My letter to the NYTimes RE Israel’s True Friends by Roger Cohen

1856 map of ancient Palestine

RE:  Israel’s True Friends by Roger Cohen
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/opinion/israels-true-friends.html?ref=global&_r=0

Dear Editor,

Negotiations shaped to entrench sovereign violations of international law and the Palestinians basic human rights become another weapon of war rather than a tool of peace: 

Israel's continued settlement expansion in the West Bank is indeed self-defeating and wrong... AND so is Israel's ongoing refusal to respect the Palestinian refugees' inalienable legal and natural right to return to original homes and lands.

A good faith quest for a two state solution recognizes that rampant religious extremism, bigotry, and hate mongering are making a bad situation worse, with dangerous ramifications world wide.

Compromise for both sides is agreeing that there are two separate sovereign states where once there was one area referred to in our history books and on antique maps as historic Palestine. 

Compromise for both sides is finding ways to ensure that all people, regardless of supposed race, religion or gender are respected equals protected by the rule of fair and just laws.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES

The Office of International Religious Freedom ( http://www.state.gov/j/drl/irf/)   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

Palestinian Refugees(1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

The Balfour Declaration of 1917

".... it being clearly understood that nothing
          shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious
          rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine..."

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

"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

Empowering Peace & Palestine

"The only way to honor our tragic histories is to create a future for our children free of man-made tragedy. This means making peace fully, completely and without reservation, between Israel and Palestine."

 

The Arab Peace Initiative

Refugees and the Right of Return

Palestinian refugees must be given the option to exercise their right of return (as well as receive compensation for their losses arising from their dispossession and displacement) though refugees may prefer other options such as: (i) resettlement in third countries, (ii) resettlement in a newly independent Palestine (even though they originate from that part of Palestine which became Israel) or (iii) normalization of their legal status in the host country where they currently reside.  What is important is that individual refugees decide for themselves which option they prefer – a decision must not be imposed upon them.