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

Analysis: Why Palestinian leadership is right to engage in peace talks

(MaanImages/file)

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine] 

http://www.maannews.net/ENG/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=660880
Published Tuesday 07/01/2014 (updated) 09/01/2014  

By Vincent Fean

Vincent Fean is the British Consul-General to Jerusalem.

The US-sponsored peace talks are well under way: a moment to take stock, and to look forward.

The UK is a consistent, close friend of the Palestinian and the Israeli peoples. We seek a just and lasting resolution of this conflict, based on universally shared values.

And we have our opinion about how the conflict could end: in a negotiated solution with a safe and secure Israel living at peace side by side with a safe, secure, viable and sovereign Palestinian state, based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a just, fair and agreed solution for refugees.

There are spoilers on both sides of this conflict who do not wish this outcome. Whoever planted a bomb on a bus in Israel must not be allowed to win. President Abbas is right: violence only breeds violence. The way forward is the way he has chosen: the way of hope, with justice, to achieve a lasting peace. The way of dialogue and negotiation.

President Obama and Secretary Kerry are leading the peace negotiations, which are confidential -- rightly. The two parties can make the compromises needed for peace only away from the glare of publicity. But what is the role of Europe, and particularly my country, during this crucial time? For we do have a role -- an important one.

First, to underline the urgent need for an agreement. Systematic settlement expansion is the biggest single threat to the two state solution which is our shared objective. Time is not on our side.

Second, to encourage both parties to negotiate in earnest, for the common good.

Third, to offer hope to both of a better future for their children through an agreed outcome. That is why Britain led the way for Europe to offer unprecedented support to both states in the event of a peace deal. The EU stands ready to enter into a Special Privileged Partnership with the future state of Palestine and with Israel. For the Palestinian people, a just negotiated peace with Israel will bring huge rewards, including much closer political, economic and cultural ties with Europe.

That is the actively supportive British role at this time. We support President Abbas' government, led by Rami Hamdallah -- the best and only vehicle for the eventual international recognition of the sovereign Palestinian state.

The EU stands by its principled differentiation between Green Line Israel and all settlements, which we condemn as illegal under international law. The EU Funding Guidelines in relation to settlements come into force on Jan. 1, 2014, and will be implemented without fear or favor.

We maintain our principled opposition to house demolitions. The UK strongly believes that the promotion of business ties and respect for human rights are inseparable. Our guidance to British businesses here reflects our consistent view: the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights are territories occupied by Israel since 1967.

We will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem, unless they are agreed explicitly by the two parties. There are therefore clear risks related to economic and financial activities in the settlements. We do not encourage or offer British Government support to such activity.

Bilaterally, we are committed to deepening our ties to the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. Next spring we hold our first strategic dialogue with the Palestinian Authority under Prime Minister Hamdallah, while the Palestine/Britain Business Council meets in London on March 20 to create new business ties in ICT, agribusiness, tourism, and investment in Jerusalem.

We are creating a hub in the Consulate to act as a focus for ICT business links, investing in the ingenuity and creativity of Palestinian entrepreneurs. Gaza is an essential element in this work; the UK Development Ministry is working there, in East Jerusalem and in the West Bank to help Palestinian businesses to grow and prosper.

Gaza is fundamental to the future Palestinian state. The 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza will be among its citizens. Today, they are suffering unsustainable, unjustifiable hardship – power cuts of up to 18 hours a day, poor drinking water, students and the sick unable to leave.

UNRWA is doing its best to cope, with strong UK support, but Gazans need and deserve better. Hamas needs to abide by the ceasefire agreed last year, including a complete need to militant activities and rocket fire. All parties need to build on the ceasefire to address the underlying causes of the conflict.

There needs to be an agreement between Egypt and the PA to reopen Rafah to legitimate travel, and there needs to be fuel to keep the power station going. The President and Prime Minister Hamdallah are active on both fronts, with strong UK and EU support. There is great urgency.

