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| In photos: Team Palestine at Olympic stadium: Members of the Palestinian contingent wave as they take part in the athletes parade during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium, in London on July 27, 2012. Five Palestinian athletes are participating in this year's games. |
RE: Not so easy
http://www.economist.com/node/21559663
Dear Sir,
Optimism is not what motivates advocates of a two state solution to end the Israel-Palestine conflict. Nor is it pessimism. The motivation to end the conflict is quite simply a carefully considered reality based conclusion that the Israel-Palestine conflict has been cruel enough and is bound to only get worse- and so will the very real plight of the Palestinians.
A totally secular two state solution based on fully respecting international law and universal basic human rights creates the best way forward by giving all people including all refugees, regardless of supposed race or religion, the ability to break free from the various tyrants & crooks & religious extremists & hate mongers & cynics & idiots...etc... who thrive on the continuation of the conflict.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
Notes
'Separate and Unequal' is Unacceptable to Palestinians
"If you have to modify it, it isn't really a democracy"
World Bank says Palestinian economy unsustainable, noting that Israeli restrictions remain the biggest impediment to investing, creating high uncertainty and risk
Do you support as a solution to this conflict the emergence of a fully sovereign state of Palestine on the territory occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem? Yes or no?
Violent attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property, mosques and farmland had increased by 150% over the past year.
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
