals, religious extremists and naive followers on both sides (Israel and Palestine) are very much misusing and abusing the Palestinian refugees right of return in order to stymie and sabotage peace talks.
A secular two state solution in line with international law and fully respecting basic human rights (including but not limited to respecting every refugee's very real right to return to original homes and lands) would go along ways towards ending the conflict as well as halting religious extremism and bigotry on all sides of every border. We need to be working towards the day that both Israelis and Palestinians are free to come and go, free to visit each other, free to like each other, and free to explore their respective family and cultural histories: We need to be advocating a people's peace- and a Golden Rule peace whereby a "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" reality and mindset helps shape a better way forward- and fair and just laws for all the people in that very troubled region.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
Growing Gardens for Palestine
UN Resolution 194 from 1948
Article 11
- Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.
"Continued settlement activity, confrontations in East Jerusalem, excavations near holy sites, evictions of Palestinian families, travel and visa restrictions, belligerent conduct by extremist settlers, and sporadic violence by individual and organized Palestinian extremists all undermine the viability and credibility of negotiators and negotiations. " Washington is the indispensible partner for a settlement by Ziad Asali
"Historically, secular values have been a major feature of the Palestinian national movement" Palestine must be a secular state by Hussein Ibish
"Historically, secular values have been a major feature of the Palestinian national movement" Palestine must be a secular state by Hussein Ibish
Need the facts on Palestine?
- FOLLOW IBISH & the ATFP
- ...American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) President Dr. Ziad J. Asali Emphasizes Convergence Between Diplomacy, State-Building at Senate Hearing
"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world"
My letter to WSJ RE Lady Gaga Versus Mideast Peace Are settlements more offensive than pop stars? By Bret Stephens
RE: Lady Gaga Versus Mideast Peace Are settlements more offensive than pop stars? By Bret Stephens
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304370304575151541851806562.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h
Dear Editor,
Bret Stephens is obviously desperate to try to convince America to ignore Israel's flagrant violations of international law, the Palestinians basic human rights and the peace process itself. Israel's invasion projects, infrastructures, and Jews-preferred polices that displace and impoverish the native non-Jewish Palestinians on both sides of that monstrous Israeli-made Apartheid wall are totally offensive and wrong... regardless of what anyone thinks about Lady Gaga.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304370304575151541851806562.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h
Dear Editor,
Bret Stephens is obviously desperate to try to convince America to ignore Israel's flagrant violations of international law, the Palestinians basic human rights and the peace process itself. Israel's invasion projects, infrastructures, and Jews-preferred polices that displace and impoverish the native non-Jewish Palestinians on both sides of that monstrous Israeli-made Apartheid wall are totally offensive and wrong... regardless of what anyone thinks about Lady Gaga.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
My letter to USA Today RE Israel insults the U.S. with go-it-alone tactics By DeWayne Wickham
RE: Israel insults the U.S. with go-it-alone tactics By DeWayne Wickham
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2010/03/column-israel-insults-the-us-with-goitalone-tactics.html#more
Dear Editor,
Good to see Dewayne Wickham's probing but polite op-ed "Israel insults the U.S. with go-it-alone tactics".... It really is rather disturbing to find out that "while unemployment in Israel dropped to 7.4% in the last quarter of 2009, joblessness during that period in the U.S. hovered around 10%." Compare that too to unemployment for Palestinians and the contrast is even more jarring. According to the CIA Fact book unemployment in Gaza is 40% (2009 est.) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gz.html and unemployment in the West bank is 19% (2009 est.) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/we.html
Israel's Jews-preferred policies in both Israel-proper as well as the illegally occupied Palestinian territories have been creating poverty and despair for countless native non-Jewish Palestinian families and communities for decades now. That alone should be reason enough for America to be firm about supporting a fully secular two state solution to end the Israel/Palestine conflict.... A two state solution in line with international law and 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".
Peace and Palestine need to be a priority- for every one's sake.