As my wife Anne and I prepare to return to London after more than three years with you, we wish to thank all those in the very active Palestinian civil society who have worked with us to deepen bilateral ties between our two peoples – from Nabi Saleh to al Aqaba, from Qalandiya to Cremisan.

I am convinced that the current efforts to establish peace with justice and dignity deserve all our support. The aim is noble -- a safe and secure Israel, living next to the sovereign State of Palestine espousing democracy, the rule of law and peaceful coexistence with its neighbors, first and foremost Israel, with freedom of movement and worship for all who hold Jerusalem sacred.

It is an aim worthy of sacrifices, and needing international support. With our partners, the United Kingdom is working hard to make it become reality.

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

Woman waves Palestinian flag as Israeli youths with Israeli flag walk by in Jerusalem. Photo by Reuters

Commentary by American Task Force on Palestine Pres. Ziad Asali appears in today's edition of the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz. It can be read on the Ha'aretz website here.


The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) formally recognized Israel in 1993, although Israel still has yet to recognize Palestine. Palestinians therefore expect Israel's citizens to define their own state...READ MORE http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.567946

My letter 1-9-2014 RE Not Just About Us ....

Jordan Times ‘Where there are children playing there is always hope’.
This photo was posted by Andrew Harper, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) representative in Jordan, on his twitter account. It shows children sitting next to a Saudi-donated prefab at the Zaatari refugee camp in north Jordan.

RE: Not Just About Us by Thomas L. Friedman
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/opinion/friedman-not-just-about-us.html?ref=international&_r=0

Dear Editor,

Kudos to Thomas L. Friedman for carefully reading Marwan Muasher's extremely relevant new book — “The Second Arab Awakening and the Battle for Pluralism” and for adeptly summarizing key points in your opinion page.

AND kudos to Marwan Muasher, a former Jordanian foreign minister and currently a vice president at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, for willing to be part of the '"will from within" in this struggle for diversity, pluralism, and peace. I totally agree with Muasher that “Pluralism is the operating system we need to solve all our problems, and as long as that operating system is not in place, we will not get there. This is an internal battle. Let’s stop hoping for delivery from the outside.”

Let's also not ignore the elephant in the living room:  I very much hope that all sincere efforts to actually end to the Israel-Palestine conflict with a diversifying fully secular two state solution shaping a fully sovereign free Palestine, and a just and lasting peace for both Israel and for Palestine, will help steer the entire region towards more Golden Rule thinking, and much less hostility towards "others."

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Jerusalem... the respective capitals of Israel and Palestine

"...Should the Kerry initiative – the last, best hope for the two-state solution – end in failure, Jerusalem will degenerate into the epicentre of a festering conflict, the arena of recurrent rounds of convulsive violence. But should, against all odds, these talks end in agreement, a new Jerusalem, rooted in its genuine political and urban realities, will emerge: a politically divided, bi-national city, the respective capitals of Israel and Palestine – which is the sine qua non of any permanent status agreement."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/08/myth-undivided-jerusalem-israel-palestine-binyamin-netanyahu

The myth of an undivided Jerusalem is collapsing under its own weight

Binyamin Netanyahu is misguided to believe a two-state Israel-Palestine solution is possible while keeping a deeply divided city intact

• Daniel Seidemann
• theguardian.com, Wednesday 8 January 2014 11.32 EST 

My letter to the NYtimes Lens Blog RE Tanya Habjouqa's photos Palestinian Pleasures & essay by James Estrin

Boys splashed in a plastic swimming pool under an olive tree in the West Bank village of Kufr Ni’ma. Though the water supply to Israeli settlers in the West Bank is abundant and uninterrupted, many Palestinian communities there suffer from chronic water shortages. 2013. Photo by Tanya Habjouqa

RE: Palestinian Pleasures By JAMES ESTRIN
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/palestinian-pleasures/?_r=1&#/18/

Dear Editor,

Delighted to see the stereotype breaking photo essay of lovely lively real Palestinians caught relaxing in your lens blog! 

I saw the link on a friend's Facebook page yesterday and have been returning to the photo essay again and again since then to revisit every fascinating photo and every precious word, as the essay is honest but refreshingly subtle in gently pointing out " the absurdities of everyday life in the Israeli-controlled West Bank and the Hamas-controlled Gaza."

