My letter to the Guardian RE There is still hope for a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians by Oudeh Basharat

This political art, typical of paintings decorating the wall separating Israel and Palestine, comes with powerful symbolism: Along with the Dome of the Rock (sacred to Muslims), the broken wall, and the olive branch, is a key -- what refugees took with them when evacuating their hometowns decades ago. Huffington Post essay from last year by Rick Steves, host of travel shows on public television and public radio,

RE There is still hope for a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians: We believers in the two-state solution are told it’s too late already. But what justice demands, time will eventually bring
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/23/hope-two-state-solution-israelis-palestinians

Dear Editor,

Oudeh Basharat is both wise and brave to speak up in support of hope and a two-state end to the Israel-Palestine conflict.  The only way to end the hate mongering, the hostilities, the religious extremism, the terrorism, the cruelty, and the corruption generated by the Israel-Palestine conflict is to end the conflict.

The ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict has been bringing out the worst in many people, motivating Israelis to be punitively anti-Palestine. Countering that with anti-Israel rage only fuels the conflict, which in turn time and time again, translates into more suffering and loss for Palestinians. 

Stopping the conflict starts with two sovereign states, one named Palestine and one named Israel, both respecting universal human rights and international law.

Ending the Israel-Palestine conflict with a fully secular two state solution is most certainly the best way forward, but nothing will magically erase entrenched institutionalized bigotry.  The rule of fair and just laws is a good start, but not an instant fix. Basharat, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, is right to ask: "And if the Arabs, citizens of the lesser Israel who are considered to have equal rights, are shamelessly discriminated against in all areas of life, what will be the fate of the inhabitants of the Balata refugee camp in the greater Israel? "

Palestinian refugees are hostages in the conflict, and they need to be free. They need to be free to return to original homes and lands in what is now Israel to live in peace, but they also need to be free to relocate and become citizens with rights and responsibilities either in a fully sovereign and secure Palestine, or elsewhere.  To live in peace is key to return, key to relocation- and key to state building efforts for Palestine, as well as reforms in Israel... for everyone's sake.

To live in and with peace, not as passive victims who have given up but as active and courageous participants empowering respect for the rule of fair and just laws- and compassion.

To live in peace for peace with golden rule thinking shaping a better future every where for every one. 

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?

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

What is an Israeli settlement.... it is a tax payer plus charity investment in highways, housing, freedom, jobs, security, and respect for Jewish Israelis, while the native non-Jewish Palestinians are persecuted, impoverished, pushed into forced exile- and demonized for objecting to such institutionalized bigotry and blatant injustice.

Washington Post: In West Bank, Palestinians gird for settler attacks on olive trees... Last year, the United Nations reported that Israeli settlers damaged or destroyed nearly 11,000 olive trees owned by the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Jordan's King Abdullah says world faces fight against extremism

UN tells Israel, Palestinians to stop unilateral actions

Israel is Transforming Jerusalem into Jewish city, says Ashrawi
Kerry: 'Imperative' to resume Israel-Palestinian talks: "There wasn't a leader I met with in the region who didn't raise with me spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians, because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation,"

U.N. Security Council urges stronger campaign against [Da'esh] Islamic State

“It’s always easy to get money for F-16s, but not so much for food and cash,” says Andrew Harper, head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Jordan, which says it may have to cut cash assistance programs for 20,000 families in November and December due to lack of funding.

Arabs from Israel risk arrest for 'Arab Idol' show... Israel and Suha Arraf Differ on Nationality of ‘Villa Touma’... & Escape to a World of Palestinian Surprises

My letter to the NYTimes RE Room for Debate: Should Nations Recognize a Palestinian State?

My letter to USAToday RE "Palestinian advocacy misunderstood: Objections" by Andrew Dalack & Bayan Founas, National Students for Justice in Palestine


STAY CONNECTED... 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

Our words have a way of echoing out into either war or peace.... My Published Letters 2014

Citizens of the Earth

Hussein Ibish: The three-way Israeli-Palestinian impasse- Israel, the PA and Hamas are all trapped in their own policies with no idea how to move forward.

