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online comment Chicago Tribune
O Little Town of Bethlehem
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/chicago-tribune/T1HR0BQ07BTTIBB42#lastPostDear Editor
Garrison Keillor's story of Christmas in Bethlehem PA might be beautiful, but it breaks my heart that right now, the original beloved Bethlehem is being besieged, strangled and destroyed by an Israeli made Apartheid wall.
It breaks my heart that so few in America want to notice, much less speak out to firmly object to this horrible Zionist crime against religion, history and humanity, this Zionist crime against the people of historic Palestine, the living links to our Christian beginnings.
Family and friends send out lovely Holiday cards with pastoral scenes depicting a fully free land called Palestine where shepherds are free to graze their flocks and wise men are able to follow a star wherever it might lead.... We sing gentle loving hymns and carols about The Prince of Peace and good will. However we seriously need to stop for a reality check. Generously funded Israel has anything but good will towards the Palestinians. It is intentionally stealing Palestinian land, life, rights and peace in every possible way.
The people of Palestine need our prayers but more than that they need real justice and peace. The people of Palestine need all the world to notice their plight and, as the vast majority of Palestinians are refugees pushed into forced exile, the children of Palestine need all the world to honor and respect the Palestinian refugees' inalienable legal, natural and sacred right to return to original homes and lands. True return to help end Israeli made Apartheid...true return to the rule of fair and just laws... true return to legal dignity where every child is cherished by the powers that be, and every family has a chance to be a good neighbor and friend one by one by one, shaping a real community where peace may flourish for ALL, regardless.
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online comment on Arabisto
http://www.arabisto.com/p_blogEntry.cfm?blogEntryID=925
| Added: December 05, 2007 06:07 AM |
| Please respect Palestinian refugees RoR- |
| achieving lasting peace requires respect for the rule of fair and just laws and policies...sovereign respect for basic human rights- including respect for the Palestinian refugees' very real right of return- it really is the only positive way forward into a just and lasting peace: "'Under international humanitarian law the right of refugees to return to their homes is an inalienable, individual human right. Like all human rights, it is invaluable and cannot be bought. Under Israel and Bush’s 'solution', Palestinian refugee families who had been expelled from what is now Israel would be consigned to return, not to their homes, but to small, non-contiguous parts of less than 22% of their original homeland. Jews from anywhere in the world, on the other hand, would be free to 'return' to more than 78% of historic Palestine, frequently to live on land seized from those same Palestinian refugees. Such clear discrimination against Palestinian refugees and privileging of Jews from anywhere in the world illustrates clearly that these proposals would further a separate but unequal solution that cannot result in peace.... Neta Golan is an Israeli peace with justice activist living in Ramallah, and a founder of the International Solidarity Movement. For more information see: www.apartheidmasked.org'" - from IMEU a good place to find helpful information http://imeu.net/news/article007223.shtml |
| By: Anne Selden Annab |
| Website: annies-letters.blogspot.c |
Washington Times
Letters to the editor
Israel, the Palestinians and peace
12-1-2007http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071201/EDITORIAL/112010004/1013/editorial&template=nextpage
I was thrilled to see the great letter by Ray Gordon, which pointed out that America really should cut off all aid to Israel "until a firm, just peace settlement is in place."
To take the conversation a step further, I very much believe (based on an appreciation for and understanding of America's own secular ideals of a real democracy with freedom, justice and equality for all) that the only acceptable solution for everyone's sake is a rights-based solution — beginning with but not limited to the Palestinian refugees' right to return. A true return — not more forced transfers.ANNE SELDEN ANNAB
Mechanicsburg, Pa.*************************************************
New York Sun
What Most Palestinians Believe
Reader comment on: What Most Palestinians Believe
Submitted by Anne Selden Annab, Nov 12, 2007 07:57
To quote Rick Richmond's conclusion in What Most Palestinians Believe: "The Palestinians do not lack a vision. They adhere to their vision of a "right of return," refusing to recognize the validity of a Jewish state..."
Is that really such a bad thing? What has Israel as the supposed Jewish State really done for Jewish people - and Judaism itself. Zionist propagandists blithely ignore the full and total ugly truth about racist Israel's many crimes against the people of Palestine. And the more that Zionists ignore the more the evidence piles up everywhere as the information age compiles a huge body of evidence proving that the Palestinians really do have just cause for complaint.
The people of Palestine are being oppressed and tormented and intentionally impoverished by Israeli Apartheid and they are being vilified because they dare object. The very freedoms, rights and respect that Palestinians cry out for are the same freedoms and rights - basic human rights as clearly affirmed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from 1948, that will help keep Jews safe world wide where ever they might be.
Modern man made Israel as is is a war on all of Palestine- and it is a war on all human beings, regardless of religion, who understand that "the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/eng.htm ) really is a document well worth reading and thinking about.... and respecting.
