November, 2006

From: Concerned New York Citizens

To: The Honorable Senator Hillary Clinton

Subject: Diplomacy is the pathway to peace.

Dear Senator Clinton,

We are citizens of New York who are joined by our concerns about the ongoing violence in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon, and the window of opportunity for establishing grounds for a lasting peace. For your consideration, we present a plea for peace in the Middle East.

The signers of this letter include men and women of diverse backgrounds: Jews, Muslims, Christians, grandparents and parents, writers, teachers, healers and a wide range of professions. Some have been uprooted. All shed tears with those who live in fear and poverty and grieve at the death of loved ones.

Both Arabs and Jews have experienced the horrors of dispossession, ethnic cleansing, and massive social deprivation. We feel strongly that this is the time to assert our common humanity.

The recent violence in Lebanon and Israel, and the ongoing violence in Gaza, makes it clearer than ever that there is no military solution to the conflict and that all parties must enter into dialogue. As a Senator who has earned the respect of the Senate, you are well-placed to endorse our plea for peace.

We ask you to introduce a Senate Resolution to direct the executive office/White House to call for an international conference for Middle East peace with the participation of all concerned parties. Given that justice for Palestinians is a key to peace in the region, this conference should address in priority the following issues:

1) an end to Israels occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, Sheba farms, and the Gaza Strip (despite Israels disengagement from Gaza in 2005, as long as it maintains control over Gaza by regulation of movement in and out, be it land, sea or air, Gaza remains occupied under international law);
2) the evacuation of Israeli settlements on these territories, with only minor adjustments involving swaps of equivalent land.
3) the creation of a viable and sovereign Palestinian state on all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip (except for the above referenced swapped land), with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a sovereign passageway that connects the west Bank and Gaza.
4) recognition of the state of Israel by all its Arab neighbors and establishment of normal relations with them.
5) a fair resolution to the problem of Palestinian refugees based on international law.
6) guarantees that within the sovereign states of Israel and Palestine there will be full equality for all citizens.
7) international guarantees of a safe and secure future for all citizens of Palestine and Israel.

After 60 years of violence, we now need to talk and negotiate. As residents of the State of New York who want peace for our peoples, we ask your help.

Peace/Salaam/Shalom.