In #Palestine #Olive Trees witnessed foreign invaders for thousands of years...

THIS WEEK IN PALESTINE: Ethnographic Habitat, Place Memories, and Cultural Identity

UK Parliament votes to recognize Palestinian state- a symbolic move intended to increase pressure for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Dorothy Shea: "Palestinians should be applauded for largely eliminating the gender gap in education. Unlike in some parts of the Middle East and North Africa, Palestinian girls and young women enjoy equal access to education as their male counterparts."

Islamic State Seeks to Justify Enslaving Yazidi Women and Girls in Iraq... The article on slavery confirms practices documented by Human Rights Watch, which says Yazidi women and girls were forced to marry Islamic State fighters and shipped out in busloads from Iraq to Syria to be sold off as prizes

UK MPs To Vote On Recognition Of Palestine... "Dr Hanan Ashrawi, executive committee member of the PLO, told Sky News the Palestinian cause must be "rescued" to prevent jihadists [from] using it to fuel radicalisation and further extremism in the region."

Translating the Obvious ... A poem for peace in Growing Gardens for Palestine by Anne Selden Annab

U.S. calls for renewed commitment to lasting Mideast peace: "... a renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace that meets the aspirations of all, for Israelis, for Palestinians for all people of this region"

New Ibish article: Hisham, Hope and Despair..."The crucial point is that the one thing that is certain is that the choices that we make individually and collectively will have a direct and profound impact on the short, medium and long-term outcomes. And, therefore, our choices must be carefully considered, deliberate and purposive, while apathy and inaction are not options."

To promote the values of dialogue, tolerance and mutual respect, among religions and cultures... Let’s teach our youth to build, not destroy

Ashrawi: The recognition of Palestine is Human, Moral, Legal, and Political Imperative

"Let’s not feed Islamophobic bigotry... The great divide is not between faiths, but one between intolerant zealots of any tradition and the large numbers of decent, peaceful believers likewise found in each tradition." Nicholas Kristof

Last Thursday, the United Nations released a report that could provide us with one of the keys to defeating ISIS. Unfortunately, it received almost zero media attention.

"We see martyrs, children as young as 7, being portrayed as resistance fighters after being slaughtered by Israeli forces. Although we would like to convince ourselves that they have died for “the cause”, they have in fact died because of the cause." Mariam Barg

Hussein Ibish: US has a responsibility to rein in Israeli settlements

Tala Haikal: "It may not be possible to immediately free all the kidnapped girls and women due to the scope of the conflict with ISIS and the geographical dispersal of the captives in various locations. Some of these women and girls can be freed only once ISIS is destroyed."

UN report spotlights 'staggering' Islamic State atrocities in Iraq... "The group, which is fighting in Iraq and Syria, has carried out a wide range of atrocities, including mass executions, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence against women and children"

Vatican seeks Mideast Christians' right of return

US sharply criticizes new Israeli housing project

Non-violent resistance is Palestine’s most powerful weapon

Tala Haikal: Empathy Is Essential to Humanity

Normalizing Intelligent Conversations, Diplomatic Support, and Hope for Palestine... ATFP Panel Briefing: Israeli-Palestinian War in a New Regional Landscape.

ATFP... American Task Force on Palestine

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People 2014

UNRWA photo and film archive for Palestine refugees

About UNWRA: ’The Long Journey of Palestine Refugee Women’ candidly portrays the lives and experiences of Palestine refugee women, this collection is a testament not only to their own strength and dignity, but also to the richness and resilience of their community.

Walking Palestine & The Abraham Path... a creative space for stories that highlight the unique culture, heritage and hospitality of the region

It's time for Palestinians and Israelis to share a just peace... It's time for freedom from occupation... It's time for equal rights.... It's time for the healing of wounded souls..... World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel: "Let my people go!"... 21 - 27 September 2014 An initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches

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

1948

Time and time again I have watched the cycle of incitement and spin sabotage support for Palestine

Clarifying why Arab and Muslim Americans should be smart rather than stupid

Live by the Golden Rule

• “Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering - remembering and not using your right to hit back.”

