comment i posted online regarding Palestinian Christian leader calls for American support
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/NEWS05/80703036/1007/NEWS
7/3/2008 8:24:03 PM
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Rogue nation
What a shame that syndicated columnist Thomas Friedman uses his obvious talent and podium (June 13) to empower Zionism and the rogue nation known as Israel, the country that has intentionally and extensively oppressed, impoverished and displaced the men, women and children of historic Palestine.
Manmade Israel, with its apartheid laws and walls, is the very nemesis of all that America is supposed to be. Buffett and Friedman could be and should be investing in and believing in America and our ideals of real freedom, justice and equality.
And what about American jobs? What about America's future ? Friedman might as well have written a column encouraging the U.S. to send our economic stimulus checks straight to Israel. Where will America be in another 20 years, as its wealthiest businessmen and popular columnists (plus many a myopic religious leader) betray America in order to idolize a very foreign country?
-- ANNE SELDEN ANNAB, Hampden Twp.
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Houston Chronicle
LETTERSDebating Israel, U.S. policy
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/5839458.html
An obvious bad idea
Great to see professor of law George Bisharat pop up in the Chronicle's pages. As usual, he tackles a crucially important and difficult topic, and he deals with it better than any others I have seen.
While our politicians across the board foolishly pander to the Israel lobby, it becomes more and more obvious that Israel itself is a bad idea.
While halting Israel's illegal settlements is a good first step — as is dismantling them — halting half the occupation won't halt the hate festering in the hearts of generously subsidized Israeli settlers trained to believe they have a right and a duty to treat Palestinians horribly.
ANNE SELDEN ANNAB
Mechanicsburg, Penn.
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Letters to the Editor
from the June 10, 2008 edition
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0610/p08s03-cole.html
Would a unified Israeli-Palestinian state work?
Simply respecting basic human rights would go a long way toward creating a just and lasting peace in that very troubled region. And it has to start with the people.
Anne Selden Annab
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Pessimism over prospects for fair and just peace in the Middle East
http://www.alarabiya.net/views/2008/06/08/51168.html
Sami- I like your comment- and several other comments here. The guy responding to your comment uses all CAPS and is clearly an idiot- a rude idiot- an imbecile. How is one supposed to respond to someone who starts by saying "WHAT IS WRONG WITH ARABS IS THAT THEY ARE ...VERY DIS-LIKABLE." ??!! That writer is clearly a nasty bigot - and is not worth the waste of time it takes to read his comment beyond that first stupid line.... Let him wallow alone in his nasty thoughts- no need to waste even a minute worrying about him as his obvious goal in life is to spread hate.
annie
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New York Daily News
6-8-2008
letters
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/06/08/2008-06-08_voice_of_the_people_for_june_8_2008.html?page=1
Israel and the Arabs
Mechanicsburg, Pa.: The snide letter by Voicer Michelle Wudowsky insulting the teenage Palestinian-American letter writer is not merely rude, it is wrong. Israel's barbaric brutality toward native non-Jewish men, women and children of historic Palestine is well-documented.
Anne Selden Annab**************************************************
RE: No refuge from responsibility,Attacks on Unrwa are disingenuous and serve only to absolve Israel of culpability for the squalor and limbo in which Palestinians exist by Seth Freedman
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2008/05/no_refuge_from_responsibility.html
Comment No. 1386684
USA
Thank you Seth for tackling this crucial topic, and handling it so well. The way I see it is its all part of the Golden Rule- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Respecting basic human rights (including but not limited to every refugees' inalienable legal, moral and natural right to return) is crucial for everyone's sake.
60 years ago our governments signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for good reasons- now there is a new initiative for people to read and sign it too:
"2008 is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60th anniversary. It's time for a global conversation about human rights and the values that unite us as one human family. But it can also be a time when each of us chooses to take human rights into our daily lives..." Every Human Has Rights http://www.everyhumanhasrights.org/
I don't know if you have seen the inspiring pledge- but you certainly are living it by writing so honestly and beautifully on the subject of UNWRA and doing what you can to try to stop the hate mongering and the misinformation being generated by some very misguided zealots.