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comment publihsed online 11-27-7 CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/exchange/blogs/in.the.field/2007/11/annapolis-why-care.html
the global consequences of the Palestine/Israel situation are already quite grave- and as things are bound to only get worse... Tragically for all it is far too easy for Americans not to notice the largest longest running refugee crisis in the world today- and the fact that Israel, Apartheid Israel heavily armed with angst plus a full arsenal of very lethal weaponry, continues to intentionally and systemically push more and more Palestinians into forced exile and despair.
There is one key to peace, a just and lasting peace... only one key and that is full respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from 1948- including but not limited to the Palestinian refugees very real right to return - true return to original homes and lands. Posted By Anne Selden Annab, Mechanicsburg PA USA : 9:35 AM ET
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comment publihsed online 11-27-2007 The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=33HUDI2ZQQEMDQFIQMFSFFOAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/opinion/2007/11/27/do2702.xml&posted=true&_requestid=719475
RE: What the Annapolis summit lacks is willpower
The Palestinian refugees' right of return is an inalienable basic human right, a legal and natural right clearly affirmed and explained by international law: The Palestinian refugees will return, as soon as possible is best.
That was true in 1948 and is still true today.... A thief might come to feel that a stolen television kept and watched for years becomes his rightful property- but the law knows better. Furthermore, Jewish victims of the Nazi Holocaust are still able to reclaim artwork stolen from their family...surely a family home and heritage are more inherently precious and important than paint splattered on a page, no matter how beautiful the patterns might appear to be. The precedent has been set and it is clear.
Posted by Anne Selden Annab on November 27, 2007 10:05 AM
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Philadelphia Daily News
11-20-2007Letters
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20071120_Letters___FAILING_THE_REAL_TEST_OF_CIVIC_RESPONSIBILITY.html
The Palestinian response
Perhaps John R. Cohn thinks his sarcastic op-ed "Annapolis Media Guide" is entertaining, but the native non-Jewish people of historic Palestine are being starved, imprisoned and killed by the entity called Israel and there is nothing funny about that.
The Palestinian refugees' inalienable right to return to original homes and lands has been clearly affirmed and reaffirmed by international law as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights since Israel came to be in 1948. Jews who escaped the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust have benefited from the ability to return to their country of origin, yet Zionists deny this same basic right to the Palestinians.
Anne Selden Annab
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
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11-17-2007 Hartford Courant online comment regarding
Was Cancellation Of Dance Performance Justified?
(several excellent letters on the topic)http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/letters/hc-digedletboxb1117.artnov17,0,5297264.story
comment i just left online in response
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/hartford-courant/TP6UG03CLBIPTJ591
I was very much relieved to read the excellent letters "Was Cancellation Of Dance Performance Justified?"...in particular the pertinent statement by Nina Sakun: "It seems to me that it is far more wrong that U.S. tax money (billions in aid to Israel) subsidizes brutal treatment of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers. I wish that reality could be stopped as easily as Ms. Horton was able to stop the dance performance depicting the brutality."
Sakun gets to the heart of why it really is important that America be able to investigate and maybe even appreciate Palestinian perspectives, including Palestinian art. Stopping the conversation by harassing, insulting and demonizing those that dare advocate Palestine dignity and freedom, Zionist ideologues and religious fanatics are easily able to fund a huge crime against all of humanity, with the persecuted and impoverished Palestinians bearing the brunt of the pain: But we are all losing precious peace- and respect- thanks to America's blind support for racist Israel.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
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11-16-2007 Baltimore Sun online comment regarding
Refusal to accept a Jewish state http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.israel16nov16,0,6102022.story
comment i just left online- http://www.topix.net/forum/source/baltimore-sun/T1H532C4KVD7PL12G
The problem is political Zionism and the fact that Zionists in trying to create the "Jewish State" on top of historic Palestine have been systemically usurping Palestinian land, liberty and rights- creating and exasperating the largest, longest running refugee crisis in the world today.
Modern man made Israel is an investment in institutionalized bigotry and injustice which is only growing worse- more and more monstrous every day. Israel is Apartheid and Jim Crow gone crazy in a day and age when we really do know better. And thanks to its many talented propagandists it receives the lion's share of America's foreign aid: Our pubic schools can't have a moment of prayer (for good reason) but America funds and defends Israel's "Jewishness"?!
The occupation is only one symptom of a much larger problem: The very real plight of the harshly oppressed and persecuted Palestinians is the root of the problem- and rock solid proof that the idea of Israel as the (misnamed) Jewish State has been a huge disaster for countless people....only it is only growing worse.