An Anne Frank Moment ... a poem by Anne Selden Annab

1940s: The United Nations General Assembly adopts resolution 194 (III), resolving that “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 equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.”

America/Israel/Palestine 1776

America/Israel/Palestine 1948: 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

Golden Rule thinking every day for 69 years & counting: Happy 69th Birthday to the United Nations! #UNDay

Happy 69th Birthday to the United Nations!

From distributing food rations to improving maternal health, the United Nations is committed to helping people every day. Tell them why you support the UN. #UNDay

Golden Rule Thinking

Eleanor Roosevelt 14 years old in 1898... America's Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) helped shape the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948

The Commission on Human Rights was made up of 18 members from various political, cultural and religious backgrounds. Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, chaired the UDHR drafting committee. With her were René Cassin of France, who composed the first draft of the Declaration, the Committee Rapporteur Charles Malik of Lebanon, Vice-Chairman Peng Chung Chang of China, and John Humphrey of Canada, Director of the UN’s Human Rights Division, who prepared the Declaration’s blueprint. But Mrs. Roosevelt was recognized as the driving force for the Declaration’s adoption.

  After adopting it on December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly called upon all Member States to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."

 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.

My letter to the Washington Post RE In West Bank, Palestinians gird for [Israeli] settler attacks on olive trees

PalestineStudies Memory: The olive tree in the background serves as a symbol of Palestinian attachment to the land. Since 1967, Israel has uprooted over 800,000 olive trees belonging to Palestinians. The poster was designed by artist Irina Karkabi in 1999...

BUZZFEED Oct. 17, 2014... 12 Posters That Narrate The Palestinian Story

RE: In West Bank, Palestinians gird for settler attacks on olive trees
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-west-bank-palestinians-gird-for-settler-attacks-on-olive-trees/2014/10/21/eb4f5096-54a8-11e4-892e-602188e70e9c_story.html

Dear Editor,

Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza provides endless opportunities for Israelis to torment and displace Palestinians. Israel obviously wants the land, but does not want the native non-Jewish population of that land. ISIS follows Israel's lead by distorting religion to use a tool in an aggressive quest to grab land and power.

Religious extremism and bigotry are fueling hostilities, horrific suffering, and refugee crises for countless men, women and children.  Religion should be a personal private matter, not a state funded project and certainly not a determining factor for citizenship.

Ending the Israel-Palestine conflict with a fully secular two state solution that creates a fully sovereign and free Palestine to live alongside and with Israel in peace and security will shore up respect for international law and universal human rights in the region, empowering reasonable people to step up to work together to build a better way forward for everyone's sake.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

P.S. THANK YOU for creating and sharing the short video giving a glimpse of the very real plight of the Palestinians, as well as publishing the revealing story In West Bank, Palestinians gird for settler attacks on olive trees

NOTES
"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?

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

What is an Israeli settlement.... it is a tax payer plus charity investment in highways, housing, freedom, jobs, security, and respect for Jewish Israelis, while the native non-Jewish Palestinians are persecuted, impoverished, pushed into forced exile- and demonized for objecting to such institutionalized bigotry and blatant injustice.

Washington Post: In West Bank, Palestinians gird for settler attacks on olive trees... Last year, the United Nations reported that Israeli settlers damaged or destroyed nearly 11,000 olive trees owned by the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Jordan's King Abdullah says world faces fight against extremism

UN tells Israel, Palestinians to stop unilateral actions

Israel is Transforming Jerusalem into Jewish city, says Ashrawi
Kerry: 'Imperative' to resume Israel-Palestinian talks: "There wasn't a leader I met with in the region who didn't raise with me spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians, because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation,"

U.N. Security Council urges stronger campaign against [Da'esh] Islamic State

“It’s always easy to get money for F-16s, but not so much for food and cash,” says Andrew Harper, head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Jordan, which says it may have to cut cash assistance programs for 20,000 families in November and December due to lack of funding.