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RE: Historical perspective, May 24th responses, inbox 5-29-8
http://www.economist.com/blogs/theinbox/2008/05/historical_perspective_may_24t.cfm#list-comments
comments posted online
The basic human rights "of Jews" are the exact same as the basic human rights of "non-Jews" - that is the whole point: It is wrong to have double standards granting privileges, freedoms and respect for some people but not for "others" based on religion or race...etc... UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS: Jews are human- that should not have to be explained- or do you have your doubts ? If so please seriously consult with a Rabbi, Priest, or Imam, depending on who you feel most comfortable consulting.
An interesting fact: reported today on the wire services: Bahrain has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Do you think that is bigotry- if so why did Bahrain just name a Jewish woman as ambassador to US ? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080529/ap_on_re_mi_ea/bahrain_jewish_ambassador_1
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LA Times online May 16th
George E. Bisharat debates Judea Pearl online in the LA Times
my comment posted on online comment section
Should the U.S. help broker peace?
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oew-du15may15,0,7128501.graffitiboard
9. Really great to see these difficult questions tackled head on in this fascinating online debate... Looks to me like it already is one state, with a Jews-preferred Israel controlling who gets public funds, positive PR, jobs and security and who gets kicked to the curb. What is bad now will only be worse tomorrow. Pearl worries about 'the dangers those Jews might face". Surely that danger grows exponentially the longer Israel itself violates the Palestinians' basic human rights!
Israel, starting from scratch
11. The proof is in the pudding as they say: I do not have the urge to dig up and quote obscure Zionist papers, but I can simply see what is now as the internet helps Palestinians publicize their perspectives. I like reading Bisharat. Some of his comments are AMAZING- and very thought provoking, such as the fact that "Zionist - and later Israeli- leaders have been careful to admit only what political traffic would bear". Facts on the ground, including the settlement projects on both sides of that ugly Israeli-made Apartheid-security wall, plus the ongoing Palestinian refugee crisis prove Bisharat's point.
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Letters to the Editor
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/letters/bal-ed.le.letters184may18,0,2415931.story
Palestinians still have right to return
It was good to see Alice Rothchild's column "The other side of Israel's birth" (May 14), with its focus on the Nakba created by Israel - the dispossession and expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians living in what was to become Israel, and Israel's subsequent refusal to respect the Palestinian refugees' right of return.
As she notes, yes, it is "time to acknowledge that other anniversary and to move forward with eyes and hearts open to the suffering of all the children of Abraham."
However I am deeply concerned that - rather than simply respecting basic human rights (which include but are not limited to the Palestinian refugees' inalienable legal, moral and natural right of return to their homeland) - there is a bit of a sleight of hand here with regard to what Ms. Rothchild calls "creative solutions - from resettlement to financial compensation."
Sixty years ago, return or compensation for lost property was a formula that made immediate sense - but 60 years later, with even more Palestinians impoverished and pushed out into forced exile by a Jews-preferred Israel, return and compensation is the only way to right this terrible wrong.
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
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Washington Post online
5-13-2008
RE: Bush's Legacy on Israel Debated on Eve of Visit
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051202957.html
comment i posted online http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051202957_Comments.html
Israel is responsible for its own crimes- and its own sovereign self, its own bad choices and its own duty to make right by the many people wronged by Zionist crimes.
What Bush and any other US President does or does not do has always been adeptly used by the misnamed Jewish State to excuse and empower racist Israel's cruel persecution, oppression, dispossession and displacement of the people of historic Palestine.
>From left to right, no doubt about it, Zionist Israel is (and has been) institutionalized bigotry and injustice, some is just more obviously abhorrent than others. It could have been anything in 1948, but it chose to treat the people of Palestine horribly... and things have only gone from bad to worse.
