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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

My letter to the NYTimes RE Room for Debate: Terror and the Palestinian Authority

Syrian refugee boys walk inside their destroyed tent at Zaatari Syrian refugee Camp, Jordan, 21 February, after bad weather hit Jordan.There are currently 3.2 million Syrian refugees.(Photo: JAMAL NASRALLAH, EPA) USA Today YEAR OF THE REFUGEE column by Eric P. Schwartz and M. Zuhdi Jasser..."When political leaders fully embrace the idea that freedom and tolerance are antidotes to perpetual instability and strife, the end to the refugee nightmare will be closer at hand."
RE: Terror and the Palestinian Authority
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/02/24/terror-and-the-palestinian-authority

Dear Editor,

It was interesting to read the different perspectives on terror and the recent $655.5 million verdict against the Palestinian Authority and the P.L.O.. I think Nadia Hijab's contribution "Abbas, Who’s Tried to Keep the Peace, Now Must Pay for Violence " was most helpful in summing up the very real plight of the Palestinians by calmly pointing out vitally important, highly relevant aspects such as the fact that " Meanwhile Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise remorselessly swallows up Palestinian land." ... and the fact that " The United States and Europe already pick up much of the bill for the P.A.’s economic survival..."

US efforts to help Palestinians also include massive amounts funding UNWRA, which has kept Palestinian refugees alive for decades while Israel myopically refuses to respect international law and the universal right for refugees to return to original homes and lands to live in peace. 

The Israel-Palestine conflict with all its many negative ramifications is obviously a cruel situation and an escalating tragedy that needs to end. How do we go from here to there? 

The one state fantasy that inspires various activists to dismiss the crucial importance of compassion, diplomacy, negotiations, and mainstream efforts to actually end the conflict ends up fueling extremism, militancy, corruption and blame games (on all sides) that only make the situation worse.

Two fully sovereign secular states named Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security offer the only way out that actually ends the conflict.  Real freedom, justice and equality are a worthy goal, for everyone. John Legend's wonderful Oscar winning Best Original Song "Glory" from the movie Selma has some very good advice on that score: "The biggest weapon is to stay peaceful"

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES


“We must kill the prejudices we have and move on from hate,”.... More than 1,000 people formed a "ring of peace" on Saturday night outside Oslo's main synagogue at the initiative of a group of young Muslims. 

14-year-old girl jailed by for stone-throwing maintains innocence

Have We Got ISIS All Wrong? via

Why Calling ISIS Islamic Only Plays Into Its Hands via

Extremism is a shallow concept, an easy answer in a complicated world... Finding knowledge that's unclouded

The ISIS Theater of Cruelty...EXCELLENT op-ed by in the NYTimes!!!


Obama: Extremism fight is 'battle for hearts and minds' via
Only fools confuse religion and criminality- a very good op-ed by Rami G. Khouri via

Jordan condemns Daesh 'cowardly' execution of 21 Egyptians in Libya via

World Press Roundup: Middle East News


The Net ... a poem

Forwards ...a poem

The Connectors ... a poem

Mideast Quartet calls for speedy resumption of peace talks... "Pending the resumption of negotiations, the Quartet called on both parties to refrain from actions that undermine trust or prejudge final status issues."


Global Citizenship... laying the foundation for a culture of peace

Ziad Asali

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

The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

... Ibrahim's Estate... The Promised Land: In Celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights & Peace Day

Tala Haikal: Empathy Is Essential to Humanity

Hussein Ibish: Non-violent resistance is Palestine’s most powerful weapon

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

 “Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” Khalil Gibran (1883-1931), born in Lebanon, immigrated to the United States in 1895 where he grew up to become a beloved poet and respected writer.

"There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies" Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968) American minister, humanitarian and social activist- a cherished leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, whose inspiring words continue to influence and empower diplomatic efforts to bring more justice, more security, more peace and more jobs to more people, every one and every where.