Arabs from Israel risk arrest for 'Arab Idol' show... Israel and Suha Arraf Differ on Nationality of ‘Villa Touma’... & Escape to a World of Palestinian Surprises

My letter to the NYTimes RE Room for Debate: Should Nations Recognize a Palestinian State?

My letter to USAToday RE "Palestinian advocacy misunderstood: Objections" by Andrew Dalack & Bayan Founas, National Students for Justice in Palestine


STAY CONNECTED... 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

Our words have a way of echoing out into either war or peace.... My Published Letters 2014

Citizens of the Earth

Hussein Ibish: The three-way Israeli-Palestinian impasse- Israel, the PA and Hamas are all trapped in their own policies with no idea how to move forward.

In #Palestine #Olive Trees witnessed foreign invaders for thousands of years...

THIS WEEK IN PALESTINE: Ethnographic Habitat, Place Memories, and Cultural Identity

UK Parliament votes to recognize Palestinian state- a symbolic move intended to increase pressure for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Dorothy Shea: "Palestinians should be applauded for largely eliminating the gender gap in education. Unlike in some parts of the Middle East and North Africa, Palestinian girls and young women enjoy equal access to education as their male counterparts."

Islamic State Seeks to Justify Enslaving Yazidi Women and Girls in Iraq... The article on slavery confirms practices documented by Human Rights Watch, which says Yazidi women and girls were forced to marry Islamic State fighters and shipped out in busloads from Iraq to Syria to be sold off as prizes

UK MPs To Vote On Recognition Of Palestine... "Dr Hanan Ashrawi, executive committee member of the PLO, told Sky News the Palestinian cause must be "rescued" to prevent jihadists [from] using it to fuel radicalisation and further extremism in the region."

Translating the Obvious ... A poem for peace in Growing Gardens for Palestine by Anne Selden Annab

U.S. calls for renewed commitment to lasting Mideast peace: "... a renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace that meets the aspirations of all, for Israelis, for Palestinians for all people of this region"

New Ibish article: Hisham, Hope and Despair..."The crucial point is that the one thing that is certain is that the choices that we make individually and collectively will have a direct and profound impact on the short, medium and long-term outcomes. And, therefore, our choices must be carefully considered, deliberate and purposive, while apathy and inaction are not options."

To promote the values of dialogue, tolerance and mutual respect, among religions and cultures... Let’s teach our youth to build, not destroy

Ashrawi: The recognition of Palestine is Human, Moral, Legal, and Political Imperative

"Let’s not feed Islamophobic bigotry... The great divide is not between faiths, but one between intolerant zealots of any tradition and the large numbers of decent, peaceful believers likewise found in each tradition." Nicholas Kristof

Last Thursday, the United Nations released a report that could provide us with one of the keys to defeating ISIS. Unfortunately, it received almost zero media attention.

"We see martyrs, children as young as 7, being portrayed as resistance fighters after being slaughtered by Israeli forces. Although we would like to convince ourselves that they have died for “the cause”, they have in fact died because of the cause." Mariam Barg

Hussein Ibish: US has a responsibility to rein in Israeli settlements

Tala Haikal: "It may not be possible to immediately free all the kidnapped girls and women due to the scope of the conflict with ISIS and the geographical dispersal of the captives in various locations. Some of these women and girls can be freed only once ISIS is destroyed."

UN report spotlights 'staggering' Islamic State atrocities in Iraq... "The group, which is fighting in Iraq and Syria, has carried out a wide range of atrocities, including mass executions, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence against women and children"

Vatican seeks Mideast Christians' right of return

US sharply criticizes new Israeli housing project

Non-violent resistance is Palestine’s most powerful weapon

Tala Haikal: Empathy Is Essential to Humanity

Normalizing Intelligent Conversations, Diplomatic Support, and Hope for Palestine... ATFP Panel Briefing: Israeli-Palestinian War in a New Regional Landscape.

ATFP... American Task Force on Palestine

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People 2014

UNRWA photo and film archive for Palestine refugees

About UNWRA: ’The Long Journey of Palestine Refugee Women’ candidly portrays the lives and experiences of Palestine refugee women, this collection is a testament not only to their own strength and dignity, but also to the richness and resilience of their community.

