My letter to the Wash Post RE "Israel gets no credit from Obama for a year of moderate settlement construction"

Palestinian heritage Beautiful house in old Katamon
Palestinian homes usurped in 1948 in Jerusalem  بيت جميل في القطمون
بيوت الفلسطنيين المغتصبة عام 1948 في القدس

RE "Israel gets no credit from Obama for a year of moderate settlement construction"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/israel-gets-no-credit-from-obama-for-a-year-of-moderate-settlement-construction/2014/03/13/d2ee1b12-aab8-11e3-adbc-888c8010c799_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions

Dear Editor,

Elliott Abrams and Uri Sadot's bizarre op-ed "Israel gets no credit from Obama for a year of moderate settlement construction" left me speechless for a long while... I wonder how many others seeing that headline were stunned and flabbergasted.  Some numbers are impossible to tally.

Trying to be generous, I will agree with Abrams and Sadot on one point, and one point alone and that is that in many cases numbers do indeed tell their own story.  Every Palestinian refugee displaced from ancestral homes and lands has a story to tell- that adds up. It shows a dangerous trend.

We need to be asking how many more Palestinians homes will Israel demolish, how much more land will Israel usurp, how many more Palestinian families will Israel fragment, how many more Palestinians will Israel push into poverty and forced exile.

How many more years of illegal occupation, how many more decades of being cruelly persecuted, oppressed and harassed must Palestinians endure while Israelis measure everything except the vital importance of fully respecting international law and universal human rights.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
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."

Rachel Corrie 5th Grade Speech: I'm here because I care Rachel Corrie was a 23-year-old American peace activist from Olympia, Washington, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer on 16 March 2003, while undertaking nonviolent direct action to protect the home of a Palestinian family from demolition.

#LetUsThrough ... & KUDOS to The Guardian for a dignified glance at what is it really like to be on the frontline of humanitarian response

"The best and most effective way to reduce the tensions and tragedies such as the murder of the Jordanian judge, is to end the occupation and totally remove the unwanted Israeli occupiers from Palestinian territories." Daoud Kuttab Analysis: Allenby killing highlights need for serious change

Today (15/03/2014): The Israeli civil administration delivered a notice to a Palestinian village in the central West Bank declaring plans to confiscate parts of the village's land

Shards

Video of the Late Amb. Sam Lewis, a Friend of both Palestine and Israel

American Task Force on Palestine... A Decade of Achievement: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About ATFP

U.N. Denies Altering Image of Palestinian Refugees in Damascus By the NYTimes' Robert Mackey

Sam Jadallah: Netanyahu's Silicon Valley visit a lost opportunity

Visualizing Palestine: 20 Years of Talks Keeping Palestine Occupied

Arab League, Abbas reject recognizing Israel as 'Jewish state'

Palestine Refugees in Syria: An Andy Warner Comic

A UN Committee Expresses Concern over Recent Developments in Occupied Jerusalem... The committee said that Israel also continues to construct settlements in East Jerusalem, in violation of international law and in defiance of the international community's repeated calls for ending such illegal acts.

Israeli Settlers Brutally Assault Three Young Palestinians near Ramallah

Plea to the Pope... Ash Wednesday Letter To Pope Francis: Speak Out Against Targeting of Palestinian Children

Official: Israel refused to let Palestinian refugees in Syria return

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu never tires of inventing new hoops through which he insists Palestinians jump. As he acknowledged a few weeks back, it's all part of a cynical game that he plays in an effort to kill the chances for peace....

The Palestinian national soccer team, a source of pride for many, has been under attack by the Israeli state.

Hanan Ashrawi: "Today, 20 years after Baruch Goldstein cut down so many innocent lives in a burst of hateful rage, the poisonous anti-Arab racism that turned him into a mass murderer is alive and well in Israel."

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

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
The Office of International Religious Freedom
( http://www.state.gov/j/drl/irf/ )

Refugees and the Right of Return
We call for a just solution to our refugee issue in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194. Our position on refugees is also included and supported in the Arab Peace Initiative (API), which calls for “a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem to be agreed upon in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194.” A just solution to the refugee issue must address two aspects: the right of return and reparations.

Refugees, Borders & Jerusalem
"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. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."Eleanor Roosevelt

More than sixty years ago, back in 1949, the Application of Israel for admission to membership in the United Nations (A/818) clearly pointed out that Israel was directly contravening "the previous recommendations of the United Nations in at least three important respects: in its attitude on the problem of Arab refugees, on the delimitation of its territorial boundaries, and on the question of Jerusalem." http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/85255e950050831085255e95004fa9c3/1db943e43c280a26052565fa004d8174?OpenDocument 

Do Palestinians have a right to return to the places from which they or their ancestors were displaced? UNHCR’s support for the right of return is based on the idea that the right of return is a recognized customary norm of International law which is included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

It’s important for people to know how far the Palestinians have come to put an end to the conflict with Israel.

