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| Songs and Pictures from Palestine photo by Mostafa Al Kharoof |
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/opinion/israels-settlers-are-here-to-stay.html?_r=1&ref=global
Dear Editor,
"Israel’s Settlers Are Here to Stay" is an interesting peek into how some of Israel's ardent one-state ideologues think. Palestine has its ardent one-state ideologues too. One staters on both sides selectively hear what they want to hear, see what they want to see and are free to convince their fans and followers to scorn and sabotage serious efforts to actually end the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Transitioning away from perpetual war into a just and lasting peace will not be an easy adjustment for many people, but neither was the end of slavery, nor the repealing of Jim Crow laws. Not easy but an important step forward for civilization itself. Empowering decency, diplomacy, and a two state solution totally in line with international law and fully respecting basic human rights in order to end the Israel-Palestine conflict really is the best way forward.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
Notes
The Office of International Religious Freedom ( http://www.state.gov/j/drl/irf/ ) Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to:
- Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries
Refugees and the Right of Return: "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."
"It is in Israel's vital interest to come to a
complete resolution
of
the conflict between it and the Palestinian people sooner rather than
later, relieving the weight of this tragic conflict from both of our
peoples' shoulders. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to the world." Maen
Rashid
Areikat: The
Time for a Palestinian State Is Now
"Where, after all, do universal human rights
begin?
In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot
be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the
individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college
he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the
places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal
opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights
have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without
concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in
vain for progress in the larger world."Eleanor
Roosevelt
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