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| Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice. photo credits Red Cross ICRC & UNWRA historic archives |
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/07/opinion/global/for-israel-a-us-strike-is-a-no-brainer.html?ref=global
Dear Editor,
Bitter memories of the Holocaust which dominate Israel’s national psyche should motivate Israelis to respect international law and the Palestinian's basic human rights, as well as negotiations to once and for all end the Israel-Palestine conflict... but that has not happened.
Continuing to call Israel "The Jewish State" rather than simply "Israel", creates the emotional roller coaster that has been hurling Israel towards impoverishing and displacing even more Palestinian men, women and children- including countless Palestinian refugees already displaced multiple times.
Hezbollah (and Hamas, and possibly even Al-Qaeda) would not even be but for the rampant institutionalized bigotry and injustice of "The Jewish State" with it's sovereign template of how to succeed economically and 'emotionally' by arming religion with lethal weaponry and constant spin.
The Syria crisis and tragedy is not just the number of children killed, or the methods used to kill them, it is also the refugee crisis. Syrian refugees top 2 million as thousands flee daily , despite the fact that "A lot of people are afraid to leave... People don't want to become Palestinian-ized" -- in reference to the decades-long displacement of millions of Palestinians that began in 1948."
"At the end of August [2013], some 716,000 Syrian refugees were registered or in the process of being registered in Lebanon, 515,000 in Jordan, 460,000 in Turkey, 168,000 in Iraq and 110,000 in Egypt"
Look at a map- every neighboring nation except Israel has welcomed in Syrian refugees. Every country sharing a border, except Israel, is wrestling with how to feed and house and keep safe the people displaced by the debacle in Syria. And what will happen to the children of Syria as time goes by... As long as an economically successful and relatively stable Israel is idolized and defined as "The Jewish State", rather than as a real democracy with full and equal rights for all, Islamists everywhere will follow Israel's lead- arming religion with lethal weaponry and constant spin.
Bombing Syria only adds to the violence and the angst and the proxy investments pushing this mess towards WWIII. Instead of fixating on military action, the entire world would be much better off if we all focused in on peace and actually ending the Israel-Palestine conflict with a fully secular two state solution that fully honors and respects international law and basic human rights, including but not limited to every refugee's universal right to return to original homes and lands.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
*******
RE: Israel becomes a 'Promised Land' for non-Jewish geeks-Tel Aviv is home to a growing number of non-Jewish expats drawn by the optimism and openness of its technology start-up scene.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2013/0907/Israel-becomes-a-Promised-Land-for-non-Jewish-geeks
Dear Editor,
The pretty side of ethnic cleansing and institutionalized bigotry a la Israel is that a constant flow of clueless new arrivals infuse the conversation with happy stories of Israel and falling in love. The not so pretty side is the fact that Palestinian refugees continue to be refused their inalienable legal, moral and natural right to return to original homes and lands, a universal basic human right clearly affirmed by UN Resolution 194 in 1948.
Imagine if these Untied States of America decided that as of now, following Israel's spectacularly successful lead, citizenship and job opportunities depend entirely on either being a Christian or being married to a Christian- except for a few token exceptions to the rule for PR purposes.
Imagine if every country in the Middle East, following Israel's spectacularly successful lead, opted to make citizenship and security as well as travel privileges dependent on pledging allegiance to a preferred religion, and then eventually a preferred sect of that religion as our world becomes more crowded and number crunching sovereign nations seek ways to figure out how to allocate increasingly scarce resources.
There is a huge difference, both economically and emotionally, between voluntary relocation and forced exile.
When you leave your house or apartment today, closing the door behind you, take note that your freedom to return depends on many factors- including fair and just laws. When you drive across town to visit your mother or sister or friend or a doctor, keep in mind the fact that your freedom to do so depends on many factors- including fair and just laws. When you apply for a job or a building permit or a passport remember the crucial importance of fair and just laws.... and the very real plight of the Palestinians.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
NOTES
Live by the Golden Rule
Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.
Dear President Obama... Let Freedom Ring
194
Help Build A Golden Rule Peace for the Holy Land
Globalizing Martin Luther King, Jr.
*********
The Arab Peace Initiative
1. Requests Israel to reconsider its policies and declare that a just peace is its strategic option as well.2. Further calls upon Israel to affirm:I- Full Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967, including the Syrian Golan Heights, to the June 4, 1967 lines as well as the remaining occupied Lebanese territories in the south of Lebanon.II- Achievement of a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem to be agreed upon in accordance with U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194.III- The acceptance of the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian territories occupied since June 4, 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.3. Consequently, the Arab countries affirm the following:I- Consider the Arab-Israeli conflict ended, and enter into a peace agreement with Israel, and provide security for all the states of the region.
II- Establish normal relations with Israel in the context of this comprehensive peace.
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:
"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
Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the
world as a fundamental human right and as a source of
stability for all countries
"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
Live
by the Golden Rule
Words to Honor: The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 1.
Words to Honor: The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 1.
-
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and
rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should
act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
".... it being clearly understood that nothing
shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious
rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine....
"In
1949, the international community accepted Israel's UN
membership upon two conditions: That they respect
resolutions 181 (two states) and 194 (refugee rights).
Neither has been honored. In fact, 65 years later, Israel
has not even acknowledged what it did in 1948." Saeb
Erekat
11
December 1948 UN Resolution
194:"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"
The
Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would
have them do unto you
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