My letter to the Washington Post 10-27-2011 RE David Ignatius's "The Mideast deal that could have been"

RE David Ignatius's "The Mideast deal that could have been"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-mideast-deal-that-could-have-been/2011/10/25/gIQAxaREKM_story.html

Dear Editor,

Regarding the "The Mideast deal that could have been": Most of the peace deal details sound basically reasonable until one gets to the big gotcha: "The “right of return” for Palestinians would be limited to about 5,000"... Were Jewish refugees from the Nazi Holocaust refused their right to return to original homes and lands after the war- no not at all!!! In fact descendants who moved to Israel continue to get passports today and are easily able to return to Europe as full and equal citizens.

I can understand why Israel is convinced that denying people (specifically the native non-Jewish Palestinians) full and equal rights because of their supposed religion is a politically expedient necessity, but I simply can not understand why any American politician or columnist can promote or endorse such cruel policies and wrong headed thinking after all America has been through to become a more real democracy.

Did we deny the victims of Katrina or any other Hurricane the freedom to return to New Orleans after the storm?

Do we use a person's religion as a basis for housing subsidies? Is our government using our tax dollars to build roads and put up checkpoints and walls inside Mexico and Canada so that American citizens can have more freedom and job opportunities than local citizens?

The Western world knows quite well the perils of mixing church and state, and how quickly and completely religious tyranny and corruption takes hold. Our message to the Arab Spring needs to be about the vital importance of fair and just laws and a secular peace for all the people... a just and lasting peace and prosperity firmly based on full respect for universal basic human rights including but not limited to every refugee's very real right to return- and the right to leave too. The freedom to move away from conflict and the right to find a decent job and build a new home and make new friends. The right to build a compassionate community and a better future for all our children- regardless of supposed race or religion.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
American homemaker & poet

NOTES
Help Build A Golden Rule Peace for the Holy Land

The Arab Peace Initiative requests Israel to reconsider its policies and declare that a just peace is its strategic option as well...

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"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?

American Task Force on Palestine President Ziad J. Asali: "The pursuit of peace, independence and reform is not a project for cowards..."

Washington Post interview with Jordan's King Abdullah on Egypt, Syria and Israel

UNWRA: Palestinian statehood and beyond

Growing Gardens for Palestine