Zionist terror and bigotry created and continues to exasperate the largest longest running refugee crisis in the world today. Flagrantly violating international law and the Palestinians' basic human rights, Israel expects its neighbors to 'absorb' the people of historic Palestine, and it expects the Palestinians to simply be polite about this despicable situation.
We have to assume that on this current trajectory, given more time, Israel will eventually expect Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and/or Egypt's neighbors to 'absorb' the people that Almighty Apartheid Israel does not want around for what ever reason. Abusing the idea of 'security' Zionist choices have already been making life very very insecure for everyone in the region, with world wide consequences:
After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Israeli propagandists quickly stepped up to spin everything to their advantage- ever eager to usurp American money and sympathy for a country that is actually the antithesis of American ideals of freedom, justice, and equality for ALL.
Perhaps the ultimate legacy of the Bush administration will be an increasing awareness that no one should make peace with The Israel Industry and its blatantly racist war on the people of historic Palestine, a war that has been undermining American democracy in many ways:
It certainly would be nice to have an American election free from a foreign country's interference, as right now all candidates are very much bullied and bribed into idolizing Israel so they can get elected.
It would also be nice not to have to deal with the pervasive nastiness, hate mongering, divisivenesses, religious extremism and wars inspired by "Israel". 60 years of this man made mess have been bad enough- imagine another sixty more?!
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General view of Nablus (Matson collection: before 1920)| By Anne Selden Annab Following the lead of many others, in "Sinkable Israel," Ayman El-Amir writing for Al-Ahram(1) compared the plight of the Palestinians to that of the Native Americans... Sinkable Israel, would sink much faster if Arab writers realized that they undermine their own arguments by trying to equate the devastation of early Native American communities to modern Israel's barbarically modern and intentional ethnic cleansing of historic Palestine. Zionist propaganda makes Israel float. Zionists want Americans to believe that "Israel" is a worthy and a necessary investment. You don't need to convince Arabs (or Muslims) that racist Israel is wrong- you need to convince all the taxpayers and charities in the West, especially Americans, that Israel is really is a rogue nation in long term and flagrant violation of international law and the Palestinians basic human rights. Early America was not at all like Palestine. First and most obviously, Palestine was not an isolated island totally untouched by the influence of long established trade routes as well as various alphabets and manuscripts- book learning. Palestine was a well known place, with known written history as well as many stone buildings including ancient (or at least old) churches, mosques, synagogues, schools, businesses as well as permanent homes (2). Palestine, just like America one hundred years ago, had both urban as well as rural communities. When Zionists began to invade Palestine, the people of Palestine had the ability to read and write (primarily in Arabic), they had books and they knew all about paper, glass, metal and other such crafts that help enhance the quality of life in many ways, as well as the rule of law. Palestinians had door keys, whereas in Early America, there were no door keys, nor were there land deeds- in fact there were not even horses. Horses were introduced by Spanish settlers in the sixteenth century, very much revolutionizing travel, trade, hunting and tribal warfare. Gallop up to 1776 and the official founding of the USA with our Declaration of Independence and the emergence of our Constitution with our Bill of Rights: Think about the very real potential for real freedom, equality, and prosperity for all people, including those now known as Native Americans, that was able to eventually emerge from "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America..." (3) When the USA was first founded, women had no vote, nor did blacks or Native Americans. Those really were primitive times- worldwide. However our basic laws and ideals have enabled women, blacks and native Americans to gain legal rights, freedoms, economic opportunities, respect and relative security, whereas racist Israel's basic laws and policies ensure that the people of historic Palestine will continue to be harassed, oppressed, demonized and displaced in a continuing Nakba that has already targeted and destroyed countless Palestinian men, women and children, because they have been deemed the 'wrong' religion by the misnamed "Jewish State" that has been dividing and destroying historic Palestine for the past 60 