Anne Selden Annab
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11-15-2007 San Francisco Chronicle conline comment regarding
Charges dropped against last of 'Los Angeles Eight' by Michel Shehadeh
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/15/ED23TC1DE.DTLcomment i just left on the online form...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/comments/view?f=/c/a/2007/11/14/ED23TC1DE.DTL&o=1
anneselden wrote:
THRILLED to see Michel Shehadeh's " Charges dropped against last of 'Los Angeles Eight'" ! It made me cry for his dignity and decency are so very very obvious- and his hope is so uplifting and inspiring.. utterly contagious in a good way. The story of the LA8 really is so chilling- shocking really for how can it be that this foreign country called Israel can so easily harass and harm Palestinians and silence dissent here there and everywhere. This whole cruel mess really has been "an embarrassment to the rule of law" and real democracy ... but justice did prevail. May the children of Palestine prevail too, no matter where they might go- and hopefully soon they will also be free to return home to a fully free Palestine. May ALL their stories become known and their heritage be respected.
Posted 11/15/2007 3:22:22 AM
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11-15-2007 Time Magazine Blog online comment regarding
Annapolis: The Day After
http://time-blog.com/middle_east/2007/11/annapolis_the_day_after_1.htmlUN General Assembly Resolution 194 has been affirmed by the UN over 130 times since its introduction in 1948.... "11. Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible;
Instructs the Conciliation Commission to facilitate the repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation of the refugees and the payment of compensation, and to maintain close relations with the Director of the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees and, through him, with the appropriate organs and agencies of the United Nations"
http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/c758572b78d1cd0085256bcf0077e51a?OpenDocument
Clearly the Palestinians were already specifically promised and already reassured constantly by the international community that their right of return to original homes and lands is to be respected- as soon as possible please. 60 years and counting... and one very racist Israel continues to push more and more Palestinians into forced exile and despair.
Start peace at the beginning- with full respect for basic human rights including but not limited to the Palestinian refugees inalienable legal and sacred right to return.
Anne Selden AnnabNovember 15, 2007
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11-10-2007 Chicago Tribune online comment regarding
A glimpse at a life in line: For Palestinians, a tense daily grind http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-pals_thinknov11,0,5486879.story
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/chicago-tribune/TGNN186N0R22APV8G#lastPost
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11-9-2007 Hartford Courant online comment regarding
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/hartford-courant/TO9E66ARFFNA432QN
Palestinian dance troupe performances in Old Saybrook canceled
Yes indeed we should all be disgusted by the thought of Israeli soldiers beating and torturing Palestinians- but gosh that offended grandparent certainly is directing her ire towards all the wrong people! She should be furious at racist Israel for all its many crimes against humanity... and she should be furious at America's Congress for arming Israeli bigotry and brutality with American money and weaponry. She should be angry at every Rabbi that endorses political Zionism. She also be furious at America's mainstream media for failing to tell the full story, for failing to fully disclose and explain the very real plight and suffering of the Palestinians.
And School Superintendent Joseph Onofrio should not have canceled the Palestinian dancers ! Our children read Ann Frank and learn about the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust... and yet they are not allowed even a glimpse of a Palestinian Dance Troupe because it is too "political"?!
Anne Selden Annab
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11-3-2007 Washington POst online comment regarding
Rice's Bridge To Peace
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/02/AR2007110201784_Comments.htmlYour Comments On...
The secretary of state hopes to produce a palatable Middle East deal.
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10-28-2007 Chicago Tribune online comment regarding
Fighting imaginary terrorist threats
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-mistrial_thinkoct28,0,6992056.storyTHANK YOU! What a huge relief and a sure sign of hope it is to see and read Ahmed Rehab's excellent and informative op-ed "Fighting imaginary terrorist threats".
However, in asking why any American administration (or organization) would devote so many resources to pursue and "prosecute such far-fetched cases", I can not help but think of Palestine- and all the many Zionist propagandists here there and everywhere that seek to demonize, destroy and erase Palestine in every possible way.
Both the well publicized Al-Arian case and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development case are at heart not so much about Muslims or even the Middle East in general but about Palestine specifically- a place and a people horrifically oppressed, impoverished and vilified at every turn by our 'friend' the very racist Israel.
Israel's very real state sponsored terrorism is a very real threat and an ongoing man made disaster which is only growing more dire as countless Palestinians (including Christians) suffer and starve in crowded refugee camps because they have been deemed the 'wrong' religion by the misnamed Jewish State.
Anne Selden Annab
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10-24-2007 Baltimore Sun online comment regarding
Internal divisions make it a bad time for Israeli-Palestinian..
Utterly thrilled to see a Palestinian voice pop up in your opinion pages! Suheir Abu Oksa Daoud certainly did write an excellent op-ed. Thanks for publishing it.
For years the Palestinians have been brutally oppressed- persecuted, impoverished, pushed aside, displaced and silenced or demonized as generously funded, heavily armed Zionists wreck havoc all over the Holy Land in a blatantly racist war on the native non-Jewish Palestinians. America has a duty to listen as carefully as we can and to do all we can to try to act with honor and dignity. Listening to- and even learning to love Palestine is the first real step into helping to build a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
For everyone's sake, peace conference or not, the core issues such as a permanent settlement, definite borders, Jerusalem and refugees need to be solved. One might change the outcome of another so a clear priority should be made: Start with the most obvious where international law as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (from 1948) already clearly spells out the solution- full respect for the Palestinian refugees' inalienable right to leave and right to return to original homes and lands.