Thank you so much for publishing Palestinian Pleasures by James Estrin, featuring the unique photographs focused in on capturing Palestinian relaxation and humor by Tanya Habjouqa, a "Jordanian-born"..."raised in Texas"  (Jordanian-American) photographer ... " who lives in East Jerusalem with her husband, a Palestinian lawyer with Israeli citizenship, and their two children."

We certainly have come a long long way from "There is no such thing as a Palestinian." !!!!

If one wants to better understand the very real plight of the Palestinians, at this point in time there are now decades of countless published articles, photos, books, pamphlets, posters, poems, art, newsletters, email lists and international websites to name just a few places one can easily find Palestinian perspectives and voices and history. Hopefully all the hard work and good intentions and creativity of many people will culminate into an end to the Israel-Palestine conflict this year, with a just and lasting peace for everyone's sake. 

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES

The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) is a 501©(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, DC. Established in 2003, its mission is to articulate and educate about the United States national interest in helping to create a Palestinian state living alongside Israel in peace, security and dignity. ATFP is committed to strengthening Palestinian-American relations at every level. The Task Force supports Palestinian institution-building, good governance, anti-corruption measures, economic development, and improved living standards.  http://www.americantaskforce.org/

ATFP holds that these same values are relevant to the broader Arab world, and that the question of Palestine is inextricably linked to regional realities and developments. ATFP provides an independent voice for Palestinian-Americans and their supporters and advances human rights and peace. It categorically and unequivocally condemns all violence against civilians, no matter the
cause and who the victims or perpetrators may be.

 

***

My life: Tanya Habjouqa: "I know my daughter is a Palestinian born in a complicated, racist state. I will try to impart empathy, humanity and understanding to her. I am grateful to the surgeons and nurses, Israeli and Palestinian, who safely delivered her. It is, at end of day, a celebration of life." Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/my-life-tanya-habjouqa#ixzz2poEVuzRA

My Letters 1-7-2014 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. (LATimes) & Double-teaming peace in Israel - Secretary of State John Kerry and Pope Francis (CSM)

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

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

West Bank Story: The Palestinian Museum, slated to open in Birzeit in April, 2015, will be difficult to access for visitors from outside the Palestinian Territories. PHOTO Courtesy of Palestinian Museum

http://forward.com/articles/190091/organizers-prepare-palestinian-museum-for--ope/

By Anna Goldenberg

Published January 03, 2014, issue of January 10, 2014.

2014 will see intensified preparations for the projected April 2015 opening of the Palestinian Museum, which will be the biggest museum devoted to Palestinian culture and identity.

Since last April’s groundbreaking ceremony for the 3,000-square-meter project — the size of half a regulation soccer field — director and head curator Jack Persekian has been busy coordinating the opening exhibition and gathering a staff.

The museum in Birzeit, outside Ramallah, is funded by the Welfare Association, a London-based organization of Palestinian businesspeople and intellectuals; the chairperson is Sawsan Al-Fahoum Jafar, founding president of Friends of Cancer Patients, in the United Arab Emirates. Aiming to present Palestinian history and culture, and to engage Palestinians in discussions about their identity, the museum will be the most exhaustive of its kind located in the Palestinian Territories. Although other institutions, such as the Panorama and Heritage of Palestine museum, in Jenin, and the Bethlehem Folklore Museum, exist, they are much smaller.

Palestinians living outside the West Bank, however, will have limited physical access to the new museum, as they require a special permit to enter the Territories, and even residents of the Territories can face multiple checkpoints. Which is why Persekian plans to finalize partnerships for roughly five satellite locations in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and the Gulf, as well as in other Israeli cities, by April 2014.

The museum is also developing a strong online presence as well as continuing education programs, with the hope of bringing art to Palestinian schools.

