My letter to the New York Times RE We are Palestinians by Daoud Kuttab

Symbolism, Steps Towards Statehood and so Much More

RE We are Palestinians by Daoud Kuttab
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/opinion/we-are-palestinians.html?_r=1&ref=global

Dear Editor,

The Palestinian flag was hoisted at UNESCO this week and in the New York Times in that beautifully illustrated, fascinating and revealing op-ed by Daoud Kuttab "We are Palestinians"... I very much hope that state building efforts continue on this positive track and that the people of Palestine, and the people of Israel, are able to veer away from militancy and religious extremism in order to create a fair and just and fully secular human rights based two state solution to once and for all end the Israel/Palestine conflict.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
“The Palestinian people, as all peoples, must be able to preserve their culture and heritage. They must benefit from quality education, education for peace. A strong educational system teaches respect for human rights. A vibrant culture respects the culture of others. In this connected world, healthy societies flourish through ties with others. UNESCO stands for all of this.” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova Welcoming Palestine to the agency UN NEWS CENTRE

Executive director of Oxfam International Jeremy Hobbs: "The increasing rate of settlement expansion and house demolitions is pushing Palestinians to the brink, destroying their livelihoods and prospects for a just and durable peace," Record number of Palestinians displaced in 2011

10 December is International Human Rights Day... Many Palestinians have no freedom of movement

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."Eleanor Roosevelt

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