years. The rule of fair and just laws is a good foundation for any nation: The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 (4) gave United States citizenship to Native Americans, while halfway around the world, the ink was still relatively fresh on Balfour's formal endorsement of early Zionism on the condition that "nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine"(5). Was Balfour aware that the father of modern Zionism, Theodor Hertzl, clearly encouraged some rather underhanded tactics based on bigotry that remain the basic philosophy of the misnamed "Jewish State" today? Tactics that clearly prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine. "In his diaries, Herzl made it clear that “the existing landed property was to be gently expropriated, any subsequent resale to the original owners was prohibited, and all immovables had to remain in exclusively Jewish hands. The poor population was to be worked across the frontier ‘unbemerkt’ (surreptitiously)… This population was to be refused all employment in the land of its birth… In 1901, the 5th Zionist Congress founded the Jewish National Fund. According to the by-laws of the JNF, acquired land became inalienable Jewish property and could no longer be sold or leased to non-Jews...”(6) Never ever forget that when Israel declared itself a sovereign state in 1948, Native Americans legally had full and equal rights in America, plus tribal rights. Time lines are important to keep in mind. In equating the two very different tragedies in hopes of gaining American sympathy for the Palestinian cause, you actually prevent Americans from more fully understanding the escalating catastrophe that has been created by modern "Israel." Never ever forget that in today's world, unlike even 100 years ago, we now have international law and known words coined to firmly condemn genocide. We also have the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from 1948 (7) which clearly states in Article 1:
This year, this month of May, as our gardens bloom with spring flowers, this year is the 60th Year of Al-Nakba and Struggle to Return: Palestine 60 Years of Forced Exile (8). It is Time For Return (9). It is logical--it is legal--it is moral--it is right. Notes: (1) El-Amir, Ayman. "Sinkable Israel." http://weekly. ahram.org. eg/2008/895/ op2.htm |
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Baltimore Sun
4-28-2008
Comment posted online regarding: The Palestinians' melancholy anniversary :Israel's birthday reminds exiles of their lost homes
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/baltimore-sun/T7GL4KI9SP55134FG#lastPost
I am immensely grateful and relieved to see the telling story " The Palestinians' melancholy anniversary : Israel's birthday reminds exiles of their lost homes". The more that America knows and understands about the very real plight of the native non-Jewish Palestinians the less likely public and private funds (and lethal weaponry) will be sent to sustain and defend the institutionalized bigotry, injustice and escalating brutality of the Jews-preferred Israel Industry:
The Nakba of 1948 is an ongoing catastrophe, and with the internet we are now able to see what is really going on: Palestinians continue to be harassed, oppressed and intentionally displaced by Zionist laws and polices.
Pre-1948 photos of Palestine show a very civilized country with a wide mix of people, with some dressed in charming traditional costumes that varied from village to village, as well as many people wearing what we would call modern Western dress. Palestine was not "a land with out a people for a people with out a land" as early Zionists liked to claim. And more importantly international law made it quite clear in 1948 that the Palestinian refugees have an inalienable legal and natural right to return to original homes and lands.
18,147 Palestinian homes have been demolished by Israel since 1967 (http://www.ifamericansknew.org/ ), which is a continuation of the original Nakba of 1948 when "Jewish forces depopulated more than 450 Palestinian towns and villages, most of which were demolished." (http://imeu.net/news/article008085.shtml )
The nation called "Israel" has not made a safe haven for anyone, plus it inspires anti-Semitism worldwide as well as the rise of Islamic resistance: This is not a good year for any one to celebrate Israel for well documented Zionist crimes against the native non-Jewish men, women and children of historic Palestine (both Christian and Muslim) continue unchecked, generously funded actually by American taxpayers who are being forced to finance and empower this misguided Jewish variation of "church and state".
And tragically for all, odds are that next year Apartheid Israel's crimes will only be more monstrous.... Perhaps, I hope, one day we the people of the world will look back and be able to say with compassion that Israel's greatest gift to the Middle East was convincing ALL people that it really is a very bad idea to arm any religion with lethal weaponry.