Rashid Khalidi, professor of Arab studies at Columbia University, who has written extensively about Palestinian identity and the struggle for statehood, is on the Welfare Association’s board of directors and is part of the Museum’s committee. “It is going to be a difficult business that will satisfy very diverse audiences that are forcibly separated,” he said, adding that curating portable exhibits will be a “physical nightmare” due to access restrictions in the Palestinian territories.

On the museum’s homepage, Palestinians are a invited to submit their contributions to the opening exhibition, “Never-part,” which will feature personal stories behind people’s cherished objects.

In 1997, the W.A. started planning and fundraising to create a Palestinian museum dedicated to commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Nakba, which refers to the displacement of about 700,000 Palestinians associated with the Israeli War of Independence, in 1948; but the second intifada, which started in 2000, brought the campaign to a standstill. When the plan was revived a few years later, new board members brought up a different idea: to “take the memory as a starting point, but we use that to look towards the future”...READ MORE

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine] 

My letters 1-1 &1-4-2014 RE What the Mideast peace process needs (Washington Post) & My Jewish State By Roger Cohen (New York Times)

ATFP Resources on Palestinian State and Institution Building

RE What the Mideast peace process needs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-new-understanding-for-the-middle-east/2014/01/03/65f23cb2-73f1-11e3-9389-09ef9944065e_story.html

Dear Editor,

Either Israel really wants to keep building Jewish-only housing projects on Palestinian land (in the illegally occupied territories) because Israel has no interest in ever allowing Palestine to be a sovereign state, or Israel is continuing on with these land grabbing "settlement" projects in order to instigate Palestinian protests and extremism and an indigenous rejection of peace negotiations and Palestinian state building efforts so that Israel is in a stronger position at the negotiating table ... and ultimately in the global job market.

This newest Israeli demand that Palestinians officially declare Israel Jewish might be Israel calculating yet another way to have a stronger position at the negotiating table- or it might be the step Israel needs to take in order to justify pushing even more native non-Jewish Palestinians into forced exile and despair.

A fully secular two state solution to once and for all end the Israel-Palestine conflict and to help stop the religious extremism and terror created by that conflict is the best way forward- for everyone's sake. Religion should be a personal private choice: Tax payers here and there should not be coerced into funding and empowering and arming sovereign Israel's religious scholars and schemes.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

********

RE: My Jewish State By Roger Cohen
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/01/opinion/cohen-my-jewish-state.html?ref=international&_r=0

Dear Editor,

Roger Cohen of the New York Times might see no hope as far as there being an end to the Israel-Palestine conflict in 2014 but I see burgeoning hope in part because of Cohen's willingness to be honest about the "Jewish State" issue: Cohen refused to rally his readers behind Netanyahu's ridiculous demand. Cohen also noticed the plight of the Palestinians.

In addition real progress and hope are in the Arab Peace Initiative.... just as there is progress and very real hope in every careful word of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from 1948.

I also see magnificent progress and hope in the work of The American Task Force on Palestine http://www.americantaskforce.org/ , a trustworthy think tank which realizes the immense wisdom of being both pro-America and pro-Palestine.... and I see hope in the work of Dr. Hussein Ibish http://ibishblog.com/ a brilliant analyst who is not afraid to tackle even the most difficult topics with a candor and acumen few can match.

Yes there is a loud angry echo chamber amplified by the internet, a loud angry echo chamber on both sides churning with negativity and nay saying and nasty jibs and jabs and cynical tweets plus some pretty darn cute cat pictures.

Some actually find the Israel-Palestine conflict entertaining and would rather exasperate it than calm things down and there are many who would rather wallow in all the worst they can find, as well as some who promote half truths and conspiracy theories and hate mongering for whatever reason, but there are also countless sincerely concerned and intelligent people who know how to think for themselves, how to research and find reliable sources.... how to do the math.... and how to act with integrity and honor.

Not every one wants to be a pawn for religious extremists. But as things are today we all are until we take a stand for a just and lasting peace for both Israel and for Palestine shaped by a negotiated settlement to once and for all end the Israel-Palestine conflict with a fully secular two state solution. We can all do our part to make it so.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
American homemaker & Poet
Growing Gardens for Palestine
Annie's New Letters (& notes)