The Palestinian Refugee's Right of Return: No issue is more emblematic of the 20th century Palestinian experience than the plight of the approximately seven million Palestinian refugees.

What message do we send?

Reflections By An ARAB JEW by Ella Habiba Shohat "When my grandmother first encountered Israeli society in the '50s, she was convinced that the people who looked, spoke and ate so differently--the European Jews--were actually European Christians. Jewishness for her generation was inextricably associated with Middle Easterness. My grandmother, who still lives in Israel and still communicates largely in Arabic, had to be taught to speak of "us" as Jews and "them" as Arabs. For Middle Easterners, the operating distinction had always been "Muslim," "Jew," and "Christian," not Arab versus Jew. The assumption was that "Arabness" referred to a common shared culture and language, albeit with religious differences."

UNITED NATIONS: Give Peace a Chance... The year 2014 has been proclaimed the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People... “The objective of the  International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is to promote solidarity with the Palestinian people as a central theme, contributing to international awareness of (a) core themes regarding the question of Palestine, as prioritized by the Committee, (b) obstacles to the ongoing peace process, particularly those requiring urgent action such as settlements, Jerusalem, the blockade of Gaza and the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and; (c) mobilization of global action towards the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting solution of the question of Palestine in accordance with international law and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.”

History of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never again to allow atrocities like those of that conflict happen again. World leaders decided to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere. The document they considered, and which would later become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was taken up at the first session of the General Assembly in 1946. " http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/history.shtml

U.N. Resolution 194 from 1948 Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible;

The Arab Peace Initiative

Emanating from the conviction of the Arab countries that a military solution to the conflict will not achieve peace or provide security for the parties, the council:

1. Requests Israel to reconsider its policies and declare that a just peace is its strategic option as well.

2. Further calls upon Israel to affirm:

I- Full Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967, including the Syrian Golan Heights, to the June 4, 1967 lines as well as the remaining occupied Lebanese territories in the south of Lebanon.

II- Achievement of a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem to be agreed upon in accordance with U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194.

III- The acceptance of the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian territories occupied since June 4, 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

3. Consequently, the Arab countries affirm the following:

I- Consider the Arab-Israeli conflict ended, and enter into a peace agreement with Israel, and provide security for all the states of the region.

II- Establish normal relations with Israel in the context of this comprehensive peace.

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

 Live by the Golden Rule

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."

"Our interconnected world requires an interconnected response."

Dear Anne,

In this interconnected world, the problems we face in our own communities are intimately linked with the fate of other communities and nations. What happens in the U.S. matters around the world, and what happens around the world matters here.

This is particularly visible in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians—a conflict defined by enduring injustices, unconscionable economic inequalities, and a discriminatory legal system designed to privilege one group of people over another. Despite considering Israeli settlements to be illegal, the U.S. continues to send military aid to Israel, perpetuating the injustice.

These settlements are at the core of the conflict. They are built on stolen land and used to justify the building of the Wall and the restriction of movement within the West Bank. They contribute to forced displacement, severely limit Palestinian access to basic resources including land and water, and perpetuate a system of segregation and structural inequality between Palestinians and Israelis.

In the U.S., in Israel, and in the occupied Palestinian territory, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a continuing witness for change, supporting a courageous nonviolent movement that seeks to end this infamous occupation. 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.

In just the past few months, AFSC's Middle East staff has witnessed hopeful movements in this struggle for lasting peace and justice:

• Last fall, the Israeli organization Zochrot hosted a conference in Tel Aviv on the practicalities of Palestinian refugee return.
• In December, an 18-year-old Druze man refused draft orders to serve in the Israeli army, joining a small group of conscientious objectors in Israel taking a stand against the militarization of Israeli society. 

Meanwhile, here in the U.S., efforts to draw attention to the illegal settlements through nonviolent means—notably, boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS)—have begun to bear fruit:

• When Scarlett Johansson, actress and Global Ambassador for Oxfam, took a lucrative contract to advertise for SodaStream—a company that operates a factory in an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank—there was a public outcry prompting her resignation from her Oxfam role.
• In February, an article in The Economist observed that the BDS movement, "once derided as the scheming of crackpots" is “turning mainstream,” citing increased attention from some of the world’s largest financial institutions.
• Now, throughout the U.S., people are learning more about the Palestinian call for BDS and the history of boycotts thanks to a new exhibition, “Boycott! The Art of Economic Activism,” put together by AFSC and the Center for the Study of Political Graphics. Using powerful posters to demonstrate the effectiveness of boycotts as a nonviolent tactic to end injustice and oppression, “Boycott!” will tour the U.S. throughout the next two years.

Our interconnected world requires an interconnected response. Through creative collaborations with Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans, we are making real progress toward lasting peace and justice. I hope you, like me, will be heartened by these small but significant wins along the way.
In Peace,

Shan Cretin
General Secretary

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American Friends Service Committee
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
AFSC.org

The return of Palestinian refugees

Quakers distribute blankets to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, 1948. Photo: AFSC

Published: October 21, 2013

In the Palestinian Nakba of 1948, hundreds of Palestinian villages were depopulated and razed off the map by the Israeli forces, creating one of the worst refugee crises of the century.