Anne Selden Annab
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Economist
4-25-2008
RE: Matthew Pflaum's perfect gem of a letter on Israel
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11082004
comment i posted online in the comment forum:
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11082004&mode=comment&intent=readBottom
I really liked Matthew Pflaum's perfect gem of a letter on Israel- so little says so very very much, and as they say 'silence is complicity'... It is obvious to any one who seriously studies the situation that the crisis in Gaza is not simply a matter of Israel intentionally caging Palestinians in like animals- the real crime that makes all else possible is the fact that the vast majority of Palestinian men, women and children, including those currently trapped and being tormented in the open air prison camp called Gaza, are persecuted, impoverished and displaced Palestinian refugees long denied their legal and moral right to return to original homes and lands.
WASHINGTON POST
4-20-2008
RE: Was 'Excluded' the Wrong Word?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/18/AR2008041802706.html
comment i posted online in the comment section:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/18/AR2008041802706_Comments.html
The Palestinian refugees' legal and moral right to return to original homes and lands as clearly affirmed by international law since "Israel" came to be, is constantly excluded from the conversation in many ways as Zionist ideologues seek to dismiss and ignore the Palestinians' basic human rights on both sides of that hideous Israeli-made Apartheid-security wall... all else, including that divisive land and rights grabbing wall as well as the abject ugliness of the occupation really is derivative.
I do like that Howell bothered to contact and quote Palestinians, such as Hassan Jabareen, executive director of Adalah, a legal center for Arab minority rights in Israel. That is a good step in the right direction- but the most important step for everyone's sake is for Americans to realize how important it is to understand the very real plight of the Palestinians as well as the vital importance of FULLY respecting the Palestinian refugees very real right of return.
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MIAMI HERALD
4-18-2008
comment i just left online...
RE: `Children deserve to grow up in peace' by RANIA AL ABDULLAH
http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/500525.html
http://pod01.prospero.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?msg=41786&nav=messages&webtag=kr-miamitm
Thrilled, delighted and relieved to see this revealing article concerning Palestinian children by Rania Abdullah `Children deserve to grow up in peace' - for it is true and compassionate, and if anything it is far too gentle and polite considering all that the children of Palestine have had to suffer through. I admire her for being able to speak calmly and rationally in the face of this ongoing fiasco. Apartheid Israel's punitive siege and stranglehold on the people of historic Palestine should have ended long ago. Instead it only gets worse as well as more obviously bigoted and cruel and divisive as decade by decade the misnamed Jewish State finds ways to displace, imprison, segregate and destroy the native non-Jewish population of the Holy Land. And FYI Frida Ghitis is wrong to assert that "Hamas can end Palestinian suffering", for HAMAS did not create this situation, they are only a relatively recent reaction to it. The only solution to the mess in the Middle East is to recognize the fact that the vast majority of Palestinians are refugees pushed into forced exile and despair- and, as clearly affirmed by UN Resolution 194 from 1948, the Palestinian refugees have always had a legal and a moral right to return to original homes and lands... and always will. | |
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Houston Chronicle
Comment I left online regarding
POETRY: Healing verse, Palestinian-American doctor turns suffering into song, wins top U.S. prize
What a joy and a pleasure to see "POETRY Healing verse Palestinian-American doctor turns suffering into song, wins top U.S. prize" !
More and more, through the years, I have come to know and love Palestine- its people and its poetry- its truth. I very much look forward to buying Fady Joudah's book of poems when it hits the book stores this week... Spring is a wonderful time to celebrate poetry- and Palestine.
And anytime soon please, is a good time to start seriously respecting UN Resolution 194 from 1948- the Palestinian refugees very real right to return to original homes and lands.
