An open letter from Ghassan Andoni,
Director of The Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement Between People
Dear American Friends:
I cannot find the words to condemn and condole. What happened is beyond
words. Make no mistake, the evil minds and the cold inhuman hearts, which
planned and executed this horrendous act of terror, can never be on the side
of justice. They should not be allowed to shelter behind the suffering of my
people. As they have no respect for human lives they should not be allowed to
claim that they act on behalf of oppressed people. Such people are only loyal
to their warlords. No body in the face of earth can do more harm to
Palestinians than this terror group did.
Yes, The American official policy caused us tremendous suffering. No doubt
that without the blind backing of the US government Israel could not have
went this far in its terror campaign against Palestinians, could not impose
this deep and unbearable level of injustice, yet the innocent Americans
inside the kidnapped airplanes and the thousands killed on the ground are not
my enemy. Anyone who thinks differently can never belong to the same nation I
belong to and believe deeply in its just cause.
We cannot fight for human rights using inhuman means. We can never be
sensitive to human suffering if we think the lives of others are cheap. We
can never struggle for justice and peace if we allow our selves to use the
inhuman means of occupiers and oppressors. We cannot allow a hundred years of
imposed oppression and occupation to turn us into oppressors. I feel so
ashamed of the few among us who even smiled watching the drastic seen. I
know, and for sure, that the vast majority of Palestinians are shocked, sad,
and deeply sharing the pain of the victims and their families. I want
Americans to know, especially the ones we know and work with, that the vast
majority of Palestinians are standing with you in those hard and dark times.
We are ready to join hands with all interested to be sure that such an ugly
inhuman act will not happen again. At the same time I want to warn us all
against the ones who are knocking the drums of war, who are playing to the
hands of the ruthless terrorists. The ones who want this to turn into an open
war between nations or religions. We need to work together to strip those
inhuman groups from any popular support. This can only be done if our
commitment for peace and justice overcomes our desire for revenge. This can
only happen if our love and care for each other overcomes our hatred and
anger. As we can never encounter oppression and injustice with inhuman acts,
we can never encounter terrorism with terror acts.
We pray for the families who grief the loss of their dears. We ask God to
provide them with the necessary strength to pass through those dark times and
at the same time we have all to work together for this not to happen again
neither in the United States nor else where.
We finally confirm our commitment to intensify our work for peace and justice.
Ghassan Andoni
Director of PCR
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The Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement Between People
Star Street No. 64 P.O.Box 24
Beit Sahour - Palestine
www.rapprochement.org Telefax: +972-2-2772018