ever since i was in my 3rd year of hebrew school this has been an issue...

i'm not ashamed to tell you that i turn the big 5-0 this year...and i can remember struggling with these issues ever since i was in my 3rd year of hebrew school which i went to after public school let out in the afternoon as i grew up in atlanta...

it's the 40th anniversary of israel’s occupation of the west bank and gaza strip...and it was the context of the 6-day war that i first remember being asked if i "consider myself an american-jew or a jewish-american,"...

nearly 40 years later i can honestly say i consider myself a human being of jewish ethnicity living in the united states struggling to bring dignity and respect to the lives of people around he world...

and so it is in this context that i ask you to read amnesty international's newly released report calling on the israeli authorities to end the blockades, land-grabbing, and other violations of international law carried out under the occupation...these actions have caused widespread human rights abuses and failed to bring security to the civilian populations...

you see, the issue is not and can not be who started the 6-day war...

but 40 years in its wake israeli security measures confine palestinians to fragmented enclaves and hinder their access to work, schools, health facilities and relatives...because of the checkpoints, blockades and the fence/wall, thousands of palestinian families have been separated from their land...amnesty international acknowledges israel’s legitimate security concerns and the government’s obligation to protect the population within its borders, but this does not justify the blatant violations of international law...

again, and i agree, israel has legitimate security concerns and the government has an obligation to protect the population within its borders, but this does not justify the blatant violations of international law...

there is a cool interactive (mapquest style) map available here to help you grasp the geography of the situation a little better, this slideshow gives something for you visual learners, and you can read the entire report with a simple click right here...

shalom <3