PALESTINE, Mel Packer, April 2010

The situation in Palestine/Israel continues to be one of the decisive struggles of our lifetime and NOTHING, but NOTHING in the Middle East will be settled until there is some justice achieved in that part of the world. Yet, the US continues to shovel 3 billion a year of foreign aid into Israel while stating opposition to, but not demanding by deed, that the settlements, seen as illegal by the rest of the world, must be stopped and abandoned.

The US must join the rest of the world in demanding that the settlements be abandoned, and that aid to Israel will be ended until such action is taken. We must also insist that the continued taking of Palestinian land for both the settlements and the illegal “apartheid” wall must be stopped now. If the US can demand of Palestine that all offensive actions against Israel must be stopped, then we must demand the same of Israel.

Peace talks MUST begin between all parties, and that includes both major parties in Palestine and the future of Palestine must be determined by Palestinians and not by outside parties or governments.

To demand anything less is to defy the idea of democracy that we claim to support for all.