Today, many of the sites no longer exist, but traces of the past can be seen at times across a deserted landscape—namely a cactus tree here, or ruins of a church or a mosque there.

Zochrot, an Israeli nonprofit organization that educates the Jewish-Israeli public about the Palestinian Nakba, recently organized a conference that tried to imagine a future where the return of refugees would be a reality.

The conference was held at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, built on the lands of the Palestinian village of Al-Shaykh Muwannis that was destroyed in 1948.

Around the theme “From truth to redress,” 35 presenters—academics and activists from Palestine/Israel, Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Serbia, and Poland—tackled the various concepts and ideas for realizing the return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland and its spatial implications. With hundreds of participants, they addressed the Israeli conscience on the injustice that occurred.

Third and fourth generation Palestinian refugees talked about how they dreamed, planned, and are studying the reconstruction of their villages of origin.

Academics also tackled the problems of education for a culture of return. Other presenters talked about the approaches and strategies needed to achieve justice and return.

As a co-sponsor of the event, AFSC feels it is important to share a statement made by a member of the audience, Sinai Peter, a director and drama teacher from Israel:

"I was present in one of the two days of the conference. I was a curious, challenged and engaged observer. I was impressed by the fact that such a conference took place, if you will—against all attempts to bring to a cancellation of it. In the heart of "Eretz Israel Museum", founded by Rehavam Ze'evi, it took place very quietly and orderly, in three languages with simultaneous translation. The average age of the speakers (women and men, Jews and Arabs—almost equally) was around 30. It's been a long time since I heard a discourse like in that day at the conference—intelligent, refreshing, with quite a lot of optimism and constrictive spirit. Jurists, architects, activists, artists—all took part in planning the layout and characteristics of the villages that (might) come back to life. An actual mirror reflection of the "exemplary society" that was planned by the Zionist elite in east Europe in the end of the 19th century.

"Strange thing—imagining the return of the refugees. Far from the political, concrete situation. Speaking, planning, walking seriously towards making the dream come true. But who will lead this move into the truly-frightened consciousness of the Jewish majority? And how can the return be possible before pacification of the conflict? I was left with questions. But then again, when was the last time that we came out of a conference so challenged and full of questions?"

Zochrot will continue to promote awareness on the right of return of Palestinian refugees, and given AFSC’s principles for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the right of return of Palestinian refugees and the right of self-determination to both people, AFSC will continue to work hand in hand with this strategic partner.

For more on the Israel-Palestine Program, please contact: Ilona Kassissieh at IKassissieh@afsc.org

See more about:

Israel

Palestine

self determination 

right of refugees

right of return
 

Do Palestinians have a right to return to the places from which they or their ancestors were displaced?

Palestinian refugees’ right to return to the homes from which they were displaced is well established in International law.  The first source of support for Palestinian refugees’ claims to a right of return is UN General Assembly Resolution 194 (III) Of December 1948, paragraph 11, in which the UN General Assembly,

“Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the governments or authorities responsible;
Instructs the Conciliation Commission to facilitate the repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation of the refugees and the payment of compensation…”

Since 1949, this resolution together with UNSC Res. 242 and 338 have been regularly reaffirmed by the UN General Assembly.

The rights outlined in this resolution are firmly grounded in international humanitarian, human rights, and refugee law.  According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Executive Conclusion No. 40, “…the basic rights of persons to return voluntarily to their country of origin is reaffirmed and it is urged that international cooperation be aimed at achieving this solution.”[xi]  UNHCR’s support for the right of return is based on the idea that the right of return is a recognized customary norm of International law which is included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the Fourth Geneva Convention.[xii]    

Rachel Corrie 5th Grade Speech: I'm here because I care

Rachel Corrie was a 23-year-old American peace activist from Olympia, Washington, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer on 16 March 2003, while undertaking nonviolent direct action to protect the home of a Palestinian family from demolition.

My Name is Rachel Corrie- March 16, 2014

Every year we remember Rachel on this date with activities encompassing three values she held closely: action, education, and community.

About

Welcome, from Craig & Cindy Corrie

The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace & Justice is a grassroots, 501(c)3 non-profit organization that conducts and supports programs that foster connections between people, that build understanding, respect, and appreciation for differences, and that promote cooperation within and between local and global communities. The foundation encourages and supports grassroots efforts in pursuit of human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice, which we view as pre-requisites for world peace. Continuing the work begun and envisioned by our daughter, Rachel Corrie, our initial emphasis has been on Israel/Palestine.

We conduct and support projects that educate for peace and justice, that foster connections and understanding between peoples on global and local levels, that promote the use of art and the written word in fostering justice and peace, and that encourage individual grassroots participation in bringing to fruition a positive world vision.

#LetUsThrough ... & KUDOS to The Guardian for a dignified glance at what is it really like to be on the frontline of humanitarian response

Have you come across any inspiring stories about refugee resilience? 

