Common Grounds

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• Opinion // My Parents Founded a Settlement, Now Trump Could Make Their Dream Come True

  
  March 13, 2017 15:17

  Source: Haaretz

  http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.776450

  Mar 12, 2017 4:37 AM

   

  By Yair Svorai

   

  The expansion of Jewish settlements has followed a consistent pattern for about 100 years – the replacement of Palestinians by Jews. The new U.S. president provides a historical opportunity to accelerate the process.

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• Open Letter to Theresa May: On 100th anniversary of Balfour Declaration recognize an independent Palestinian state

  
  March 29, 2017 16:48

  Source: Mondoweiss

  March 22, 2017

  http://mondoweiss.net/2017/03/anniversary-declaration-independent/

   

  By: Rev. Dr. Alex Awad

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• Will EU take the lead on two-state solution?

  
  April 03, 2017 15:29

  Source: Al-Monitor

  http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/03/israel-eu-palestine-two-state-solution-trump-middle-east.html

   

  By: Uri Savir

   

  The EU leadership both at headquarters and in its main member states have become disillusioned with US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. After Trump’s March 17 meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s Feb. 9 meeting with Federica Mogherini, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, it is clear to both Berlin and Brussels that on the main international agenda issues, the EU will have to develop an independent foreign policy. As an independent policy, it will not depend on US approval, but only on coordination with Washington. A senior EU official close to Mogherini told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that while the EU still sees the United States as the leader of the Western world, it is concerned about America’s growing isolationism and significant policy differences on key issues such as Russia, climate change, free trade and the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

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• The Price of Fear, the Price of Dictatorship ثمن الخوف، ثمن الديكتاتوريه يدفعها العرب الان

  
  March 13, 2017 14:42

  By: Sami Jamil Jadallah, JD

  Founder and Executive Director

  New Arab Foundation

       

  Mr. Sami Jamil Jadallah is a Palestinian-American immigrant with over 50 years in the US and is a Veteran of the US Army where he received leadership award.

  Sami attended Indiana University where he earned his BA, MPA/School of Public and Environmental Affairs and Doctor of Jurisprudence.

  After a two-year stint with a major Wall Street law firm, Sami and for the last 35 years served as international legal and business consultants with clients from the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and the US.

   

  I grew up when there were curfews that lasted for days, when listening to the wrong radio station can land you in jail, when a stupid illiterate “security/mukhabarat” can haul you to jail for no reason. I remember when and have seen "gendarmerie" on horses raiding villages, breaking into homes; mixing rice, oil, lentil and flour in the middle of the floor.

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• Addressing growing needs of Palestinian women and children in Gaza: Need for moral Diplomacy

  
  April 11, 2017 20:36

  By Anant Mishra

   

  Anant Mishra is a Former Youth Representative to the United Nations. He has extensively served in the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly along with the Economic and Social Council. He is also a visiting faculty for many prominent universities and delivers lectures on conflict management, foreign policy and non proliferation subjects.

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• Israeli Practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid

  
  March 21, 2017 17:51

  Submitted by Under Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr. Rima Khalaf

   

  Palestine and the Israeli Occupation, Issue No. 1

  Executive Summary

   

  This report concludes that Israel has established an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole. Aware of the seriousness of this allegation, the authors of the report conclude that available evidence establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that Israel is guilty of policies and practices that constitute the crime of apartheid as legally defined in instruments of international law.

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• Palestinian, Jewish Voices Must Jointly Challenge Israel’s Past

  
  May 01, 2017 13:41

  Source: Foreign Policy Journal

   

  By Ramzy Baroud

  Published April 26, 2017

  https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2017/04/26/palestinian-jewish-voices-must-jointly-challenge-israels-past

   

  Fortunately, the Palestinian voices that have fought against the official Israeli narrative are now joined by a growing number of Jewish voices.

  
  Israel has resorted to three main strategies to suppress Palestinian calls for justice and human rights, including the Right of Return for refugees.

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• The Biblical Abraham is key …

  
  April 28, 2017 11:22

  By Abraham van Kempen

   

  When will the people in Israel – Palestine greet each other with: “Welcome home”?

   

  What if, in the beginning, the Jews entered the ‘Land’ with humility, recognising and honouring the indigenous people of Palestine, like the Biblical Abraham? We cannot turn the clock back. But we can move toward a better tomorrow. There are good people. There are bad people. Good people on all sides can learn to get along. Bad people can’t. Of course, the good can become bad and vice versa because we all have the good, bad and ugly within us. Which we choose defines who we are. Right now, and for too long, the bad people in the region hijack the good people, a minority tyrannising the (silent) majority. Most people – the majority – in the Region want peace. But it is fear that keeps them apart.

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• Guess which of these human rights Israel guarantees to Palestinians

  
  May 16, 2017 15:10

  Source: +972 Magazine

   

  By Fady Khoury

  Published April 29, 2017

  https://972mag.com/guess-which-of-these-human-rights-israel-guarantees-to-palestinians/126987/

   

  Everyone on Facebook is playing a game where they post nine concerts they’ve been to and one they haven’t. The idea is your friends have to guess which band you haven’t seen.

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• 5 Reasons Why I’m A Christian Who Stopped Supporting Israel

  
  May 18, 2017 12:05

  Source: Patheon

  The official blog of Benjamin L. Corey 

   

  By Benjamin L. Corey 

  Published November 5, 2015

  http://www.patheos.com/blogs/formerlyfundie/5-reasons-why-im-a-christian-who-stopped-supporting-israel/

   

  Growing up conservative Evangelical, we loved Israel as much as we loved America– probably even more.

   

  And why not, right?

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