My letter to the NYTimes RE Editorial Having to Rebuild Gaza, Again

In 2013, there were 399 incidents of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs... Israeli attacks on the fall harvest are a key way that Palestinians are forced out of their homes and their lands confiscated for settlement construction, as the loss of a year's crop can signal destitution for many.

RE Having to Rebuild Gaza, Again
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/11/opinion/having-to-rebuild-gaza-again.html?ref=opinion

Dear Editor,

Your editorial on rebuilding Gaza again correctly concludes "It is little wonder, absent a credible peace process, that so many donor nations are reluctant to pour money into what many see as a black hole." 

Obviously the plight of the Palestinians is dire and as things are right now it is bound to get worse.

In rebuilding Gaza, everyone but Israel is expected to pay Alan Philps points out that: "Aid agencies, big and small, are keenly aware that the vital work they do in Gaza and the West Bank can be seen as reducing the burden of occupation on Israel. Since Israel primarily controls access to Gaza by land, air and sea, it should be responsible for the welfare of the Gazans. Yet this burden is borne by US and European taxpayers and other international donors." 

Meanwhile in the West Bank "Dozens of Israeli settlers protected by soldiers burned and damaged olive trees on Palestinian lands in the Yasuf village near Salfit in the northern West Bank on Friday" Settlers attack Palestinian olive farmers for 2nd time in 2 days

I think Hamas should step down for Palestine's sake, and all Islamists in Gaza should surrender or destroy their lethal weaponry... Ending the Israel-Palestine conflict ASAP with a fully secular two state solution based on full respect for international law and universal human rights- creating a fully sovereign free Palestine to live alongside and with Israel in peace and security, is the best way forward.

As Taliban attack survivor Malala Yousafzai (the young girl who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize) said in her inspiring address to the United Nations last year  "Let us wage a glorious struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism. Let us pick up our books and pens - they are the most important weapons". 

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
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