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| 1856 map of ancient Palestine |
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/opinion/israels-true-friends.html?ref=global&_r=0
Dear Editor,
Negotiations shaped to entrench sovereign violations of international law and the Palestinians basic human rights become another weapon of war rather than a tool of peace:
Israel's continued settlement expansion in the West Bank is indeed self-defeating and wrong... AND so is Israel's ongoing refusal to respect the Palestinian refugees' inalienable legal and natural right to return to original homes and lands.
A good faith quest for a two state solution recognizes that rampant religious extremism, bigotry, and hate mongering are making a bad situation worse, with dangerous ramifications world wide.
Compromise for both sides is agreeing that there are two separate sovereign states where once there was one area referred to in our history books and on antique maps as historic Palestine.
Compromise for both sides is finding ways to ensure that all people, regardless of supposed race, religion or gender are respected equals protected by the rule of fair and just laws.
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 countriesPalestinian Refugees(1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.
".... 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 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."
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.
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