Statement by the Right of Return Defence Committees
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Statement by the Right of Return Defence Committees |
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Posted by IAP on February 09, 19102 at 19:19:36:
Statement by the Right of Return Defence Committees
9 February 2002
We, the Palestinians undersigned below, at home and in exile, affirm once more
that the Right of Return is an Inalienable Right, has no statute of limitation
and does not permit concessions or delegation by others. It is a basic Human
Right as affirmed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, regional
Conventions and UN resolutions especially the oft-repeated UN resolution 194.
It is also derived from the sanctity of private ownership which is not
extinguished by occupation or sovereignty.
We also confirm that the Right of Return is not conditional upon the demography
of Israel nor subordinate to Israel's racist policies including Apartheid, as
this would mean the legitimization of the ethnic cleansing against the
Palestinians which started in al Nakba of 1948 and continues ever since. It is
ironic that the right of man to return to his home is made subordinate to the
occupier desire to receive new immigrants in it.
It is well-established that Israel, using the euphemism of Israel's Jewish
character, aims to retain the largely empty Palestinian land as a reservoir for
future immigrants while imposing Apartheid system upon the Palestinians and
denying the refugees' right to return home. It is also well-established that
80% of Israeli Jews live on 15% of Israel's area, leaving only 2% of Jews,
other than Palestinian cities dwellers, control all the refugees land.
Therefore,
We absolutely reject any suggestion of bartering our Right of Return by any
kind of political deal, however packaged, and we refuse to surrender this Right
under any pretext.
We call upon President Arafat, who is the head of our national institutions, to
stand firm against the tremendous pressure exerted on him and, in the interest
of our national unity to remain committed, fully and without reservation, to
our Right of Return, as the Palestinian people have done for over half a
century.
Current Co-Signatories:
The Sponsoring Committee for the Declaration of the Right of Return (RoR)
(international), The Higher Committee for the Defence of RoR (Jordan),
Palestinian Return Centre (UK), RoR Defence Committee (Syria), 194 Group
(Damascus), Aidun (Syria), Aidun (Lebanon), The Palestine Right of Return
Coalition - Al Awda (USA and Canada), RoR Committee (Denmark), Society of
Palestinian Community (Sweden), The Initiative Committee for the Defence of
RoR, Fawwar Camp, Hebron, The Refugees Popular Committee in Jabalya Camp, The
Refugees Popular Committee in Al Shati Camp, The Refugees Popular Committee in
Nuseirat Camp, Duhaisha Camp Youth Social Centre, Youth Centre for the Right of
Return, Beit Sahour, The Higher National Committee for the Return of the
Refugees (Sana'oud), Nablus.