Anne Selden Annab
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10-23-2007 Reuters AlertNet blogs
Is there too much talk and too little action on the plight of the Palestinians?
Please note that comments should not be regarded as the views of Reuters.
http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/40453/2007/09/23-164024-1.htm
Anne Selden Annab says:
23 Oct 2007 22:20:31 GMT
Wish in tackling this topic, the author had made mention of the Palestinian refugees' inalienable, legal and natural right to return...
"Israel's admission to the UN was conditional on its acceptance of UN resolutions including 194. Denying the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands is a war crime and an act of aggression which deserves action by the international community." http://www.al-awda.org/facts***********************************************
10-22-2007 Washington Post online comment regarding
The Deal on the Table By Jackson Diehl
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/21/AR2007102101370.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/21/AR2007102101370_Comments.html
For years and years Israel- racist Israel has been using borders and settlements and roads and even peace processes like a bulldozer to demolish Palestinian land, rights and life. The real red line must be international law which in fact has always endorsed and respected true return for the Palestinian refugees. True return to original homes and lands as soon as possible- not more forced transfer and segregation- and punitive Apartheid......
Suppose instead of being called Israeli and Palestinian, the two sides were defined and separated as Boys and Girls. What insanity it would be to insist that legally and socially only Boys have rights, freedoms and security in Country A (now called Israel) and girls might someday have rights, freedoms and security in maybe Country to be B. Imagine the difficulties down the road as wives and daughters are routinely transferred away from their own homes so that Country A can retain its Boyish "character". People world wide, feminists or not, would be furious and outraged at such an insane situation... so why aren't we applying the same logic to the situation in the Holy Land !
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10-21-2007 Miami Herald online comment regarding
ISRAEL: Long odds for Rice and peace
http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/277452.htmlJerusalem is indeed an ancient city- but most of its history and heritage is actually Arab, not Israeli... "Israel" the formal modern partition of historic Palestine is only 60 years old, and all of those years have been basically a blatantly racist war on the native non-Jewish Arab Palestinians.
Political Zionism's militant hold over historic Jerusalem as well as all of historic Palestine, from the river to the sea, has been a brutal occupation where Jews from abroad have full freedoms, rights and economic opportunities while the native non-Jewish Arab Palestinians have a punitive Israeli imposed Apartheid, crushing poverty, and the sorrow and suffering of countless families forced into painful exile and despair.
No one should make peace with that! Make peace with Jewish people as individuals- as human beings- yes... but don't make peace with the collective insanity called political Zionism, for what is bad now will only become much worse.
- Posted by: Anne Selden Annab
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Posted by Anne Selden Annab on 10/13/07 @ 7:09 am
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U.S.News & World Report
October 05, 2007
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/letters-to-the-editor/2007/10/5/prevention-and-cure.html#read_more
Prevention and Cure
The best way to stop Palestinian terrorism for everyone's sake is to stop oppressing and displacing the Palestinians. Start respecting their basic human rights, including their inalienable right of return to their original homes and lands.Anne Selden Annab
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
10-5-2007 San Francisco Chronicle online comment regarding
RE: Idea Raised of Two Capitals in Jerusalem
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/10/04/national/w002219D94.DTL
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/comments/view?f=/n/a/2007/10/04/national/w002219D94.DTL&o=1
comment left online..
anneselden wrote:
"Five former State Department and Pentagon officials are proposing Israeli and Palestinian capitals in Jerusalem and excluding Arab refugees from returning to Israel as part of an Middle East accord."
Here's a better idea- Let's deploy THE Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you... Let every Zionist pundit and politician worldwide who myopically proposes that the Palestinian refugees continue to be denied their inalienable legal, natural and fundamental right to return to original homes and lands, lose his own personal home and rights.
Let every Zionist pundit and politician practice what they preach: Bring on the BULLDOZERS! Fragment and scatter their families worldwide, and let them live what they believe- systematically displace and impoverish them, deny them their basic human rights and freedoms, and then vilify them and imprison them when they object.
Posted 10/5/2007 7:59:52 AM
***********************************************The Independent Monitor
October 2007http://www.theindependentmonitor.com/Issues/Oct07.pdf
Salvation Army Cancels Marcel Khalife concert
Dear Captain John Van Cleef, Administrator,I have long been a supporter of the Salvation Army's good works but I am utterly horrified, shocked and disgusted to hear the details of recent situation in San Diego where obvious bigotry was the guiding influence rather than true charity and compassion.
The Christian mission and message is to basically do good- but the Salvation Army Kroc Center in San Diego has done a huge wrong with its racist refusal to let master oud player and UNESCO Artist for Peace Marcel Khalife's concert go forward as already planned.
