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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

My letter to the Washington Post RE their story on Lifta "Development plan for abandoned Palestinian village stirs up a troubled past "

RE Development plan for abandoned Palestinian village stirs up a troubled past http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/development-plan-for-abandoned-palestinian-village-stirs-up-a-troubled-past/2011/06/22/AGL4CWmH_story.html

Dear Editor,

Thank you for publishing Development plan for abandoned Palestinian village stirs up a troubled past, and including the fascinating slide show on Lifta. There are pre-Israeli people scattered all over the world today whose ancestors originally came from Lifta village. The ruins are a poignant and precious reminder of historic Palestine- and a rural past.

It would a huge tragedy if these intriguing ruins overlooking Jerusalem were rebuilt into a modern Israeli housing development. Israel did not totally destroy the remnants of Lifta yet- that fact should not be ignored: Making Lifta a heritage site, for all to enjoy, would certainly go a long way towards starting an end to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict... Imagine a future of sustainable peace and progress where two fully secular, fully sovereign modern nation states (one named Israel, the other Palestine) wisely work together to stop bigotry and injustice for everyone's sake. Tourism for both would thrive and it really could be a win-win situation.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
NOTES
The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Growing Gardens for Palestine

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1 comment:

  1. Anne Selden AnnabJuly 2, 2011 at 5:52 AM

    Washington Post published a good letter on the topic: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-palestinian-villages-preservation-opportunity/2011/06/27/AGKcLLuH_story.html
    letter
    A Palestinian village’s preservation opportunity
    Published: July 1

    As a researcher and author on Palestinian villages and social history, I appreciate Joel Greenberg’s clear and insightful June 27 news story on the village of Lifta [“Development plan for abandoned Palestinian village stirs up a troubled past”]. Of the 418 Palestinian villages that were depopulated of their Palestinian Muslim and Christian residents in the 1948 war, only 20 have more than a few buildings still standing. The other 400 have been almost entirely destroyed. In that sense, the development plan for the village of Lifta offers a rare opportunity to preserve the heritage of the entire area, including the material evidence of a prosperous Arab village in the mid-20th century.

    Any development should include the village’s former residents, who have published three detailed books on village history. This development plan presents a symbolic opportunity: Preserving Lifta’s heritage as a Palestinian village would be a significant step the Israeli government could make toward living with its Palestinian citizens and acknowledging their past on the land.

    Rochelle A. Davis, Washington

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