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Detroit Free Press
3-24-2008
comment i just left online regarding
Israeli ideals don't match the reality
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080324/OPINION04/803240306/1072In your voice
3/24/2008 7:36:45 AM
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WASHINGTON TIMES
March 6 2008
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080306/EDITORIAL/108130116/1013/EDITORIAL
Letters to the Editor
Demographic panic
If indeed the numbers of Palestinians are terribly inflated ("Israeli-Palestinian demographics," Letters, yesterday) why is Israel so obsessed with oppressing and permanently displacing the people of historic Palestine? Why the perpetual panic about demographics?
More important, denying full and equal rights to one or several million oppressed and displaced people is wrong.
Every child should count and be valued by the powers that be. Members of every heritage, every religion and every family should be safe in their homes. Every child and every family should be able simply to be unmolested by racist laws and walls.
ANNE SELDEN ANNAB
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
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online comments
Refugees share their stories
http://www.thelantern.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticleComments&ustory_id=0db1a42d-e4ba-4369-86be-3d327fd802fb#1cc6776e-92b6-4d9c-89b0-94165dd51bdaAnne Selden Annab
posted 2/27/08 @ 11:53 AM EST
In particular I was relieved to see that a Palestinian had been included- and quoted at length concerning his family's long wait for their right to return to be respected. A basic human right by the way that has been clearly and irreversibly affirmed by international law all along.
Intrigued by his story about his grandfather, I very much hope that when Rami Arafah graduates he continues to find places and ways to honor and remember Palestine-and the Right of Return- and his family's story.
Anyway- thanks for publishing this well written and informative column!
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ChicagoTribune Online letters
Comment forums reveal beauty of debate
I very much agree with letter writer Forest Ormes' disgust with nasty responses in comment forums; however, for democracy's sake, I think that we should more fear the conversation being stifled and stopped by the good intentions of reasonable folks who are concerned about the nastiness that erupts in many comment forums.Surely a person educated enough to read can sort through various comments and skip over those that are obviously cruel or crazy. Sometimes precious gems pop up in unexpected places and a quick scan of comments in an open discussion can disclose important moods and thoughts that can be more revealing than carefully edited responses tend to show.
Yes, we are all accountable for our words, as well as our actions. We are also able to shun the more despicably rude troublemakers who want to poison and stop the conversation. We can also freely chose to walk away whenever we want, finding greener pastures for grazing. That is the true beauty of open debate.
--Anne Selden Annab
Mechanicsburg, Penn.
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I Have a Dream
Posted by Scott MacLeodJanuary 25, 2008 5:48
http://time-blog.com/middle_east/2008/01/i_have_a_dream.htmlPosted by Anne Selden Annab
January 27, 2008
THRILLED with every inspiring word written by Scott MacLeod in his very modern and highly relevant "I have a dream"!
Very glad too to see Time Magazine helping create a more reasonable and intelligent dialogue by featuring these Middle East blogs, and providing a forum for comments....I might not agree with all they say at times- but I always find food for thought. One thing I have noticed is that Zionists really do tend to hate monger- and I do not like hate.
It is great to see the uplifting response by Nancy Harb Almendras saying "Thank you, Scott. This is a beautiful post and as a Palestinian-American, I am grateful." which includes a link to her own beautiful blog which really is well worth reading and thinking about. The more I listen and the more I research, the more I like the idea of a just and lasting peace for the children of historic Palestine.
THE DAILY STAR
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/letters.asp?edition_id=10
Reader's Feedback Published on 26/01/2008
Rami G. Khouri
"Stalemate in Palestine after 60 years"
January 19, 2008
This is a perfect headline, and its amazing how headlining a few choice words can express so much. Communication really is the key to getting the message across and convincing people to care. I wish there were more columnists able to write honestly and compassionately about Palestine.
I think you are very right about the stalemate created by the violence between Israel and Palestine, as well as the fact that Israel will not be able to crush Palestinian resistance. However, the picture is much wider than what happens on the ground within the perimeters of what was once historic Palestine.
Apartheid Israel's real strength is in its ability to gather support and funds worldwide. Zionists really are quite good at PR and propaganda, knowing how to speak as well as who to speak to, thus ensuring that outside support sustains Zionist conquest through thick and thin.