Appreciating diversity, democracy, culture and the arts- and history- I feel as if your organization'
In canceling the concert the way that you did, you politicized this incident and you insult every one who dares care about Arab culture and well being- specifically, because of the organization that you scorned- the long suffering Palestinians and ultimately the truth.
You also help condemn and crucify the many Palestinian Christians, the living links to our Christian heritage, who have been forced into painful exile, torn from their ancestral homes and lands... and your actions help build that monstrous Israeli made Apartheid wall that is strangling and destroying beloved Bethlehem.
You might not like Al-Awda and the idea that the largest, longest running refugee crisis in the world today clearly proves that our 'friend' the foreign country Israel really is not so friendly and nice (or right) after all... you might prefer to idolize idols- but I don't. And this country of ours does have clear laws against wrongful discrimination.
I think charities and vital outreach programs such as Al-Awda should be free to raise both awareness and funds for those in dire need, including orphans and widows- and Palestinian refugees.
You might not like Al-Awda and the idea that there is a Universal Declaration of Human Rights which clearly spells out the importance of human dignity and worth, regardless of religion, as well as a person's right to leave- and return. But I do... and so do many other reasonable compassionate human beings of every religion worldwide: I think the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an amazing document that rivals our own Constitution with our own growing ability to become a more real democracy as Martin Luther King Jr once said as he stood up to speak out for civil rights and an end to segregation- LET FREEDOM RING !
"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world...." Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Palestinian Refugees right of return is a plea to end segregation and forced transfer- and the institutionalized bigotry and brutality that is modern man made Israel today. The Palestinian refugees right to return is a call for a just and lasting peace and true community with full and equal rights - and respect- for ALL.... LET FREEDOM RING !
And with your actions you tried to stifle and dismiss that voice- you tried to taint a beautiful song- tried to compromise art itself which in any case is wrong... but the worst aspect is the fact that you tried to sully and vilify an organization that embodies an honest plea from the harshly oppressed and persecuted..
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
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9-27-2007 Chicago Tribune online comment regarding
11 Palestinians Killed in Gaza Fighting http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-israel-palestinians,1,5936715.story
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/chicago-tribune/TVUSC4OBHB0U7QV51#lastPost
Anne Selden Annab
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9-24-2007 CBS News online comment regarding
Israel's Stealthy Statement
The New Republic: Bombing Raid Puts Syria — And The United States — On Notice
Sept. 24, 2007
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/24/opinion/main3291435.shtml#Post
(AP / CBS)
Posted by anneselden at 09:42 AM : Sep 25, 2007
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9-23-2007 Washington Post online comment regarding
"Mr. Abbas will need Arab support to compromise on the refugee issue, and Mr. Olmert wants to use the prospect of Saudi recognition to win over Israelis."
The Mideast Core, Condoleezza Rice nudges Israelis and Palestinians into talking about the terms of a final settlement.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/22/AR2007092201171.html?wpisrc=newsletterhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/22/AR2007092201171_Comments.html
Ethnic cleansing should not be ignored- or rewarded: To give any nation state, politician or religious leader the power to usurp property and force families into exile because they are the 'wrong' race or religion is an abhorrent principle- totally uncivilized and a terrible precedent to set. It is asking for trouble. Today it is the Palestinians, and tomorrow who ? Tomorrow who will be the group targeted for harassment and forced transfer !
Letters to the Editor
Readers write about a one-state solution for Israel/Palestine.
Is a one-state solution the answer for Israel/Palestine?
Regarding the Opinion piece on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: I was delighted and relieved to see John Whitbeck's probing piece. Political Zionism is a huge problem mainly because the institutionalized bigotry, injustice, and hate inspired by political Zionism simply is not compatible with real freedom, equality, and the rule of fair and just laws – real democracy.
The Palestinian territories today are being brutalized – harshly oppressed, insulted, impoverished, and fragmented - and the Palestinians need our sympathy, compassion, and understanding.
Our highest priority really must be full respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including but not limited to the Palestinian refugees' sacred and secular right to return: true return, not more forced transfer creating divisive segregation and despair.
Anne Selden Annab
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
9-18-2007 Chicagao Tribune online comment regarding
Protect us from Sally Field?
Thank you for publicizing Sally Field's passionate Emmy speech. Fox could have easily bleeped out the only the "god-damned" bit and let the rest of her statement simply be what it was- a wonderful antiwar cry from an adorable celebrity.
Meanwhile major anti-war protests this weekend in Washington DC objecting to war have also been censored with a rousing and an inspiring plea to respect international law and the Palestinian refugees inalienable legal and natural right to return ignored. The call to "Free Free Palestine!" should not be erased form the conversation... Such 'mainstream' media censorship simply does not help anyone any where.
We The People need to be free to speak out- and be heard!
