My letter to the NYTimes RE Secretary Kerry’s Derring-Do by Thomas L Friedman

The Jerusalem Arbitration Center: An Israeli former peace negotiator, Oren Shachor, and Palestinian tycoon Munib Al-Masri have founded the Jerusalem Arbitration Center, in a rare example of cooperation aimed at bypassing the political pitfalls of decades of conflict....Centre officials said they hope the availability of arbitration will lead to an increase in Israeli-Palestinian business ties and attract foreign investment. Two-thirds of the annual trade between Israel and the West Bank consists of Israeli exports to the territory.

RE Secretary Kerry’s Derring-Doby Thomas L Friedman
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/opinion/friedman-secretary-kerrys-derring-do.html?ref=international

Dear Editor,

Friedman certainly is taking liberties with his podium at the NYTimes as he asserts, with what sounds like an air of absolute authority, that Kerry is saying (or should be telling) Palestinians that there will be no return to original homes and lands for Palestinian refugees.

I vehemently disagree with Friedman's advice about Palestinian refugees, not only because his advice is in direct conflict with the dictates of international law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but also because I believe that a person's religion should not ever ever EVER be the determining factor for security and citizenship and job opportunities. 

Israel's choices must not be about being Jewish: Israel's choices must be about being a sovereign nation making sovereign choices that respect international law, basic human rights and every citizen's need for security and peace- regardless of supposed race or religion.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

 NOTES

The 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.

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

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

 Live by the Golden Rule