President Obama told world leaders and diplomats of the United Nations that there was no shortcut to ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and that the US would not support a bid for recognition of a Palestinian state in the United Nations. This is disappointing.
What position would leaders like Eleanor Roosevelt or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have taken if they were part of the UN General Assembly this week? They worked for peace and dignity for all people. They stood by the disadvantaged. They would have stood up at the UN and affirmed the rights and responsibilities of citizens of the world.
They would have demanded peace and prosperity, liberty and justice, for all people, including the Palestinian and Israeli people. They would have stood brave and strong, firm in their principles. They would not have given in to power, influence, and money, and set aside what they know in their hearts to be right so that the status quo can remain. They would not have been afraid to do what is right.
What is right is to grant statehood to the Palestinian people. For more than 20 years, the U.S. has tried to broker peace. Our efforts have failed. Palestinian statehood would bring Israel back to the negotiating table. The long-term interests, security needs and values of both the U.S. and Israel are best served by negotiating a peace deal, now. For the American people, who believe firmly in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, to see those values upheld for one people and denied to another is an affront to those core beliefs.
It is essential that Israel end its settlement campaign and reign in the extremists in their midst. Jewish people in both the U.S. and Israel need to open their eyes to the dehumanization and race hatred that is part of the settlement movement. In the U.S., we made great strides to eliminate racism and learned to live together. We did not do it by condoning the Ku Klux Klan and lynch mobs. We did it through condemning hatred, integrating our schools and living together. Peace is possible, but not through Zionist isolationism and land grabs. As President Obama said regarding Libya, the international community can achieve much when we “stand together as one.” Rather than discourage Palestinian unification and statehood, the U.S. and Israel should embrace this opportunity and work toward a peace agreement.
— Allison Anderson, Arlington Heights
