My letter to the NYTimes RE Only Separation Can Lead to a Two-State Solution

RE: Only Separation Can Lead to a Two-State Solution
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/29/opinion/international/only-separation-can-lead-to-a-two-state-solution.html?ref=international&_r=3

Dear Editor,

When Israel was established in 1948, it's "Jewishness" was self proclaimed- but has Israel ever really been Jewish?  Or has Israel's "Jewishness" been a myopically dangerous myth incentivizing an ongoing quest to build a modern religion based nation state that uses taxpayers' money and world wide donations to empower Jewish citizens while impoverishing and pushing the native non-Jewish population of the region into poverty, forced exile and despair...

Is this really the example the civilized world wants to set for the future of all countries- and all individuals and groups who are struggling for freedom, justice, and security?

Yes there should be peace between Israel and Palestine, but for the rule of fair and just laws to win a lasting peace, progress, and security for all the people, it must be a fully secular two state solution whereby two separate nation states, one called Israel and one called Palestine, are fully sovereign and fully democratic.  International law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are key to ending the Israel-Palestine conflict once and for all.  

Interim plans based on Israeli laws that reinforce institutionalized bigotry and placate myopic Israeli thinkers are obviously appealing to Israelis who have been raised to believe that Israel's supposed Jewishness and "security zones" are more important than the rule of fair and just laws. 

Real friends don't let friends drive drunk: Religion should be a personal, private matter. America's founders and freedom fighters were not perfect, but they were wise enough to research and learn from history, separating church from state and laying the groundwork whereby in time slaves were free and Jim Crow laws were dismantled. Violence did not create American freedom- good ideas and enlightened people did... and still do.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
THE GOLDEN RULE: Do until others as you would have them do unto you.

Israel demolishes West Bank homes, displacing 36 Palestinians:  "Nickolay Mladenov, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said last month the number of such demolitions has tripled on average since the start of the year. "Since the beginning of 2016, Israel has demolished, on average, 29 Palestinian-owned structures per week, three times the weekly average for 2015,""

Arab Israeli professor breaks barriers at home and abroad: "Despite the realities of life as an Arab in Israel, [Hossam] Haick says he wouldn't want to be anywhere else... "Escaping from reality is easy," said Haick, surrounded by beakers and tubes. "By staying, maybe we can contribute to the society from which we came."" 

Roger Waters: Pink Floyd star on why his fellow musicians are terrified to speak out against Israel

Roots of the Recent Violence Between Israelis and Palestinians

Brief on Israeli excavations & latest settlement activities

"Israeli educators and academics are alleging that right-wing religious political appointees have meddled in a revision of a high school civics textbook to water down discussion of democracy." 

 Jewish or democratic? A textbook battle for Israel's soul.

"We have decided to immediately work together on a report, which will include recommendations for relaunching the two-State perspective. We will do this in coordination with the UN Security Council and with the main regional actors: Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia – on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative. And we will do this in strong coordination with the parties. This is why yesterday I called Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas, who assured to me their willingness to engage in this new process."  Federica Mogherini: A report to relaunch the two-State perspective

"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries." James Madison 1751-1836, fourth President of the United States (1809–17) & founding father known as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.