Khaled. Photograph: UNRWA ...

A 14-month-old baby boy called Khaled. He looked like a five-month-old when his mother brought him to UNRWA. But with just a few days of proper food and medicine, he was brought back from the abyss.

Christopher Gunness, UNRWA

I was surprised by coming across a refugee community living in a disused railway station in Idlib province. The community had developed with a structured hierarchy, with the elders acting as councillors and the young men working the land and looking after the few cows and goats they had.

Matthew Norman, Syria Relief

Every day, I met the future of Syria, Syrian children who talk about their dream: the future paediatrician who said she will give free medicine to children; future painters, future airplane engineers. [They are] the future of Syria; they are the ones who show me hope.

Eujin Byun, UNHCR

I met a 70-year-old Syrian grandmother at one of our winter voucher distribution centers in east Amman. Even though we only engaged for a couple of hours, still, to this day, I think of her. Not for her harrowing tales – of which, like all those who cross the border, she had many – but simply for her [sense of] thrill, her love of life. Never without a smile, the grandmother of nine cheekily joked and charmed everyone in her presence. She brought joy and laughter at a time when they are rarely seen.

Rosie Thompson, Save the Children

[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.theguardian.com/global-development/guardianwitness-blog/2014/mar/14/syria-crisis-what-weve-learned-three-years-on

Syria crisis: what we’ve learned three years on

We’ve been using GuardianWitness to highlight the Syrian refugee crisis. Here, we ask our key contributors to reflect

This week marks three years since the start of the Syrian civil war. The conflict, which shows no sign of abating, has claimed 140,000 lives, forced 2.5 million people to flee for safety, and left a further 4.3 million people displaced within Syria’s borders. The UN estimates that 9.3 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance.

Agencies have issued multiple warnings and calls for help to deal with the conflict’s fallout. Only this week, Unicef and World Vision warned that – with millions of children facing collapsing health and education services, and suffering acute psychological distress and impoverishment – a potential “lost generation” is emerging.

There are also concerns about the pressure refugees are putting on neighbouring countries Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. UN officials have repeatedly called for Europe to relax its border controls in order to ease the growing humanitarian crisis on its doorstep, and have issued multiple appeals for financial assistance.

The public has become accustomed to images from Syria and beyond being beamed around the world, and has responded sympathetically. Thousands joined solidarity vigils for the #withsyria campaign, for which Banksy adapted an iconic image currently doing the rounds on social media. But what is it really like to be on the frontline of the humanitarian response?...READ MORE

Is there anything else you would like to highlight? 

A “thunderclap” new media campaign which aims to generate 23m social media hits with our campaign hashtag #LetUsThrough. Once we have done that, the iconic image of refugees waiting for food distributions in Yarmouk will appear on the electronic billboard in New York’s Times Square …. we will then get people in Times Square to do “selfies”, with the billboard as a background, and circulate them to all 23 million people who supported the campaign. It sounds complicated, but it is very simple. Please sign up. With two clicks you can make a real difference.

Christopher Gunness, UNRWA

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This Thunderclap campaign aims to generate at least 23 million tweets, the pre-war population of Syria, with the #LetUsThrough hashtag. Once we have achieved that, our Thunderclap image will appear on the electronic billboard in New York’s Times Square, not far from United Nations Headquarters, sending a powerful message to the global diplomatic community that we demand they unite and “LetUsThrough.” We will then photograph the image on the Times Square billboard and tweet it out to the millions who followed us in the campaign.

"The best and most effective way to reduce the tensions and tragedies such as the murder of the Jordanian judge, is to end the occupation and totally remove the unwanted Israeli occupiers from Palestinian territories." Daoud Kuttab

..."Naturally, addressing the problem that caused the untimely death of an innocent Jordanian is currently focused on the logistics and mechanics of what happened, but there is a need to look at the context of what is happening and how to avoid the recurrence of such trigger-happy acts"

[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=681310

Jordanians protest in front of the Israeli embassy following the
shooting death by Israeli troops of Palestinian-Jordanian judge Raed
Zeiter at the Allenby Bridge crossing. (Khalil Mazraawi/AFP/Getty Images)... The killing of Palestinian-Jordanian judge Raed Zeiter by Israeli soldiers at the Allenby Bridge crossing on Monday came as part of a wave of killings of seven Palestinians by Israeli forces over a period of about 24-hours earlier this week: Hundreds call for expulsion of Israeli ambassador in Amman

Analysis: Allenby killing highlights need for serious change

By Daoud Kuttab

Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist and former professor of journalism at Princeton University.

For 46 years the bridge connecting the West Bank with Jordan has been a source of hardships, humiliations and extremely long and unnecessary delays, not to mention cumbersome and exaggerated body and baggage searches.

This nightmare has to end.

What happened on March 10 is a symptom of the occupation versus occupied paradigm that must come to an end.