Walking Palestine & The Abraham Path... a creative space for stories that highlight the unique culture, heritage and hospitality of the region

It's time for Palestinians and Israelis to share a just peace... It's time for freedom from occupation... It's time for equal rights.... It's time for the healing of wounded souls..... World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel: "Let my people go!"... 21 - 27 September 2014 An initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches

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

1948

Time and time again I have watched the cycle of incitement and spin sabotage support for Palestine

Clarifying why Arab and Muslim Americans should be smart rather than stupid

Live by the Golden Rule

• “Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering - remembering and not using your right to hit back.”

An Anne Frank Moment ... a poem by Anne Selden Annab

1940s: The United Nations General Assembly adopts resolution 194 (III), resolving that “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 equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.”

America/Israel/Palestine 1776

America/Israel/Palestine 1948: 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

Washington Post: In West Bank, Palestinians gird for settler attacks on olive trees... Last year, the United Nations reported that Israeli settlers damaged or destroyed nearly 11,000 olive trees owned by the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

In the West Bank, broken olive branches VIDEO http://wapo.st/1x7B9J6  via @PostTV

 The Post's William Booth's takes PostTV to the village of Yassuf where olives are a way of life. (William Booth and Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post)

[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.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-west-bank-palestinians-gird-for-settler-attacks-on-olive-trees/2014/10/21/eb4f5096-54a8-11e4-892e-602188e70e9c_story.html

Middle East

In West Bank, Palestinians gird for settler attacks on olive trees

By William Booth October 22

 

KFAR YASSUF, West Bank — The rains have come to wash away the dust of summer from the olives, and so the annual harvest begins — and with it, another cycle of violence against man and tree.

Mohammad Hamoudah and his wife were picking olives in their grove last week when he saw five or six men darting among the trees, their faces hidden by scarves, carrying sticks and shepherd’s crooks.

“We ran for the car,” said Hamoudah, a Palestinian from this village south of Nablus. The assailants smashed a window with a club. They struck his wife on the leg. “They were savages,” he said...READ MORE

Jordan's King Abdullah says world faces fight against extremism

King Abdullah II of Jordan

[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://news.yahoo.com/jordans-king-abdullah-says-world-faces-fight-against-154940641.html

Amman (AFP) - Jordan's King Abdullah said Tuesday the world was engaged in a battle against extremism as his country takes part in US-led air strikes on Islamic State jihadists in Syria.

"All countries in the world are witnessing a war between moderation and extremism, and today Islam is plagued by a civil war," Abdullah told a meeting of Jordanian lawmakers.

"Unfortunately, we as Arabs and Muslims have not seen this to such an extent before," he added.

Jordan is one of five Arab States -- along with Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- taking part in the US-led campaign against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, where the jihadist group is headquartered.

Sharing a border with Syria and conflict-hit Iraq has provoked fears that Jordan, which is grappling with its own home-grown Islamists, could be targeted by IS revenge attacks.

"Jordan's participation... in the war on terrorism is within the framework of protecting its interests and consolidating its security faced with the chaos in neighbouring states and throughout the region," Abdullah said. 

The Hashemite ruler said the fight to defeat extremism would take "several years" even once military action against IS wound up.

Abdullah said extremism was not unique to Islam, adding that it existed in aspects of Israeli politics and "everywhere" in the Middle East. 

The king said Jordan was well situated to "protect not only Muslims facing danger but also Christians who have been subjected to a catastrophe in Syria and Iraq". 

The UN refugee agency said in July it expects the number of Syrian refugees in Jordan to reach 800,000 by the end of this year.

UN tells Israel, Palestinians to stop unilateral actions

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Cairo October 2014

[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://news.yahoo.com/un-tells-israel-palestinians-stop-unilateral-actions-205940616.html

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged Israel and the Palestinians on Tuesday to move away from unilateral actions stoking tensions and make the "tough compromises" needed to end their decades-old conflict.

Ban spoke to the UN Security Council after returning from a visit to the Middle East where he saw first-hand the destruction in Gaza wrought by the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas militants.