Meanwhile, Palestinians, trapped and tormented by racist Israeli laws and walls and constantly forced to contend with the ugly reality of Israel, become more and more furious and frustrated that the justness of their cause is not immediately apparent to the Western world.
Many then foolishly cater their side of the conversation to appeal to a sympathetic radical fringe, rather than realizing that the radicalization of the conversation only alienates mainstream outsiders - in particular mainstream America - ensuring that Zionist fundraisers will continue to own and manipulate the conversation to their advantage.
In light of that, I like how you end your article, stressing the importance of negotiations based on respecting international law. It is so simple, and so right, as is full respect for the Palestinians refugees' inalienable right of return to their original homes and lands as clearly affirmed by UN Resolution 194 in 1948.
Anne Selden AnnabPennsylvania, USA
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CONGRESS.ORG
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?id=20004&letter_id=1677351641
Subject: BREAK THE SILENCE ON GAZA!
To: President George Bush,
Connected by the internet and informed by the information age, on the eve of the day we are to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.- and a more real democracy with full and equal rights for all, I am utterly horrified to know of the sorrow and suffering in all of Palestine so cruelly besieged by racist Israeli rule- in particular the prisoners of Gaza; the men, women and children trapped in the world's largest open air prison camp, and being bombed by the Jewish State because racist Israel wants all Palestinians either silenced or gone.
In the spirit of all that I know of American laws and ideals I firmly and formally object to my tax dollars supporting the Jewish State and its state sponsored terrorism- its blatantly racist war on the people of historic Palestine. I know that life is not fair- but at least we can try to be fair in all our dealings- and we must denounce injustice where ever it might be found. Right now it is found everywhere that our well funded, heavily armed, nefarious 'friend' Israel can reach... Racist Israel's reach is strangling and intentionally destroying the men women and children of historic Palestine.
Please stop idolizing the Jewish State with our hard earned tax dollars! Please stop investing in the institutionalized bigotry and Apartheid that is Israel today.
Please help the harshly oppressed and persecuted people of historic Palestine, including the many Palestinian men, women and children so cruelly imprisoned in Gaza. Please help free ALL the people of historic Palestine by supporting full respect for basic human rights, including the right to leave- and the right to return.
FREEDOM & RETURN: A Rights Based Solution to building a just and lasting peace in the Middle East ... Not just the return (al-awda) of the refugees, but also a return to the rule of law and respect for human rights: For more than five decades Palestinian refugees and internally displaced have struggled for a solution to their plight based on UN resolutions and international law, including the right to voluntarily return to their homes and lands of origin from which they were displaced/expelled during wars in 1948 and 1967 and due to other Israeli policies of forced eviction, deportation, etc....
The Palestinian refugees' right to return to original homes and lands really is legal- and really is right: Al-Awda FACT SHEET: The Right To Return, a Basic Right Still Denied
Please do not look away as so many did during the Nazi Holocaust- please step up to denounce the institutionalized bigotry, injustice and pervasive violence of the Jewish State.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
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RE: Middle East Triangle By Hussein Agha and Robert Malley (Washington Post)
http://www.washingt
comment published online http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/16/AR2008011603442_Comments.html
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RE: Bush's "New Middle East" Time Magazine Blog (online comment)
http://time-blog.com/middle_east/2008/01/bushs_new_middle_east.html
Posted by Anne Selden Annab
January 14, 2008
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1-14-2008
USA Today online comment published regarding
Middle East peacemaking requires steady mediation
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/01/middle-east-pea.html#moreIn 1948 UN Resolution 194 phrased it as "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 or 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" http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/decade/decad17 1.htm
60 years later with Israel intentionally and systematically displacing even more Palestinian men, women and children all the while, true justice demands both return and compensation- otherwise we only reward and encourage Apartheid polices and genocidal campaigns worldwide.
anne selden annab wrote: