My letters today to LaTimes: What's really stalling the Israel-Palestinian peace process Call it the victim barrier & CSM: To work, Mideast peace must first address daily concerns & The Guardian: Israel risks becoming apartheid state if peace talks fail, says John Kerry

Easter in the destroyed Palestinian village of Maalul: Ma'an News Photo Story..."Although most Palestinian refugees were forced to flee into Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, Gaza, and Jordan, tens of thousands managed to remain inside the borders of the newly-established state. Like the villagers of Maalul, these refugees found themselves living only a few kilometers away from their old homes, yet forbidden from returning."

RE: Israel risks becoming apartheid state if peace talks fail, says John Kerry
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/28/israel-apartheid-state-peace-talks-john-kerry

Dear Editor,

Many Palestinians already believe that Israel is an apartheid state.... and the reality of life in the occupied territories certainly is a world of privileges, subsidizes, security and excuses for Israel's Jewish settlers while the the native non-Jewish Palestinians get checkpoints and harassment campaigns aimed to drive them off their land.

Arguing over what word to call what Israel is doing will not erase the phenomenon: Ending the Israel/Palestine conflict and the very real plight and suffering of the Palestinians will.

I totally agree with Beaumont's conclusion that "...without a two-state solution, the level of prosperity and security the Israeli and Palestinian people deserve isn't possible."

Advocating negotiations based on full respect for international law, universal human rights and Golden Rule thinking is the best way out of the Israel/Palestine conflict, and the best way to halt all the many very negative ramifications created by the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

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RE: To work, Mideast peace must first address daily concerns. It is tempting to focus on big-ticket questions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the heart of the issue is in the daily 'facts on the ground' that most affect people. Our study found that Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank impede Palestinians – but also Israeli and regional security.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2014/0428/To-work-Mideast-peace-must-first-address-daily-concerns

Dear Editor,

Palestinians do not need a research project to help them see that Israeli checkpoints influence Palestinian attitudes towards Israel in negative ways!

But maybe Israelis and their American supporters do need such research, in order to better understand the Israel-Palestine conflict and the very real plight of the Palestinians. 

The lived aspects of the Israel-Palestine conflict are indeed the core of the conflict, and ending Israel's occupation and settlement projects in the illegally occupied territories should most certainly be a priority...  However the "big-ticket questions, such as Palestinian sovereignty, claims to Jerusalem, and the "right of return" of displaced Palestinians" are very much the who, what, how, why and where of Israel continuing to easily usurp Palestinian land, rights, and freedom day after day after day.

A just and lasting peace based on full respect for international law, universal human rights and Golden Rule thinking shapes two separate sovereign states, one called Israel, one called Palestine. Treat people the way you want to be treated: Religion should be a personal private choice for individuals and their families, not a state funded dictate determining who gets freedom, job opportunities and subsidized housing.

"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." Eleanor Roosevelt

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

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RE: What's really stalling the Israel-Palestinian peace process Call it the victim barrier: To achieve peace, both sides will have to put aside the past.  by Christopher J. Fettweis
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-fettweis-israelis-palestinians-victimhood-20140429,0,4280136.story#axzz30GQNSZKh

Dear Editor,

The "VICTIM BARRIER" is a good enough name to help define an important aspect that has been inspiring people on both sides to perpetuate the Israel-Palestine conflict. 

Cultivating rage and scorn (rather than diplomatic efforts geared to actually end the conflict) might make many outsiders and insiders feel noble and heroic, but as long as the conflict continues the very real plight of the Palestinians will get worse- and so will Israeli angst. 

As things are today, what is bad now is bound to become much much worse.

Weighing in for a just and lasting peace with two fully secular sovereign states, one called Israel and one called Palestine really is the best way forward... for everyone's sake.

"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." American Task Force on Palestine's born in Jerusalem Dr. Ziad Asali: To honor a tragic history, we must work for peace

Full respect for international law and universal human rights is a crucial component in making sure that the solution does not become more problematic than the current wretched status quo.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES:
Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

Reactions to the new unity deal ... for Palestine

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. ... FINDING alternatives to conflict and revenge: The Forgiveness Project

Jordan's King honours winners of King Abdullah II Award for World Interfaith Harmony Week 2014

Palestinians signal willingness to continue peace talks

Abbas: New govt recognizes Israel and rejects violence

King hails outgoing UNRWA chief in Jordan

PBS: Six takes on the Palestinian unity deal

That is real cultural and educational leadership and integrity. It is principled, brave, intelligent and unflinching. It deserves only support, applause and emulation...

American Task Force on Palestine Springs Forward

Choosing Sides ... a poem  

To a State ...a poem

Outreach: American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) "Our Israeli and Palestinian partners in the Middle East as well as our partners in the U.S. believe as we do that a lasting peace must begin with a commitment to shared security for all."

"Read and remember, take a minute to recall the smell of your grandmother’s za’atar and the taste of balady labaneh, and imagine what would happen if we were to lose it all…" This Week in Palestine

Growing Gardens for Palestine: "And it's up to all of us together"... a Spring poem for Palestine & peace

Peace Building ... civic muscle

• 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