"Leaders on both sides must overcome their differences and dispense with the unilateral initiatives that serve only to fuel mistrust and polarization," the secretary general said.

The appeal came after Palestinian youths attacked an apartment building taken over by Jewish settlers in east Jerusalem and as the Palestinians pushed for a divisive UN resolution on ending the Israeli occupation in 2016. 

UN diplomats say the draft resolution stands no chance of being adopted, but they appear at a loss to point a way forward to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Describing the two-state solution as the "only viable option" for peace, Ban said: "It is time for courage and vision to make the tough compromises that are needed now. I challenge both sides to rise to the occasion."

Illegal Israeli settlements

The UN chief called on Israel to reverse settlement activity which he emphasized were "illegal" and expressed concern over clashes sparked by Jewish visits at holy sites in Jerusalem. 

"International law is clear: settlement activity is illegal. It runs totally counter to the pursuit of a two-state solution," he said.

Israeli police have vowed to restore order following clashes between Palestinian youths over recent Jewish visits to the Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest site.

In his address to the council, Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said the "time is past due to acknowledge that Israel, the occupying power, rejects peace and is deliberately destroying the two-state solution."

Mansour appealed to the 15-nation council to support the draft resolution on setting 2016 as the date for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza, and to set a course for Palestinian statehood.

He invited the council ambassadors to visit Gaza, as Ban did last week, and emphasized the "centrality" of the United Nations in the search for peace after US efforts to re-start peace talks failed. 

Israeli Deputy Ambassador David Roet took a swipe at European countries that have moved toward recognition of Palestinian statehood, saying such actions would not advance peace.

"By prematurely recognizing a state of Palestine, European governments are sending a message that Palestinians do not need to make hard choices and they are undermining efforts to bring about a real and lasting change in our region," he said.

Gaza ceasefire talks are due to resume next week in Cairo to address Palestinian calls for ending the Israeli blockade and Israeli demands for disarming Hamas.

Israel is Transforming Jerusalem into Jewish city, says Ashrawi

Dr. Ashrawi Receives the HCEF 2014 Path of Peace Award On October 17, PLO Executive Committee Member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, traveled to Washington D.C. to accept the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) 2014 Path of Peace award. In her acceptance speech, she described the award as a "humbling and empowering honor."

[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://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=26831

RAMALLAH, October 21, 2014 (WAFA) - PLO Executive Committee Member, Hanan Ashrawi, said that Israel’s illegal steps in Jerusalem are “transforming it into an exclusively Jewish city” where Palestinian Christians and Muslims have become temporary residents in their own homeland.

“Israel is annexing Jerusalem and destroying the authenticity and character of the occupied city with its oppressive and severe laws,” said Ashrawi during a keynote speech delivered on October 18th in Washington.

The speech entitled, “Framing the Current Issues in Palestine,” discussed the escalation of Israeli violations of international law and Palestinian human rights, and the status of Jerusalem and its Muslim and Christian Palestinian population.

Ashrawi stressed that “without Jerusalem as our capital, there can be no Palestinian state or chances for peace or stability.”

“With its illegal measures of demolishing Palestinian houses, evicting Palestinians from their ancestral homes, revoking Palestinian IDs and constructing settlements and apartheid walls, Israel is transforming Jerusalem into an exclusively Jewish city where Palestinian Christians and Muslims have become temporary residents in their own homeland,” added Ashrawi.

She further discussed the current facts on the ground, future Palestinian political initiatives, including the Palestinian bid at the United Nations, the domestic reconciliation process and future prospects for elections, as well as the tragic situation of the Palestinians and Israel’s most recent campaign of aggression and terror in Gaza.

Ashrawi accepted the 16th Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) 2014 Path of Peace award, which she described as a “humbling and empowering honor.”

