WTC.openletterPalestineCtr

An open letter from the Director of The Palestinian Centre

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 __________________________________________________________________ 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