My first three posts were a little long. Here is something shorter and more to the point. Overall, I thought President Obama’s speech in Jerusalem made some very important points. I know there were serious flaws and omissions as well. But for all those who support the cause of peace in Palestine (for the good of ALL sides) I want to bring your attention to a SignOn.org petition that was recently launched. Click on Petition
I think the author of the petition makes a polite, simple and useful request of President Obama. The petition essentially asks him to take a relatively simple action to show that he is serious about bringing about his vision of peace and justice in Palestine/Israel. Whether you support a “two state” solution, a “one state” solution, or some other kind of solution, you should still be able to sign on to this minimal request.
In Jerusalem, Obama made an important point: Palestinians do not deserve to be demonized any more than his own daughters do. Some may consider that a small step. At least it is a step in the right direction.
The striking lack of Palestinians present in the audience of the President’s Jerusalem speech has rightly attracted attention. Anyone who supports a just and lasting peace in the region should be able to see that giving the Palestinians a greater voice in settling a problem that affects them so directly can only be a good thing at this point. For many years the US veto power in the UN has been improperly used to silence not only the voices of the Palestinian people, but also the voices of the broader international community. This has done nothing to enhance America’s standing in the world OR to bring about peace.
In the sincere hope that this fundamentally undemocratic kind of behavior will stop, I hope others will sign this petition and try to spread it as widely as they can.