Anne Selden Annab
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9-19-2007 Baltimore Sun online comment regarding
Palestinians sue for use of road built for them -
Full story: Baltimore Sun
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/baltimore-sun/TMD7TPQ177MC5HVDHThank you for publishing the news concerning the Israeli only roads in the West Bank. We got rid of Jim Crow Laws and policies a long while ago, but our 'friend'(and charity of choice for many myopic fools) has been firmly embracing institutionalized bigotry and segregation for generations.
How much worse does it have to get before we the world wisely say NO MORE POLITICAL ZIONISM! It really is a totally toxic ideology that has brought endless grief, sorrow and suffering to countless men, women and children.... No more poisonous Apartheid in historic Palestine: Let one land, one people, one peace emerge to benefit ALL the people equally, regardless of supposed religion or lack thereof.
Anne Selden Annab
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9-16-2007 Baltimore Sun online comment regarding
Palestinians sue for use of road built for them: Israel has denied access over security concerns
http://www.baltimor(posted online- http://www.topix.net/forum/source/baltimore-sun/TMD7TPQ177MC5HVDH )
Dear Editor,
Thank you for publishing the news concerning the Israeli only roads in the West Bank. We got rid of Jim Crow Laws and policies a long while ago, but our 'friend' (and charity of choice for many myopic fools) has been firmly embracing institutionalized bigotry and segregation for generations.
How much worse does it have to get before we the world wisely say NO MORE POLITICAL ZIONISM! It really is a totally toxic ideology that has brought endless grief, sorrow and suffering to countless men, women and children.... No more poisonous Apartheid in historic Palestine: Let one land, one people, one peace emerge to benefit ALL the people equally, regardless of supposed religion or lack thereof.
Anne Selden Annab
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9-14-2007 Miami Herald online Comment regarding
Preparing for peace -- and war
http://pod01.prospero.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?msg=8502.1&nav=messages&webtag=kr-miamitmYes apparently "Israel is a good place to live."... But only if you are Jewish. However if you are a native non-Jewish Palestinian whose near and far ancestors lived for generations tightly tied to the land and a cherished heritage as part of the Arab world, "Israel" is an investment in institutionalized bigotry and injustice- a sovereign system of divide, destroy and displace historic Palestine that has been pushing millions of Palestinian men, women and children into dire poverty and despair.
Israel has been an outsider trying to bully its way into being beloved. Its many talented propagandists try every tactic to empower it, but time always tells and time has told the story of Palestine to the world.
Miracle of miracles the people of historic Palestine are much more than merely one religion or another, more than politics and petty bickering, more than puppets to be played on a stage... The people of Palestine simply are... They are men, women and children who have been cruelly oppressed and wrongly persecuted for generations. The people of Palestine are war and peace and everything in between in their ongoing struggle to be free from the barbaric bigotry and injustice brought by political Zionsim.
In both optimism and pessimism the people of Palestine are- and in their memories and dreams- in every heartbeat and blink- in every Arabic word and recipe and embroidered dress and bird and stone a very real Palestine will always be, no matter how hard Israel tries to erase Palestine from the map.
- Posted by: Anne Selden Annab
- 9/14/2007 6:57 AM
9-14-2007 Time Magazine Middle East Blog online comment regarding
http://time-blog.com/middle_east/2007/09/nahr_al_bared_update.html
Nahr al Bared Update
Reader CommentsKudos to UNWRA and all its good works to help those in dire need, and Kudos to all those countries that have been hosting huge refugee populations as the largest longest running refugee crisis in the world today continues... But what exactly will be rebuilt in rebuilding Nahr al Bared? Seems to me that NOW would be a good time to start seriously respecting the Palestinian refugees (inalienable) right to return to original homes and lands.
Posted by Anne Selden Annab
September 14, 2007
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The Baltimore Sun
Letters to the Editor http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/letters/bal-ed.le.11ssep11,0,1929522.story?page=3
May the letter writer's words echo around and around the world to help build a battle cry for a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land and beyond.
And may hope, decency and true community return to the Holy Land with every home rebuilt and every heart healed by reconciliation.
Anne Selden AnnabMechanicsburg, Pa.
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posted online.. Washington Post 9-9-7
Regarding Hoagland'sTony Blair Vs. History
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090702251_Comments.html
There is actually good reason for everyone (except crazed radicals) to feel optimism on the upcoming peace talks based on The Arab Peace Initiative, primarily because The Arab Peace Initiative is a very generous and reasonable offer. It is also the last hope Jews worldwide have to save at least a semblance of dignity as "The Jewish State" called Israel has clearly spent the pasty 59 years telling the world that it acts on their behalf...
The Arab Peace Initiative
1. Requests Israel to reconsider its policies and declare that a just peace is its strategic option as well.
2. Further calls upon Israel to affirm:
I- Full Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967, including the Syrian Golan Heights, to the June 4, 1967 lines as well as the remaining occupied Lebanese territories in the south of Lebanon.
II- Achievement of a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem to be agreed upon in accordance with U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194.
