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July 24, 2007
From Salaheddin Mustafa
To the Editor
Re “Our Dream will
bring us to another Land” (Other Views, Abigail Leichman, July 13, 2007).
Abigail Leichman will
fulfill her dream of moving to the occupied West Bank, while the native
inhabitants can only look on longingly at their usurped lands. Their view also
comes through the scope of a brutal military occupation characterized by
ubiquitous checkpoints, massive barriers, and restrictions on all aspects
life. How is it fair that a person born thousands of miles away gains instant
citizenship, while those born on the land and can directly trace their ancestry
for centuries have virtually no rights.
Ms. Leichman will join
others thousands of others living in race- exclusive compounds connected by
roads that deliberately restrict and divide the movements of the native
population. While she can fulfill her dreams from thousands of miles away,
Palestinians can only have small dreams like figuring how their children can
navigate past the occupation soldiers to get to schools, or how fathers can find
ways to provide the basic necessities for their families.
I hope that upon
arrival she will take her Aunt’s words “Come live here and make it better” by
remembering our own nation’s core principles - that everyone is endowed by their
creator with certain inalienable rights and that they shall be afforded equal
treatment and opportunities to pursue their dreams. Maybe she will speak out
against continued land confiscations and house demolitions. Given her
experiences in our wonderful country she may even condemn ministers in the
Israeli government who advocate “transferring” all non-Jews, or when the mayor
of Jerusalem states “God forbid that Arabs ever assume a majority of the
population in his city”.
Lastly, maybe she will
read the multiple UN Resolutions that unequivocally state that the Palestinian
territories are defined as occupied land and thus governed by the 4th
Geneva Convention which states that the occupying power cannot settle parts of
its population in such territories. These race exclusive settlements and any
other changes to the physical character, demographic composition and
institutional structure of the territories are breaches of international law.
Congratulations on
fulfilling your dreams, hopefully one day soon the Palestinian people’s long
nightmare of Israel’s military occupation will end, and all people who love the
land can dream of living together in peace.
Salaheddin Mustafa
Clifton, NJ
Note: I am President of the NJ Chapter of the American
Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
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