T.R/M.H

My letter to the NYTimes RE The Reign of ‘Terror’ By Tomis Kapitan

Nearly a third of Gazans had been displaced by the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants. Secretary of State John Kerry and other diplomats stressed the need for a broad peace deal. Credit Mohammed Salem/Reuters

NYTimes: Conference Pledges $5.4 Billion to Rebuild Gaza Strip

RE: The Reign of ‘Terror’ By Tomis Kapitan
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/the-reign-of-terror/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=opinion&_r=0

Dear Editor,

We no longer live in a world of limited communication. Multiple sources are shaping a huge marketplace of ideas. The complexity of modern conflict can be traced- documented- researched- analyzed by multiple professionals and amateurs in multiple public and private forums. Not everyone watches Fox News. Not everyone subscribes to the NYTimes. And not everyone one believes in conspiracy theories...  Tomis Kapitan is wrong about "popular conceptions about contemporary political conflicts, making it difficult to speak intelligently about their real sources"... AND he does Palestine (and peace) no favors by asserting that Hamas and Hezbollah tactics do not qualify as terrorism.

HAMAS & Hezbollah are not as obviously bad as ISIL/The Islamic State/Da'esh, but they certainly have not helped free Palestine. Their rhetoric and their actions are geared to exasperate conflict and sabotage negotiations for a just and lasting peace between Israel and Palestine based on international law and full respect for universal human rights. 
 
Arming religion with lethal weaponry is a bad idea. I am not a fan of Israeli policy towards the native non-Jewish population of the Holy Land, but that is no reason to excuse Islamist militants who are making the plight of the Palestinians much worse: Hamas uses violence to goad Israel into pulverizing Gaza because the more Palestinians suffer the more Israel can be blamed and hated as heart breaking photos of Palestinian children in the rubble proliferate on the internet, rousing rage internationally (and recruitment for ISIS) among those who still care about Palestine. Extremists and anti-Israel activists thrive but a wider pro-Palestine audience dwindles because Hamas and their apologists convince reasonable people to veer away from supporting Palestine and state building efforts.

Meanwhile, ISIS/ISIL/The Islamic State/Da'esh is rising up, reaching towards Palestine. The Islamic State's plundering impoverishes locals, while conveniently killing any and all who object. Singing happy songs about peace to heavily armed genocidal religious militants who enslave captured woman and girls to use as sex slaves and/or domestic servants is not going to magically inspire ISIS/ISIL/The Islamic State/Da'esh to abandon their wicked ways.  Islamists are the epitome of skewed reason and perpetual warfare.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
" ISIL is clearly exceptionally unpopular outside of the areas it controls. That’s a good thing. On the other hand, because it poses as a group that brings order to chaos, and because most people prefer any form of law and order to mere anarchy, ISIL has managed to win hearts and minds in some parts of Syria and Iraq where it has falsely posed as a champion of local Sunni populations and a generalised Islamic universalist and apocalyptic agenda." Hussein Ibish

Kerry: 'Imperative' to resume Israel-Palestinian talks: "There wasn't a leader I met with in the region who didn't raise with me spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians, because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation,"

U.N. Security Council urges stronger campaign against [Da'esh] Islamic State

“It’s always easy to get money for F-16s, but not so much for food and cash,” says Andrew Harper, head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Jordan, which says it may have to cut cash assistance programs for 20,000 families in November and December due to lack of funding.

Arabs from Israel risk arrest for 'Arab Idol' show... Israel and Suha Arraf Differ on Nationality of ‘Villa Touma’... & Escape to a World of Palestinian Surprises

My letter to the NYTimes RE Room for Debate: Should Nations Recognize a Palestinian State?

My letter to USAToday RE "Palestinian advocacy misunderstood: Objections" by Andrew Dalack & Bayan Founas, National Students for Justice in Palestine

STAY CONNECTED... 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

Our words have a way of echoing out into either war or peace.... My Published Letters 2014

Citizens of the Earth

Hussein Ibish: The three-way Israeli-Palestinian impasse- Israel, the PA and Hamas are all trapped in their own policies with no idea how to move forward.

In #Palestine #Olive Trees witnessed foreign invaders for thousands of years...