Sincerely,
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2010/03/column-israel-insults-the-us-with-goitalone-tactics.html#more
Dear Editor,
Good to see Dewayne Wickham's probing but polite op-ed "Israel insults the U.S. with go-it-alone tactics".... It really is rather disturbing to find out that "while unemployment in Israel dropped to 7.4% in the last quarter of 2009, joblessness during that period in the U.S. hovered around 10%." Compare that too to unemployment for Palestinians and the contrast is even more jarring. According to the CIA Fact book unemployment in Gaza is 40% (2009 est.) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gz.html and unemployment in the West bank is 19% (2009 est.) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/we.html
Israel's Jews-preferred policies in both Israel-proper as well as the illegally occupied Palestinian territories have been creating poverty and despair for countless native non-Jewish Palestinian families and communities for decades now. That alone should be reason enough for America to be firm about supporting a fully secular two state solution to end the Israel/Palestine conflict.... A two state solution in line with international law and 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".
Peace and Palestine need to be a priority- for every one's sake.
Sincerely,
Monday, March 29, 2010
Daoud Kuttab: Israel Denies Christian Pilgrims From Visiting Bethlehem
Daoud Kuttab
Posted: March 29, 2010 05:37 PM
Israel Denies Christian Pilgrims From Visiting Bethlehem
In a response to a totally nonviolent protest by Palestinian Christians and Muslims demanding their freedom of movement the Israeli army has effectively banned entry of Christian pilgrims and tourists from visiting the birth place of Christ.The protest on March 28th http://www.flickr.com/photos/activestills/page1/focused on the Israeli restrictions to Palestinians from Bethlehem from participating in the Palm Sunday events in the holy city of Jerusalem, a mere 8 miles away. For centuries Christians from around the world have reenacted the triumphant entry of Jesus to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives one week before his crucifixion, burial and resurrection.
Protesters marched from the Nativity Church in Bethlehem towards the checkpoint near Rachel's Tomb. In addition to Palestinians, the protest included members of international solidarity groups as well as a number of Israeli peace activists.
Additionally, and in keeping with the biblical story of the entry of Jesus to Jerusalem, the marchers waving palms and olive branches were led by a man riding a donkey.
When the protesters arrived at the checkpoint they appear to have caught the Israelis totally off guard even though the march that was sponsored by the Palestinian NGO Holy Land Trust was publicized using local media for the past week...READ MOREDear Patriot News Thank you for publishing that excellent cartoon by David Fitzsimmons concerning Israeli settlements pulverizing peace.
Dear Patriot News,
Thank you for publishing that excellent cartoon by David Fitzsimmons concerning Israeli settlements pulverizing peace. A picture really is worth a thousand words! Thank you also for publishing the news that Arab leaders continue to back negotiations between Israel and Palestine. The Arab Peace Initiative really does provide the outline of a reasonable two state solution, in line with international law and well as respect for basic human rights. That approach benefits everyone- except religious extremists and criminals world wide who profit from the continuation of the Israel/Palestine conflict.
By the way, if you are looking for a good source for more news and information on Palestine, might I suggest that you contact The American Task Force on Palestine. Their web sight is a treasure trove of helpful information concerning Palestine, including facts about the The Palestinian State and Institution Building Program : Palestine Moving Forward & Palestine Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State. ATFP also sends out a highly relevant daily World Press Roundup: Middle East News listing important news and opinion, topped by a brilliant albeit brief and easy to read summary of the stories.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
NOTES
"Continued settlement activity, confrontations in East Jerusalem, excavations near holy sites, evictions of Palestinian families, travel and visa restrictions, belligerent conduct by extremist settlers, and sporadic violence by individual and organized Palestinian extremists all undermine the viability and credibility of negotiators and negotiations. " Washington is the indispensible partner for a settlement by Ziad Asali
"Historically, secular values have been a major feature of the Palestinian national movement" Palestine must be a secular state by Hussein Ibish
"Continued settlement activity, confrontations in East Jerusalem, excavations near holy sites, evictions of Palestinian families, travel and visa restrictions, belligerent conduct by extremist settlers, and sporadic violence by individual and organized Palestinian extremists all undermine the viability and credibility of negotiators and negotiations. " Washington is the indispensible partner for a settlement by Ziad Asali
"Historically, secular values have been a major feature of the Palestinian national movement" Palestine must be a secular state by Hussein Ibish
Need the facts on Palestine?