III- The acceptance of the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian territories occupied since June 4, 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/league/peace02.htm
Subtract any of these crucial ingredients (including full respect for the Palestinian refugees' sacred and secular right to return to original homes and lands) from the peace plan and you only have more of the same totally toxic status quo of institutionalized bigotry and escalating injustice which has made every other Mideast peace process such a dismal failure and waste of time.
We are only at the beginning of the information age as global technology helps free hearts and minds everywhere by revealing the past and present in documented detail with living color, fascinating nuance and a vibrant availability that enables (and inspires) many individuals to research and think for themselves. This intellectual revolution has both the passion and the power to open up the dialogue by challenging sovereign lies, dangerous myths, ideological hate mongering and racist segregation.... We the people are now more able than ever to choose to build a better world, a kinder world, a freer world and a safer world where all men, women, and children are cherished and valued by the powers that be- regardless of race, religion or nationality.
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 | 23 - 29 August 2007 Issue No. 859 Reader's corner |
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/859/letters.htm
Clearly right
Sir-- Why is it that here in the West most academics, scholars, news pundits, political heads and even religious leaders of every type, all as one blithely speak about the Palestinian refugees as if human beings should be categorised by religion, and based on that, be individually and collectively oppressed, harassed, expelled from their homes and denied basic human rights, privileges and freedoms? We have Holocaust museums -- we should know better! It simply is not reasonable to speak about "Israeli fears" as if the blatant institutionalised bigotry and injustice of political Zionism should be rewarded. The Palestinian refugees' right of return simply is and always will be. It has clearly been spelled out by international law for Israel's entire existence. And every day that goes by merely means damage done and the reparations due to the Palestinian refugees all add up exponentially. That's the real problem that racist Israel simply does not want to face.
Anne Selden Annab*****************************************************
Time Magazine Blog- Regarding Requiem for a Jewish Settler
http://time-blog.com/middle_east/2007/08/requiem_for_a_jewish_settler.html
Posted by Anne Selden Annab
August 25, 2007
The Palestinians, in honestly loving the land AND in being right about the many perils of political Zionism, won long ago- Tragically Zionist ideologues would rather play out this cruel and divisive charade called "The Jewish State" for as long as possible, as if there can ever be true peace or security for any one in the mess made by racist Israeli laws and walls.
The Guardian Comment is Free online comment
No level playing field: The Foreign Office ruling that has refused entry visas to a Palestinian football team is unfair, illogical and plain prejudiced. by Simon Hattenstone
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/simon_hattenstone/2007/08/no_level_playing_field.html
\Comment No. 777965
August 25 12:40 USA
Simon- THANK YOU... Far too many bigots are far too eager to vilify and punish the persecuted and impoverished Palestinians no matter what they might do or not do as they struggle for freedom, rights- and basic respect.... You did a good thing in writing about the Palestinian kids with compassion, realizing that this situation simply is not fair- or right.
These kids chose to play sports and they worked hard, they trained to be the best team they could be under very difficult circumstances: They deserve our support and compassion.
Miami Herald online commetns 8-24-2007
The Gaza dilemma
http://pod01.prospero.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?msg=5236.1&nav=messages&webtag=kr-miamitm
| Yes indeed what to do about Hamas and the fact that the persecuted, impoverished and imprisoned people of Palestine, in total desperation and despair, have elected armed Islam to free them from Apartheid Israel's punitive stranglehold on land, life, liberty and real democracy with full and equal rights for all. A huge portion of Gaza's impoverished residents are Palestinian refugees who have long been denied their inalienable right to return to their original homes and lands. Zionist Israel's ideologues insist that allowing the Palestinian refugees to return would destroy Israel. Well then- so be it... Israeli racism really should be eradicated: If the only way Israel can continue to exist is by denying native non-Jewish Palestinians full freedom and rights in the land of their birth then good heavens get this mess over with as fast as you can- gently and with compassion and empathy, dismantle and disarm the blatant injustice and institutionalized bigotry that is Israel today. | |
| |
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Comment is Free- the Guardian
Regarding: The Propaganda Machine by Jonathan Cook
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jonathan_cook/2007/08/the_propaganda_machine.html
comment published online
Comment No. 773537
THANK YOU Jonathan Cook !You have done an excellent job introducing the subject of Zionist propaganda. May there be many more conversations and explorations of the topic- and what a negative effect Zionist ideologues have had on freedom and democracy here, there and everywhere.
I was poking around more than one of the pro-Israel web sites yesterday, information centers geared for American readers. Studying their well organized polished spin on various "anti-Israel" groups and it becomes very clear to me that that many media savvy "pro-Israel" groups and individuals really are mainly interested in vilifying the Palestinians individually and collectively. Zionists systematically frame the story in order to build a case that demonizes those who support Palestinian rights- basic human rights and freedom. I can not imagine how much time and effort went into carefully culling details and organizing chosen tidbits (while ignoring the larger picture) to build a case against individuals and groups that dare speak out to explain the very real plight and pain of the persecuted and oppressed Palestinians.