A 38-year-old Jordanian father of two and a sitting judge in Amman's Court of First Instance, attempted to travel to Nablus like many Palestinians and Jordanians of Palestinian origin. His altercation with Israeli soldiers that ended with his death must be a warning flag that this injustice and humiliation cannot continue.

Anyone who crosses the King Hussein Bridge knows very well how the Israelis have for decades forged a shameful occupier-occupied relationship with the power of their guns. The Oscar-winning film Twelve Years a Slave, perfectly illustrates the way that the oppressed absorb all kinds of humiliation simply in order to survive as they wait for salvation.

Raed Zuaiter, the Jordanian judge, like any other human being, apparently walked into this mess without the added shield of years of humiliation and he couldn't accept it.

For their part, the Israeli soldiers, brainwashed to suspect every passenger as a potential "terrorist," viewed the rebellion against accepting the occupier-occupied paradigm as enough proof that the rebellious person must be a terrorist. As they say, the rest is history.

The Israeli spin machine quickly went into action. The often repeated defense was that Zuaiter went for the soldier's gun. Later it was adjusted that he went for his throat, attempting to strangle him. The "terrorist" label also required some audio. So again the spin machine fabricated that the judge yelled "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar" before lunging for the soldier's gun (or throat), thus confirming that he was a terrorist.

Of course much of the speculation as to what happened and when could easily be put to rest if footage from the most camera-covered spot at the bridge (the first few meters into the Israeli controlled area) is made available. But alas, the camera is now said to have been inoperative that day. How convenient.

But there is a tiny fact that is hard to refute. How did the bus carrying Zuaiter enter the Israeli occupied territories. A metal bar and four metal pistons make it impossible for any vehicle to enter until someone presses a remote-controlled button. The buttons are located in a windowless room with lots of cameras that show the operators who is coming, what license plate they hold and so on.

Naturally, addressing the problem that caused the untimely death of an innocent Jordanian is currently focused on the logistics and mechanics of what happened, but there is a need to look at the context of what is happening and how to avoid the recurrence of such trigger-happy acts.

In the negotiations about the implementation of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinians insisted that even during the interim period no Israeli soldier should have any face-to-face contact with passengers. The Israelis designed a plan where they sit behind one-way mirrors and control the bridge from this vantage point.

The plan, which included the presence of unarmed Palestinian police, was operational for a short time at the end of the 1990s but was scrapped when the second Intifada broke in October 2000. Since then the call to return to the pre-October status throughout the occupied territories and on the bridge has been made repeatedly but no action was taken. The roadmap included a section for the return of the Palestinian police to the bridge, but this was never implemented.

In addition to the need to keep brainwashed, heavily armed young Israeli soldiers as far away from traveling civilians as possible, there are other decisions that can help reduce the tension on the bridge. For example, the crossing should be open around the clock in order to ease the long waiting period that add to the anger and frustration. 

(AFP/File)

Israelis say that they can't cover the cost of 24-hour staff but many Palestinians think that they don't care while others believe that this is deliberate to maintain the occupier-occupied paradigm.

The best and most effective way to reduce the tensions and tragedies such as the murder of the Jordanian judge, is to end the occupation and totally remove the unwanted Israeli occupiers from Palestinian territories.

In the meantime, people of goodwill must agree that the current status quo on the King Hussein Bridge is untenable. Serious and deep changes are required in order to guarantee that what happened on March 10 to an innocent Jordanian will not take place again.

Today (15/03/2014): The Israeli civil administration delivered a notice to a Palestinian village in the central West Bank declaring plans to confiscate parts of the village's land

[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=681597

15/03/2014

SALFIT (Ma'an) -- The Israeli civil administration delivered a notice to a Palestinian village in the central West Bank declaring plans to confiscate parts of the village's land, a local council said Saturday.

The village council of the town of Haris in the Salfit district said in a statement that Israel had sent a notice saying it would confiscate 100 dunams (25 acres) of the village's private land.

The land, to be taken from northwestern Haris, will be used to expand the illegal Israeli settlement of Revava, the statement said.

The statement urged landowners in the village to prepare ownership documents for a lawyer who will file a demurrer against the Israeli decision.

The Revava settlement is one of 23 settlements in the Salfit district. It was built in 1991 when Israel confiscated land from Deir Istiya's farmers.

More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.

Shards

Shards

Video of the Late Amb. Sam Lewis, a Friend of both Palestine and Israel

Photo credit Google Maps ... St. Alban's Parish » An Episcopal Church in Washington, DC
Church at the Crossroads A History of St. Alban's Parish: When young Miss Phoebe Nourse died of tuberculosis, she left $35 in gold coins—money earned doing needlework and watercolors—to build Washington's first "free" Episcopal church, one that welcomed all comers, on Mount Alban overlooking the capital city. Contributions from family, friends and neighbors enabled St. Alban's first wooden edifice, set amid farmlands, to open for worship in 1854. Church at the Crosswords recounts that founding and events within St. Alban's parish over the next 150 years. Posterity Press

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ATFP President Ziad Asali:"We have lost a great friend, a brilliant analyst, a distinguished diplomat and a leader in the cause for peace. I will miss Sam's kindness and good counsel deeply. And we extend our condolences to his family and friends."