THIS WEEK IN PALESTINE: Ethnographic Habitat, Place Memories, and Cultural Identity

UK Parliament votes to recognize Palestinian state- a symbolic move intended to increase pressure for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Dorothy Shea: "Palestinians should be applauded for largely eliminating the gender gap in education. Unlike in some parts of the Middle East and North Africa, Palestinian girls and young women enjoy equal access to education as their male counterparts."

Islamic State Seeks to Justify Enslaving Yazidi Women and Girls in Iraq... The article on slavery confirms practices documented by Human Rights Watch, which says Yazidi women and girls were forced to marry Islamic State fighters and shipped out in busloads from Iraq to Syria to be sold off as prizes

UK MPs To Vote On Recognition Of Palestine... "Dr Hanan Ashrawi, executive committee member of the PLO, told Sky News the Palestinian cause must be "rescued" to prevent jihadists [from] using it to fuel radicalisation and further extremism in the region."

Translating the Obvious ... A poem for peace in Growing Gardens for Palestine by Anne Selden Annab

U.S. calls for renewed commitment to lasting Mideast peace: "... a renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace that meets the aspirations of all, for Israelis, for Palestinians for all people of this region"

New Ibish article: Hisham, Hope and Despair..."The crucial point is that the one thing that is certain is that the choices that we make individually and collectively will have a direct and profound impact on the short, medium and long-term outcomes. And, therefore, our choices must be carefully considered, deliberate and purposive, while apathy and inaction are not options."

To promote the values of dialogue, tolerance and mutual respect, among religions and cultures... Let’s teach our youth to build, not destroy

Ashrawi: The recognition of Palestine is Human, Moral, Legal, and Political Imperative

"Let’s not feed Islamophobic bigotry... The great divide is not between faiths, but one between intolerant zealots of any tradition and the large numbers of decent, peaceful believers likewise found in each tradition." Nicholas Kristof

Last Thursday, the United Nations released a report that could provide us with one of the keys to defeating ISIS. Unfortunately, it received almost zero media attention.

"We see martyrs, children as young as 7, being portrayed as resistance fighters after being slaughtered by Israeli forces. Although we would like to convince ourselves that they have died for “the cause”, they have in fact died because of the cause." Mariam Barg

Hussein Ibish: US has a responsibility to rein in Israeli settlements

Tala Haikal: "It may not be possible to immediately free all the kidnapped girls and women due to the scope of the conflict with ISIS and the geographical dispersal of the captives in various locations. Some of these women and girls can be freed only once ISIS is destroyed."

UN report spotlights 'staggering' Islamic State atrocities in Iraq... "The group, which is fighting in Iraq and Syria, has carried out a wide range of atrocities, including mass executions, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence against women and children"

Vatican seeks Mideast Christians' right of return

US sharply criticizes new Israeli housing project

Non-violent resistance is Palestine’s most powerful weapon

Tala Haikal: Empathy Is Essential to Humanity

Normalizing Intelligent Conversations, Diplomatic Support, and Hope for Palestine... ATFP Panel Briefing: Israeli-Palestinian War in a New Regional Landscape.

ATFP... American Task Force on Palestine

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People 2014

UNRWA photo and film archive for Palestine refugees

About UNWRA: ’The Long Journey of Palestine Refugee Women’ candidly portrays the lives and experiences of Palestine refugee women, this collection is a testament not only to their own strength and dignity, but also to the richness and resilience of their community.

Walking Palestine & The Abraham Path... a creative space for stories that highlight the unique culture, heritage and hospitality of the region

It's time for Palestinians and Israelis to share a just peace... It's time for freedom from occupation... It's time for equal rights.... It's time for the healing of wounded souls..... World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel: "Let my people go!"... 21 - 27 September 2014 An initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches

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

1948

Time and time again I have watched the cycle of incitement and spin sabotage support for Palestine

Clarifying why Arab and Muslim Americans should be smart rather than stupid

Live by the Golden Rule

• “Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering - remembering and not using your right to hit back.”

An Anne Frank Moment ... a poem by Anne Selden Annab

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?

1940s: The United Nations General Assembly adopts resolution 194 (III), resolving that “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 equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.”

America/Israel/Palestine 1776

America/Israel/Palestine 1948: 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