December 2011, Page 7

Publishers' Page

Our Special Message to You.

For 30 years—as of next year!—the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs has brought you both the fascinating and the infuriating news our mainstream media don't want you to know about U.S. and Mideast relations and the efforts by both elected government officials and ordinary Americans to influence these relations. We'd like to extend a warm greeting to first-time newsstand browsers, longtime subscribers, and the thousands of librarians who found this one-time sample copy in their mailboxes.

We Hope You'll Decide That…

In today's increasingly interconnected and diverse world, your public or university library patrons should have the opportunity to read the Washington Report and the superb selection of books we carry in both our streetfront bookstore in Washington, DC and our Internet store at <www.middleeastbooks.com>. If your library cannot afford the $29 subscription, our generous donors (see p. 72) to the AET Library Endowment will help you out. In fact, we just mailed our biannual fund-raising letter to regular readers who, despite any private economic fears, continue to fund this magazine through thick and thin.

Normal People Living Normal Lives.

In this special holiday issue, in which subscribers will find our bonus 2012 calendar, you'll see images of Palestinians trying to go about their daily lives—picking olives, tending their fields, working in stores, businesses and schools just like citizens of every other country in the world. Unlike them, however, Palestinians have been waiting 63 years for the world to recognize their country—despite the fact that U.N. Resolution 194, passed on Dec. 11, 1948, upholds the right of return to their homes and property for Palestinians driven out as a result of Zionist military operations in 1948 that culminated in declaring the State of Israel. Instead…

Life Is Becoming Increasingly Hard…

As those who remain are forced to cope with growing violence by settlers, who are beating up both Palestinian and Jewish activists and torching orchards and mosques. While mainstream media focused on the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit—who was exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom had never had a fair trial—there is no mention of Palestinians who remain political prisoners or who still are being picked up in nightly raids. But for millions of refugees…

The Situation Remains Unchanged.

In 1973, 1992 and 2011, Ghada Karmi and Ellen Siegel protested at an Israeli embassy (see back cover photo and story by managing editor Janet McMahon on p. 35 of the Aug./Sept. 1992 Washington Report). As she recounts in her acclaimed memoir In Search of Fatima (available from the AET Book Club), Karmi is a displaced Palestinian who fled her home in West Jerusalem with her parents when she was only 8 and has never been allowed to return. Ellen Siegel, an American Jew who was working as a nurse in Beirut's Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in 1982 when Lebanese Phalangists, protected by Israeli troops, massacred hundreds of Palestinian civilians, can make Aliyah and "return" to Israel anytime. The longtime friends have spent the intervening years—Karmi in London and Siegel in Washington, DC—working to challenge Israel's repression and violation of Palestinians' human rights. Their efforts, along with those of other heroes, including longtime peace activists living in Israel and the occupied territories, have made a difference. It's certainly true that, here in America....

The Times They are a Changin'.

We know it's true because our interns and readers are finding passionate, well-written letters and editorials in newspapers across the United States in support of Palestinians who deserve to live freely in their own land. These letters, op-eds and editorials were published in a wide spectrum of newspapers from Boston to Los Angeles, Chicago to Corpus Christi, Palm Beach to Portland—you get the idea. Despite the relentless efforts of American Christian and Jewish Zionists, public opinion in this country increasingly is in agreement with the international worldview in support of Palestinian statehood.

The Holiday Season…

Is almost upon us, and we'd like to suggest that our readers work to help Palestinians, and our friends throughout the Middle East and North Africa, find real peace and prosperity. That will take writing more letters, speaking out at public events—including candidate forums, since next year's elections are almost upon us as well—and educating friends and family at every opportunity. If you haven't already, add your e-mail address to our action alert list so that you, too, can join worldwide campaigns to "Support Palestine's U.N. Bid," "Halt Construction of a 'Museum of Tolerance'" on the site of an ancient Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem, "Reevaluate Aid to Israel," or encourage brave columnists who speak out, like Walter Pincus in (of all places) The Washington Post.

Shine a Light on Palestine.

Another way you can help is to buy your holiday gifts from the AET Book Club, which is ready to meet your gift-giving needs. Visit our Web site, <www.middleeastbooks.com> to peruse the latest books, music, greeting cards and DVDs, or come to our Adams Morgan store in Washington, DC. We also carry Palestinian products, including embroidery, olive oil soap, and organic fair trade olive oil. Your purchases provide a market for Palestinian products in the U.S. and help empower and sustain these communities. Give our books, goods—and, of course, subscriptions to the Washington Report—as gifts and use them to educate your friends and family. Let's work together to inform our fellow Americans and…

Make a Difference Today!