- FOLLOW IBISH & the ATFP
- ...American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) President Dr. Ziad J. Asali Emphasizes Convergence Between Diplomacy, State-Building at Senate Hearing
Jerusalem by David Roberts 1796-1864
Jerusalem by David Roberts 1796-1864 ... "For a poor shoemaker's son, who left school at 12 or 13, had no formal art training at all, but learned his craft as a house painter, then as a scene painter, his was a great achievement." Petra Fine Art
My letter to the LA Times RE East Jerusalem house is a home divided, An Israeli court has let Jewish settlers live in the front of a Palestinian home
RE: East Jerusalem house is a home divided, An Israeli court has let Jewish settlers live in the front of a house Palestinians have lived in for half a century. The close quarters make for constant tensions and frequent police intervention.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-israel-strangers29-2010mar29,0,830231.story
Dear Editor,
The situation is cruel- intentionally and extensively cruel: Israelis are very much in the wrong to be both using and abusing various laws in order to push Palestinians out of their homes and off their ancestral lands.
Israelis certainly do know how to empower religious extremism on both sides in order to undermine peace- and Palestine: This week the Jerusalem Post is reporting that a group called "Our Land of Israel" is plastering posters on buses with East Jerusalem routes. Our Land of Israel spokesman claim that “The Arabs and President Obama know that the Temple will be built on the Temple Mount, instead of the temporary buildings that are there today.” http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=172008 Their inflammatory posters (targeting Arab neighborhoods) show the well known "Temple Mount" minus the iconic and historic Jerusalem landmark The Dome of the Rock.... what would you do if you were a Palestinian dealing day in and day out with Israeli's insults- and gross violations of international law and the Palestinians basic human rights?
Israelis were totally in the wrong in 1948 when they ignored UN Resolution 194 concerning the Palestinian refugees' inalienable legal and natural right to return to original homes and lands- and Israelis are totally in the wrong today as they continue doing all they can to displace, radicalize, and destroy the native non-Jewish Palestinians wherever they might be: A fully secular two state solution to end the Israel/Palestine conflict would go a long way towards calming down all the many extremists, hate mongers and criminals worldwide who have been thriving on the continuation of the conflict.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
Growing Gardens for Palestine
We need a Golden Rule Peace for Israel and Palestine
NOTES
"Continued settlement activity, confrontations in East Jerusalem, excavations near holy sites, evictions of Palestinian families, travel and visa restrictions, belligerent conduct by extremist settlers, and sporadic violence by individual and organized Palestinian extremists all undermine the viability and credibility of negotiators and negotiations. " Washington is the indispensible partner for a settlement by Ziad Asali
"Historically, secular values have been a major feature of the Palestinian national movement" Palestine must be a secular state by Hussein Ibish
We need a Golden Rule Peace for Israel and Palestine
NOTES
"Continued settlement activity, confrontations in East Jerusalem, excavations near holy sites, evictions of Palestinian families, travel and visa restrictions, belligerent conduct by extremist settlers, and sporadic violence by individual and organized Palestinian extremists all undermine the viability and credibility of negotiators and negotiations. " Washington is the indispensible partner for a settlement by Ziad Asali
"Historically, secular values have been a major feature of the Palestinian national movement" Palestine must be a secular state by Hussein Ibish
Need the facts on Palestine?
- FOLLOW IBISH & the ATFP
- ...American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) President Dr. Ziad J. Asali Emphasizes Convergence Between Diplomacy, State-Building at Senate Hearing
What's Wrong with the One-State Agenda?
Palestinian 1 Pound note, minted in 1939. Palestinian Pounds are no longer in use
Palestinian 1 Pound note, minted in 1939. Palestinian Pounds are no longer in use
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Arab leaders renew support for peace efforts
Arab leaders renew support for peace efforts
SIRTE, Libya – Arab leaders on Sunday renewed their support for Mideast peace efforts, rejecting pressure from Syria and Libya on the Palestinians to abandon talks with Israel and resume armed resistance.The Arab League's backing for the land for peace initiative with Israel comes despite its firm opposition to Israeli plans for new Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem, land Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state.
"The Arab peace initiative is a serious move. If we withdraw it, what will be the Arab stance after that," Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa told reporters after the summit's closing session.
But the calls from Damascus and Tripoli — which were later echoed by the Islamic militant group Hamas — to quit peace efforts reflected the depth of frustration and anger over the stalled peace process and continued Israeli construction in areas claimed by the Palestinians, particularly east Jerusalem....READ MORE
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