Thank Secretary Clinton for Standing Up for Palestinian Aid... supporting work for peace and justice in the Holy Land.

Last week Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton informed Congress that aid for Palestinians that had been already appropriated would be sent despite a hold placed on the aid by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Thank Secretary Clinton for standing up for vulnerable Palestinian civilians by sending her a message below.

Let Secretary Clinton know you support her courageous release of $147 million to support Palestinian development.

On April 11^th the State Department sent a letter to members of Congress notifying them that it will go ahead with the $147 million aid package to the Palestinian Authority for fiscal year 2011, despite a congressional hold placed by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Projects to be funded include rebuilding Christian sites such as Burqeen Church, a Christian sanctuary dating to the early Byzantine era near Jenin, and a traditional site of the Nativity story’s shepherd's field near Bethlehem, as well as addressing humanitarian concerns through projects supporting water programs, health, food aid, and support for USAID programming.  One non-governmental organization (NGO) that will likely receive funding is the Princess Basma Centre, a national referral, rehabilitation and educational network that ensures continued support for children with special needs and their families, in East Jerusalem. 

Let Secretary Clinton know you support her action and vision to help Palestinians relieve suffering and develop their communities.

Dear Madam Secretary,

As a supporter of Churches for Middle East Peace, I would like to thank you for your courageous decision this month to release $147 million in U.S. assistance funds that had been withheld by Congress for projects to assist Palestinian development.  Funding for the Palestinian’s civil and security needs will lay the groundwork for a viable Palestinian state living in peace alongside a secure Israel and will help ensure a stable future for both Palestinians and Israelis.

Funding humanitarian and economic development projects strengthens the capacity to govern, provides hope, and undercuts the despair that can contribute to violence. With your leadership the U.S. will remain an example for other nations to continue supporting work for peace and justice in the Holy Land.

Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace is a coalition of 24 national Church denominations and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. It works to encourage U.S. government policies that actively promote a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ensuring security, human rights and religious freedom for all people of the region.

My letter to IHT 10-15-2010 RE Smothered by Settlements By Mustafa Barghouthi

RE: Smothered by Settlements By Mustafa Barghouthi
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/opinion/15iht-edbarghouti.html?ref=global

Dear Sir,

Mustafa Barghouthi is wise to point out that "We have reached, and probably surpassed, that critical point at which any more settlements mean the death of the two-state solution....The Israeli establishment knows this better than anybody. They also know that their hard-line positions on issues like Jerusalem and borders mean transforming the idea of Palestinian statehood into something much less: isolated clusters of land in a system of segregation."

However, I would not have injected the idea "and probably surpassed" as if a tipping point will make the removal of Israel's illegal settlements and an end to the Israel/Palestine conflict impossible. Both Zionist zealots and Islamist factions are quite eager to dismiss, discredit and dismantle the Palestinian Authority. Neither need more proof that their one state thrust is a winning formula. Creating a fully secular two state solution really is the best way to disarm religious zealots and hate mongers on both sides.

I understand the temptation to scorn and doubt American efforts for Palestine. However I very much believe that the State-building strategy of the United States and the donor community do not need to be tested: Despite much Zionist pressure to eliminate UNWRA, the US is and has been the largest single state donor to UNRWA, (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees) providing food, shelter, medical care, and education for many of the original refugees from 1948. The United States has also provided a welcoming home and real freedom to many Palestinians pushed into forced exile and/or voluntarily moving away from the conflict.

Furthermore please note that the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP), established in 2003 to provide an independent voice for Palestinian-Americans and their supporters in order to promote peace and Palestine, recently announced that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will be the keynote speaker at its Fifth Annual Gala. One of my favorite poets Naomi Shihab Nye will be honored with an award for Excellence in the Arts. ATFP's Gala also has an Artists Corner pointing out that "these talented individuals have spoken volumes, celebrating Arab and Arab-American culture with vibrancy" My favorite artist there is Helen Zughaib... "Hopefulness, healing and spirituality, are all themes that are woven into her work."

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Growing Gardens for Palestine

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