My letter to the NYTimes RE "The Blight of Return" by Roger Cohen

The returning issue of Palestine's refugee

The Blight of Return By Roger Cohen
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/18/opinion/global/roger-cohen-the-blight-of-return.html?ref=global

Dear Editor,

Roger Cohen claims there is no history of return- he is totally wrong: Recognizing the vital importance of every refugees' right to return and reparations has been an important part of the world's response to rebuilding civilization after the Nazi Holocaust.

The right to return is a universal basic human right, affirmed time and time again by international law and anyone who is sincerely concerned about creating a just and lasting peace.

UN Resolution 194 from 1948 : 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

Religion and/or race should not ever be what determines who is safe in their home, and able to find a job. A fully secular two state solution to once and for ALL end the Israel-Palestine conflict for everyone's sake really is the best way forward.  

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
"What is important is that individual refugees decide for themselves which option they prefer- a decision must not be imposed upon them." 

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

Palestinian Refugees(1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

The Balfour Declaration of 1917

".... it being clearly understood that nothing
          shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious
          rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine..."

The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

"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

Empowering Peace & Palestine

"The only way to honor our tragic histories is to create a future for our children free of man-made tragedy. This means making peace fully, completely and without reservation, between Israel and Palestine."

 

The Arab Peace Initiative

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.