My letter to the NYTimes RE U.S. Inaction, Mideast Cataclysm? by Israel's Bernard Avishai and Palestine's Sam Bahour

2013 inauguration: Waiting, watching, bearing witness PHOTOS

RE: U.S. Inaction, Mideast Cataclysm?
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/opinion/us-inaction-mideast-cataclysm.html?ref=global&_r=0

Dear Editor, 

Following the news and opinion regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict one gets used to an avalanche of the same old excuses and rants and distractions that tempt many novices away from taking efforts for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East seriously. 

Thus, I was surprised and quite impressed by the clear headed thinking and excellent analysis in the timely op-ed "U.S. Inaction, Mideast Cataclysm?" ( written by Israel's Bernard Avishai and Palestine's Sam Bahour).

In my opinion, Obama would be wise to listen carefully to his own inspiring inauguration speech, and apply that exact same logic and hopefulness to our foreign policy and our expectations for both Israel and Palestine because indeed: " We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity." President Barack Obama

A fully secular two state solution firmly based on international law and full respect for universal basic human rights, including but not limited to the Palestinian refugees' legal, moral and natural right of return, really is the best way forward- for everyone's sake.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
Arab League official urges Arab Israelis to go out and vote to thwart ‘racist’ Israeli plans

Palestinian passengers will be more tempted to read books after a new reading campaign is launched next week. A group of young writers are gathering books to put in mini-vans linking major cities in the West Bank, routes that can waste hours.

Diplomacy in action- for peace & Palestine

Palestinians set up new tented protest village northwest of Jerusalem

Museum displays Palestinian heritage in Tulkarm. - YouTube

PLO Delegation: Statement on Killing of Palestinian Youth

UN Chief Urges Israel to Rescind E1 Settlement

Israeli forces demolish 2 East Jerusalem homes

Aid agencies tread gingerly in Area C... Palestinian communities here, among the poorest and most vulnerable in oPt, desperately need access to water, electricity, sanitation and other basic infrastructure.

*******

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.