The funeral for the distinguished US diplomat Samuel Lewis, who passed away on March 10, is planned for Monday, March 24 at 1:30pm, at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 3001 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC. It will be open to the public. To read ATFP's expression of appreciation for Amb. Lewis and sadness at his passing, click here

Amb. Lewis' legacy of dedication to peace is reflected in a video interview with him filmed by ATFP in October 2013. He emphasized that the quest for peace "isn’t about either the Palestinians or Israelis. This is about peace between both." "And the United States has got to understand both sides if we are going to be a useful kind of interlocutor, or mediator, or sponsor of negotiations,” he explained.

Watch an excerpt from the video: 

American Task Force on Palestine... A Decade of Achievement: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About ATFP

 Q: What is ATFP's position on refugee issues?

A: ATFP recognizes that the right of return and all other refugee issues are among the agreed-upon final status issues to be determined between the parties in direct negotiations. There are many ways in which this issue can be resolved through negotiations depending on the agreement of the national representatives of the two peoples with the support of the public. Many of those involved in Palestinian and pro-Palestinian public issues find themselves accused by those who want to discredit them of having "given up" or "surrendered" the right of return for refugees. ATFP has no standing to "give up" the right of return, nor does it seek to do so, as is sometimes alleged by malevolent detractors. ATFP is not a negotiator or a party to the negotiations. ATFP will support any diplomatic agreement with Israel by the PLO, with the approval of the Palestinian people.

Hussein Ibish

A complete guide to ATFP in 39 steps!
A Decade of Achievement: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About ATFP
http://www.americantaskforce.org/faq_homepage

FAQ Homepage

American Task Force on Palestine

A Decade of Achievement: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About ATFP

 - Introduction
The founding mission of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) was, and remains, to impact decision-making in Washington on the importance of a two-state solution to the American national interest. Having just completed its first decade of work advocating for peace and Palestine, and embarking on its second decade, ATFP is issuing the following detailed set of explanations of exactly what it is, what it does and why. They are also intended to highlight and explicate ATFP's accomplishments during its first decade, which have far exceeded its expectations at its founding 10 years ago.

The format of this informational overview, for convenience and clarity, is a set of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs). While such questions range from the fundamental and profound to the ridiculous and outrageous, these answers -- both individually and as a whole -- are intended to explicate, clarify and illuminate ATFP's groundbreaking approach to pro-Palestine advocacy, which is primarily aimed at accessing and influencing the American policymaking and framing debates.

Continue to Read FAQ introduction »    

- The Basics about ATFP

Q: What is ATFP?

Q: What is ATFP's mission?

Q: Who does ATFP speak for, or represent?

Q: Who is on ATFP's Board?

Q: How is ATFP funded?

Q: Is ATFP funded by the United States government in any way?

Q: Is ATFP a "lobby group?"

Q: What does ATFP stand for?

- ATFP's Positions and Activities

Q: How does ATFP advocate for Palestine in Washington?
Q: If ATFP cannot get into the details of much of its impact on policy, what accomplishments can the organization point to?
Q: What is the purpose of the annual ATFP Gala?

Q: What is ATFP's vision for the future for Palestine?

Q: What is ATFP's position on violence?

Q: What is ATFP's position regarding Jerusalem?

Q: What is ATFP's position on refugee issues?

Q: What is ATFP's position on "BDS?"

Q: What is ATFP's position on the "one-state solution?" 

- ATFP and the Palestinian-American community

Q: Has ATFP done enough to communicate directly with the Palestinian-American and Arab-American communities?
Q: How does ATFP respond to criticism from within the Palestinian-American and Palestinian communities?
Q: What does ATFP advocate Palestinian Americans do?

- ATFP and the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority

Q: Is ATFP an adjunct or advocacy group for the PA or the PLO in Washington?

Q: What is ATFP's Relationship with the PLO Mission in Washington?

Q: Did ATFP oppose the PLO UN initiatives?

- ATFP and Israel

Q: Why does ATFP speak with Jews, Israelis and Zionists?

Q: Does ATFP support "normalization" with Israel?

Q: Do ATFP staff attend Israeli embassy functions?

- Misperceptions about ATFP
Q: ATFP is controversial and there seem to be misperceptions and false claims about it. What have informed people said about the Task Force?
Q: Is ATFP "a two-man operation" as is sometimes claimed?
Q: Does ATFP try to “sell” the opinions of the State Department to the Arab-American community?
Q: Doesn't ATFP sacrifice everything for access in Washington, but without enjoying any influence?
Q: Is ATFP a "Zionist group?"
Q: Is ATFP part of the "pro-Israel lobby?"
Q: Is ATFP a "Trojan horse" for radical Islamism or terrorism?
Q: Is ATFP out of touch with Palestinian sentiments?
Q: Why do some claim that ATFP was a Republican organization during the Bush administration, but switched to being a Democratic group during the Obama administration?
Q: How did ATFP President Ziad Asali gain access and influence in Washington?
Q: Why is ATFP President Ziad Asali sometimes a target of angry criticism?

