My letter to the Washington Post RE Israel announces new settlement construction in occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem

Kerry to update Arab League on Israel-Palestinian talks: Jordan tells US secretary of state it will refuse to be involved in interim deal unless Palestinian refugee issue addressed (photo credit: US State Department) John Kerry meeting in Saudi Arabia, Sunday, January 5 2014.

RE Israel announces new settlement construction in occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israel-announces-new-settlement-construction-in-occupied-west-bank-east-jerusalem/2014/01/10/166c9db6-7a0b-11e3-a647-a19deaf575b3_story.html?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads

Dear Editor,

Perhaps one day your columnists, and maybe even eventually our Congress, will read the news, add up the facts, do the math and realize the foolishness of idolizing a far away nation state that is a major contributor to wretched poverty, refugee crises, despair, religious extremism, sectarian strife and anti-America sentiment all through out the Middle East: Right now Israel and Islamists have more in common than Israel and America.

Nether Israel nor Islamists want real freedom, justice and peace for the people of Palestine.  Rather than respecting universal basic human rights and the rule of fair and just laws both Israel and Islamists want religious identity to trump all else- and they want religion to be armed and ultimately funded by the tax payers.

We are supposed to be all about fostering diversity and equal rights for all, and the rule of fair and just laws. There is nothing fair or just or stabilizing about Israel's anti-Palestine shenanigans and Israel's obvious willingness to sabotage peace talks. 

Ending the Israel-Palestine conflict with a just and lasting peace should be a priority, for everyone's sake.  A negotiated two state solution based on full respect for universal basic human rights, international law and The Arab Peace Initiative shaping two fully secular, sovereign and secure nation states, one called Israel and one called Palestine, is the best way forward.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
Ziad Asali of ATFP: Why Palestinians are puzzled by the 'Jewish state' demand... Netanyahu's demand for recognition of Israel as a Jewish state bizarrely inserts Palestinians into the 'Who is a Jew' debate

Jerusalem... the respective capitals of Israel and Palestine

Hussein Ibish: Time for honesty about dialogue with Israel

Palestine is abundant in energy, skills, passion, and determination. Only when our belief in citizen solutions is reignited and our respect for one another is re-established can we officially witness the transformation we want as a society." Muna Dajani & Sami Backleh: This Week in Palestine

Arts & Culture: Organizers Prepare Palestinian Museum For 2015 Opening... Biggest of Its Kind, Privately-Sponsored Institution Will Have Satellite Locations Around the Globe

The monster that won't die: Al-Qaeda is making yet another appalling comeback "There have always been differences within al-Qaeda, those who have either successfully seized or been granted permission to use the name as a kind of franchise, and other salafi-jihadi or "takfiri" groups. But while the parent organization based in Pakistan and Afghanistan seems to be increasingly irrelevant, the political ideology and program of mass murder that are now synonymous with al-Qaeda seem at least as robust as ever, if not more so. It is the monster that, for the past decade, simply will not die."

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

American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) supports Palestinian institution-building, good governance, anti-corruption measures, economic development, and improved living standards. ATFP categorically and unequivocally condemns all violence against civilians, no matter the cause and who the victims or perpetrators may be. http://www.americantaskforce.org/

The Arab Peace Initiative