Hi all I sent this to the Burlington Free Press and Times Argus. We will see if it gets published..
Hope everyone is well S'ra Sra DeSantis Illegal Settlements in Palestine We have been bombarded with images of the Gaza settlers being torn from their homes in the last week. Many facts have been left out. All Israeli settlers living in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law. These areas are supposed to be under Palestinian control. Before the construction of these settler homes, Palestinian families were forced to flee their homes and farms. In the last four years, over 30,000 Palestinian homes have been destroyed in Gaza by the Israeli military and not one Palestinian has received compensation. The Israeli settler families will receive $300,000 - $500,000 to relocate inside Israel. There are only 8,500 settlers in Gaza, while in the West Bank there are 240,000 and in East Jerusalem 130,000 settlers. Settlement expansion is occurring throughout the West Bank especially around Jerusalem to ensure that East Jerusalem cannot be the future capital of a Palestinian state. The Israeli government is constructing a Wall in the West Bank, separating Palestinians from their land and families. The Wall is confiscating land for the expansion of the settlements and will leave Palestinians with only 47% of the West Bank. Until the occupation ends, the Wall comes down, the checkpoints and settlements are dismantled, and Palestinian refugees have the right to return to their homes, there will be no just peace or security in Israel or Palestine. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back! http://us.click.yahoo.com/VpgUKB/pzNLAA/cUmLAA/MknplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VTJP/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