- ATFP and you
Q: What can I do to help ATFP?

The NYTimes Opinion Pages Room for Debate: Weakness or Realism in Foreign Policy?

[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.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/03/11/weakness-or-realism-in-foreign-policy/the-double-standard-for-judging-american-strength

 ROOM FOR DEBATE

What does the Obama administration's reaction to crisis in Ukraine and elsewhere say about its influence in international affairs?

President Barack Obama at the White House in January.  PHOTO CREDIT Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

"Unremarkably, those who advocated a vigorous response to Russian occupation of what before 1954 was Russian territory have been silent about another violation of international law that in June of this year will enter its 48th year. This is Israel’s occupation of the Arab territories it has controlled since the June 1967 war.

The United States is far from sanctioning Israel for this unending occupation, which Secretary of State John Kerry apparently proposes to extend indefinitely, by allowing many years more of effective Israeli control over the occupied Palestinian territories. One of the key elements of the American approach to this occupation has been in effect to subsidize it with aid and investment not only for the occupying power, but also for the structures that help keep the occupied population from resisting its oppression. Thus a conference in Prague this past weekend chaired by Tony Blair and Madeline Albright touted visions – that are central to the Kerry plan – of new investment and Palestinian growth, without a single word about ending the occupation that has crippled the Palestinian economy and society for generations.

This double standard towards these two occupations is one reason why many the world over take a skeptical view of the moral hyperventilation over the Ukraine of both critics and supporters of the Obama administration." Rashid Khalidi The Double Standard for Judging ‘Strength’

*****

Read the debate in full  

Weakness or Realism in Foreign Policy?

The crisis in Ukraine is being seen as a test of Obama’s foreign policy. Critics are accusing the U.S. president of weakening American power. But Obama and his supporters argue that his approach has enhanced diplomacy. 

Does the Obama administration’s foreign policy reflect weakness or realism about the limits to U.S. influence in international affairs?

Ali Wyne, an associate at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, suggested this forum.

      Join Room for Debate on Facebook and follow updates on twitter.com/roomfordebate. 

U.N. Denies Altering Image of Palestinian Refugees in Damascus By the NYTimes' Robert Mackey

[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://nyti.ms/1fnM07y 

New York Times

March 11, 2014

The Lede

 Blogging the News with Robert Mackey

 A photograph of food distribution in a Damascus refugee camp for Palestinians released by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in January. Photo Credit UNRWA, via Associated Press

 A spokesman for the United Nations agency that provides assistance to Palestinian refugees rejected claims that an arresting image of thousands of people waiting for food distribution on a ruined street in Damascus recently had been digitally altered. 

Chris Gunness, the spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or Unrwa, said in a statement on Tuesday that the photograph — which is being used in a social media campaign to draw attention to the suffering of refugees trapped by fighting in a camp in the Syrian capital — has not “been ‘photoshopped’ or tampered with in any way. It is entirely genuine.” 

Mr. Gunness, who has expressed his personal outrage at conditions in the Yarmouk Camp, is leading an effort ...READ MORE

"Any claims that the photograph, which was described as “a biblical picture of suffering” in the British tabloid press, was created in Photoshop would seem to be dispelled by what appears to be video of the same scene released by the relief agency." 

U.N. video of food distribution in the Yarmouk Camp for Palestinian refugees in Damascus in January.

My letter to the NYTimes RE Lift the Mideast Roadblocks

What message do we send?

A Palestinian woman inspects olive trees that have been severely damaged by Israeli settlers near the West Bank city of Nablus (AP photo by Nasser Ishtayeh) Visualizing Palestine: Since 1967 Israeli authorities have uprooted more than 800,000 Palestinian olive trees... OXFAM: In the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), olive harvesting is a tradition that can be traced back for centuries. Passed down from generation to generation, olive trees provide Palestinians with an important connection to their history and their land.

RE: Lift the Mideast Roadblocks
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/opinion/lift-the-mideast-roadblocks.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

Dear Editor,

Lifting the Mideast roadblocks requires much more than merely agreeing to a two state solution to end the Israel-Palestine conflict: In order to build a just and lasting peace, all parties must make it a priority to first and foremost respect international law and universal human rights.

In 1948, after the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust, it was impossible to imagine that the innocuous phrase "Jewish State" might inspire victims of horrific bigotry to shape laws and policies in a newly born modern nation state that would harshly discriminate against non-Jews...  "Jewish State" could have come to mean a sovereign country where justice matters, and racism is scorned.  "Jewish State" could have been an inclusive and progressive mindset cultivating respect for the rule of fair and just laws.  Instead "Jewish State" ended up igniting religious extremism, violence and terror on both sides of the conflict.

