 |
| Attempting to bathe a reluctant donkey in the sea, on the outskirts of Gaza’s Deir al-Balah refugee camp. 2013. photo by Tanya Habjouqa New York Times lens blog |
RE: Is Mideast peace possible? Skepticism is understandable, but there is a glimmer of hope in the U.S.-led effort to broker a deal.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-israel-palestine-peace-20140107,0,4968106.story#axzz2piqw2Kwi
Dear Editor,
The peace process has not only been tragically unsuccessful, but also war has also been a total failure: No one in the Middle East is safer, and every country is in many ways, much less stable now than in the past. Every country is also much more crowded.
Multiple factors beyond the many negative ramifications (including religious extremism and terrorism) motivated by the Israel-Palestine conflict are likely to make this dangerous situation go from bad to worse, sooner rather than later.
Odds are, right now the Middle East is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis of a proportion never ever seen before by humankind... and in many ways it will be every one's fault. Considering all that, I have to agree with the gist of your editorial today, and I very much hope that more people do what they can to help make a just and lasting peace for both Israel and for Palestine a reality.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
******
RE: Double-teaming peace in Israel , Though Secretary of State John Kerry and Pope Francis are operating independently, together they form a powerful force for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2014/0106/Double-teaming-peace-in-Israel
Dear Editor,
Thank you for the courageous optimism and hope in your editorial "Double-teaming peace in Israel, Though Secretary of State John Kerry and Pope Francis are operating independently, together they form a powerful force for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. "
Rather than looking for and finding reasons to slam the door closed on peace and Palestine, as so many are tempted to do at this point in time, you look for reasons to urge your audience to stay engaged, recognizing "the immense benefits both sides can gain from peace."
Israel's newest settler campaign to discredit diplomatic efforts to end the Israel-Palestine conflict has its counterpart of Palestinian protesters who object to negotiations with angry rallies, op-eds, and tweets. Thankfully, despite the pervasive negativity and nastiness generated by the conflict bringing out the worst in many people, there are some gallant and intrepid thinkers still willing to bolster diplomacy and serious efforts to actually end the Israel-Palestine conflict.
International law and countless resolutions clearly favor a fully secular two state solution with a fully sovereign Palestinian state living alongside Israel in peace, security and dignity.
Hussein Ibish, a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine (a non-profit, non-partisan NGO which is focused in on building American support for a just and lasting peace for both Israel and Palestine) wrote in a recent op-ed about "the ridiculous tug-of-war between Palestinian Muslims and Christians versus Jewish Israelis over Jesus" ( It’s wrong to use history to serve political narratives ). Ibish was responding to the fact that both sides have been exploiting ancient history and cherished myths to gain support and sympathy for their side of the conflict, and their side alone.
I think what really matters is not whether Jesus is called a Jew or a Palestinian, or both- or neither, when all through out the Middle East there is a huge burgeoning refugee crisis while the plight of the Palestinians, as well as the angst of the Israelis, is growing more dire and dangerous, day by day and hour by hour, in part because apologists plus the echo chamber of the internet convinces various religious extremists and fanatics and bigots on all sides of the conflict that there is no reason to be reasonable or compassionate.
It will not be easy to end the Israel-Palestine conflict, but surely if humankind can figure out how to actually walk on the moon, and how to stop polio epidemics, and how to clean up polluted rivers, and so many other seemingly impossible challenges, we can also figure out how to help Israelis and Palestinians create and invest in a just and lasting peace for everyone's sake.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
No comments:
Post a Comment