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Houston Chronicle 8-22-2007
RE: It is up to the Palestinians
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/5073064.html
comment left on line
| | AnneSeldenAnnab wrote: What a shame that your letter writer (Judi Adler) simply can not see how cruel- and brutal- Israeli bigotry and Apartheid have been all along. The people of historic Palestine are belittled and demonized no matter what they do or don't do.... It is tragic that any American would join the agents for a very foreign country with its disastrously dangerous ideology in trying to bully and force the persecuted, impoverished and imprisoned Palestinians into signing on the dotted line to endorse an increasingly toxic situation whereby Hasbara efforts empower political Zionism and the Israel Industry with its continued war on the native non-Jewish Palestinians. In becoming a more real democracy, we wisely condemned institutionalized bigotry and formally ended government imposed segregation years ago here: Time to end it in our foreign policy too... Start by divesting emotionally and financially from the heavily armed manipulative delusion that has been misnamed "The Jewish State". Invest in a fully free Palestine instead, a place and a dream where all people are free and equal, and all refugees can return to their real homes and hope for a better life, and a better world- regardless of anyone's perceived race or religion. 8/22/2007 5:24:33 AM |
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Washington Post 8-22-2007
Regarding: Another Test in Iraq: Our Aid to Refugees
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101419.html
comment published online:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101419_Comments.html
The current Iraqi refugee crisis comes in on top of the longest running refugee crisis in the world today, as the people of historic Palestine have endured 60 painful years of forced exile and insult with one very racist Israel continuing to push more and more Palestinians into poverty, exile and despair.
Immediate aid to all refugees and the host countries trying to deal with this escalating crisis is crucial, as is opening our own doors for those who might want to find security and hope here in America- but even more important is sending the message that civilization itself values homes and families- and the rule of fair and just laws including international laws that already clearly spell out the fact that all people have the inalienable right to return to original homes and lands.
Start peace in the Middle East by fully respecting the Palestinian refugees inalienable right to return ASAP, to help rebuild a better Holy Land and beacon of hope for all people, a better nation where all people are valued and protected, regardless of race, color or creed.
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Baltimore Sun 8-22-207
Regarding: Arming Israel lessens nuclear danger
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.israel22aug22,0,7220707.story
comment published online
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/baltimore-sun/TDER5KKSBIPBS61SP
By arming and funding Israel as an Apartheid nation of privileged immigrants that freely persecute and impoverish the native non-Jewish Palestinians, we make sure that segregation and more forced transfer- and war- is the wave of the future everywhere.
By arming and funding Israeli crimes against the people of historic Palestine we pollute all religion, and we betray the very ideals that made America a great nation once upon a time.
Anne Selden Annab
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Washington Post 8-20-2007
Regarding: Checklist for a Peace Pact By Ephraim Sneh
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/19/AR2007081901109.html
comment i just left online
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/19/AR2007081901109_Comments.html
For everyone's sake the highest priority should be full respect for the basic human rights including but not limited to the Palestinian refugees sacred and secular right to return- true freedom and true return, not more forced transfer.
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The Evening Bulletin
http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=18708330&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=6Joseph Puder with his article "The Moral Conundrum Over Palestine" (Aug. 9) is way off base and totally out of touch with reality.
The Palestinian refugees have every legal and moral right to return to their original homes and lands. And after 60 sovereign years of racist Israeli rule, political Zionism seriously needs to be shelved. It's been a disaster because it is primarily an investment in institutionalized bigotry and armed religion. What a mess it has made of the Holy Land.
ANNE SELDEN ANNAB
Mechanicsburg
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Economist online letters
letter by Yakov M Rabkin
http://www.economist.com/blogs/theinbox/2007/08/the_onestate_option_july_21st.cfm#list-comments
SIR –
Yakov M Rabkin's excellent letter on The One-State Option really should be headlined in all our mainstream newspapers... Personally I don't think any religion should be armed with lethal weaponry to 'defend' itself. Rather than investing in Apartheid brutality with heavily armed Jewish Jihad let political Zionism reinvent itself to become a better way to help heal the many wounds caused by racist Israel: Let Israel go back to the spiritual realm and help the Palestinian refugees return to full and equal rights in the land of their birth.
Posted by anne selden annab at August 9, 2007 12:49 PM
Israeli, Palestinian Leaders Meet
Olmert and Abbas Meet on Palestinian Territory for the First Time
http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/WireStory?id=3450547&page=4The fate of the Palestinian refugees was already been decided long ago, and officially outlined in 1948 and many times since- full respect for basic human rights including the sacred and secular right to return to original homes and lands. Full and equal rights in the land of their birth- its the civilized thing to do...and would go a long way towards making right the many wrongs Apartheid Israel has inflicted on on the people of historic Palestine