Appeasing and empowering Israelis who want the land, but not the native non-Jewish population of that land might seem like a reasonable workable approach, but all that does is entrench more of the same cruel status quo whereby citizens and supporters of a Jews-preferred Israel remain motivated and easily able to persecute, impoverish, disenfranchise and displace Palestinian men, women and children.

A fully secular two state solution to once and for all end the Israel-Palestine conflict for every one's sake is the best way forward. Religion should be a personal private choice, not a citizenship requirement- and certainly not a tax payer funded project.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
Sam Jadallah: Netanyahu's Silicon Valley visit a lost opportunity

Visualizing Palestine: 20 Years of Talks Keeping Palestine Occupied

Arab League, Abbas reject recognizing Israel as 'Jewish state'

Palestine Refugees in Syria: An Andy Warner Comic

A UN Committee Expresses Concern over Recent Developments in Occupied Jerusalem... The committee said that Israel also continues to construct settlements in East Jerusalem, in violation of international law and in defiance of the international community's repeated calls for ending such illegal acts.

Israeli Settlers Brutally Assault Three Young Palestinians near Ramallah

Plea to the Pope... Ash Wednesday Letter To Pope Francis: Speak Out Against Targeting of Palestinian Children

Official: Israel refused to let Palestinian refugees in Syria return

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu never tires of inventing new hoops through which he insists Palestinians jump. As he acknowledged a few weeks back, it's all part of a cynical game that he plays in an effort to kill the chances for peace....

The Palestinian national soccer team, a source of pride for many, has been under attack by the Israeli state.

Hanan Ashrawi: "Today, 20 years after Baruch Goldstein cut down so many innocent lives in a burst of hateful rage, the poisonous anti-Arab racism that turned him into a mass murderer is alive and well in Israel."

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

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
The Office of International Religious Freedom
( http://www.state.gov/j/drl/irf/ )

Refugees and the Right of Return
We call for a just solution to our refugee issue in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194. Our position on refugees is also included and supported in the Arab Peace Initiative (API), which calls for “a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem to be agreed upon in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194.” A just solution to the refugee issue must address two aspects: the right of return and reparations.

Refugees, Borders & Jerusalem
"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. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."Eleanor Roosevelt

More than sixty years ago, back in 1949, the Application of Israel for admission to membership in the United Nations (A/818) clearly pointed out that Israel was directly contravening "the previous recommendations of the United Nations in at least three important respects: in its attitude on the problem of Arab refugees, on the delimitation of its territorial boundaries, and on the question of Jerusalem." http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/85255e950050831085255e95004fa9c3/1db943e43c280a26052565fa004d8174?OpenDocument 

It’s important for people to know how far the Palestinians have come to put an end to the conflict with Israel.

The Palestinian Refugee's Right of Return: No issue is more emblematic of the 20th century Palestinian experience than the plight of the approximately seven million Palestinian refugees.

What message do we send?

Reflections By An ARAB JEW by Ella Habiba Shohat "When my grandmother first encountered Israeli society in the '50s, she was convinced that the people who looked, spoke and ate so differently--the European Jews--were actually European Christians. Jewishness for her generation was inextricably associated with Middle Easterness. My grandmother, who still lives in Israel and still communicates largely in Arabic, had to be taught to speak of "us" as Jews and "them" as Arabs. For Middle Easterners, the operating distinction had always been "Muslim," "Jew," and "Christian," not Arab versus Jew. The assumption was that "Arabness" referred to a common shared culture and language, albeit with religious differences."

UNITED NATIONS: Give Peace a Chance... The year 2014 has been proclaimed the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People... “The objective of the  International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is to promote solidarity with the Palestinian people as a central theme, contributing to international awareness of (a) core themes regarding the question of Palestine, as prioritized by the Committee, (b) obstacles to the ongoing peace process, particularly those requiring urgent action such as settlements, Jerusalem, the blockade of Gaza and the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and; (c) mobilization of global action towards the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting solution of the question of Palestine in accordance with international law and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.”

History of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never again to allow atrocities like those of that conflict happen again. World leaders decided to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere. The document they considered, and which would later become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was taken up at the first session of the General Assembly in 1946. " http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/history.shtml

U.N. Resolution 194 from 1948 Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible;

The Arab Peace Initiative

Emanating from the conviction of the Arab countries that a military solution to the conflict will not achieve peace or provide security for the parties, the council:

1. Requests Israel to reconsider its policies and declare that a just peace is its strategic option as well.

2. Further calls upon Israel to affirm:

I- Full Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967, including the Syrian Golan Heights, to the June 4, 1967 lines as well as the remaining occupied Lebanese territories in the south of Lebanon.

II- Achievement of a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem to be agreed upon in accordance with U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194.

III- The acceptance of the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian territories occupied since June 4, 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

3. Consequently, the Arab countries affirm the following:

I- Consider the Arab-Israeli conflict ended, and enter into a peace agreement with Israel, and provide security for all the states of the region.

II- Establish normal relations with Israel in the context of this comprehensive peace.

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

 Live by the Golden Rule