Statement: 75 years of the Ongoing Nakba, 75 years of Ongoing Resistance
For more than 75 years, the Israeli-perpetrated ongoing Nakba has resulted in the protracted forced displacement of 66 percent of the Palestinian people.
The ongoing Nakba is maintained by Israel’s colonial-apartheid regime’s policies and practices, namely: land confiscation and denial of use, denial of access to natural resources and services, annexation, suppression of resistance, denial of residency, segregation, fragmentation and isolation, the imposition of discriminatory planning and permit regime, and denial of reparations.
The Israeli policies and practices that maintain this system and deny the Palestinian people’s rights to return and self-determination go beyond mere human rights violations. Rather, they constitute the Israeli regime’s three main pillars: Palestinian displacement and transfer, colonization and apartheid. These pillars, which are translated into Israeli laws, policies and practices, aim to control the maximum amount of land with the minimum number of Palestinians. Correspondingly, the perpetuation of the Nakba – made feasible by the lack of practical measures to hold Israel accountable for its international crimes – reflects the extent of international complicity with the Israeli colonial-apartheid regime in Palestine.
As a result of the ongoing Nakba, 9.17 million Palestinians have experienced forced displacement and/or transfer, which includes a total of 8.36 million refugees and 812,000 internally displaced persons, constituting the largest and most protracted displaced population in the world. Meanwhile, Palestinian refugees in exile continue to find themselves in an international protection lacuna. Arab countries, for example, deny Palestinian refugees their human rights, including those stipulated in the Arab League Protocol on the Treatment of Palestinian Refugees (Casablanca Protocol, 1965) to which they are signatories.
In Syria, the demographic and political weight of Palestinian refugees has been targeted and weakened during the war and ensuing political strife. In Lebanon, the government treats Palestinian refugees as ‘foreigners’ and deprives them of their civil, economic and social rights to the point that a significant percentage suffers from extreme poverty. These actions are justified under the false pretext of preserving the right of return and Palestinian identity. Depriving Palestinian refugees of their human rights during the period of their refugeehood, however, constitutes a violation of return as it enables the continuation of Israeli policies, and the repeated displacement of Palestinians. At the same time, western states practice discrimination against Palestinian refugees fleeing armed conflicts in a number of Arab countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Libya.
After 75 years of ongoing Nakba, the international community continues to neglect its legal and moral responsibilities towards the Palestinian people, and to provide support and immunity to the Israeli regime. Western states have been obstructing the enforcement of international law and accountability mechanisms vis-à-vis the Palestinian people. This obstruction is exemplified by vetoes of United Nations Security Council Resolutions, the failure to enforce dozens of existing resolutions, undermining ICC investigations, ignoring UNRWA’s chronic funding crisis, neglecting to provide effective protection for Palestinian refugees, and the lack of practical measure to hold Israel accountable, such as arms embargos and sanctions.
This lack of action has resulted in an umbrella of political, economic and military impunity for the Israeli colonial-apartheid regime. Moreover, the complicity of Western states is demonstrated in colonial and discriminatory statements made by the presidents of the USA administration and the EU Commission in congratulating the establishment of the Israeli colonial-apartheid regime.
The United Nations, originally responsible for the illegal partition of Palestine, continues to ignore the necessity of a human rights-based decolonization approach and solution to the core issues of the Israeli colonial-apartheid regime. The decolonization approach for Palestine is particularly relevant since the UN Conciliation Commission for Palestine, the agency mandated to provide international protection, including the right of return according to UNGA Resolution 194 has been defunct for as many decades as the ongoing Nakba.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA), which is the sole agency responsible for assisting Palestinian refugees, is still regarded as a temporary agency whose budget depends on the voluntary contributions of states, which decreases annually despite the increase in the number of refugees and their growing needs. In the absence of a compulsory funding mechanism, UNRWA is being sabotaged through the imposition of securitization procedures and conditional funding by Israel and the US, particularly with the recently proposed USA draft law.
This situation has resulted in the drastic reduction of services as Palestinian refugees’ needs continue to rise. Other strategic attacks on UNRWA that call for transferring its responsibilities to other agencies and organizations constitute unlawful attempts to alter its mandate – the only way the mandate can be altered is through a UN resolution, which would thereby not only protect UNRWA but also by extension, Palestinian refugees. Such a resolution must necessarily expand UNRWA’s mandate to include all Palestinian refugees and provide all the components of international protection (i.e., physical, legal, and humanitarian protection).
The historic and current international response to Palestine is one that is based in a conflict resolution paradigm and a humanitarian approach. The ‘conflict’ in Palestine is perceived to be between two equal parties with equally valid claims requiring a ‘balanced’ response. Both the paradigm and the approach are erroneous as they fail to take into consideration Israel’s violent colonial origins and have, as such, grievously obscured the root causes and ignored Israel’s domination and oppression of the Palestinian people.
The reality, however, is that Palestinians are confronted with two Israeli forms of domination – colonization and apartheid – which deny the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights to return and self-determination. As such, the right to resist foreign domination and oppression as a means of liberation and in pursuit of the rights of self-determination and return is an irrefutable fact in the case of Palestine.
The only approach and solution to the ongoing Nakba is a comprehensive rights-based decolonization framework. This approach must tackle the root causes of the Israeli colonial-apartheid regime and fulfill the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, specifically the rights of self-determination and return.
To decolonize Palestine in a way that will achieve a lasting and just peace means uprooting and dismantling the pillars of the Israeli regime: forced displacement and transfer, colonization, and apartheid.
Return is our right and our will
One people, one destiny, and return is certain
Ensuring a stable and adequate budget for UNRWA without political conditions is an obligatory international responsibility
Granting refugees their human rights in host countries supports their right to return to their original homes
Endorsing Organizations and Networks:
- BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
- Global Palestinian Refugee Network (GPRN) – 40 Organization
- Libyan House of University Students Representatives – 23 Universities Palestinian Performing Arts Network – 13 Organization
- El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe
- Al-Harah Theater
- Palestinian Institute for Cultural Development NAWA
- Wishah Popular Dance Troupe
- Al-Awda Center – Toulkarem
- The popular Theater – Amari camp
- Haifa Center- Tulkarem
- Ansar Center – Al-Walajeh Village
- Lajee Center – Aida Camp
- Ibdaa Foundation for Child Development – Dheshieh Camp
- Addar for Culture and Art – Nazreth
- Jouthor Association – Dheisheh Refugee Camp
- Yafa Cultural Center – Balatah Refugee Camp
- Shorouq Organization – Dheisheh Refugee Camp
- Palestinian Children Cultural Center – Al-Fawar Refugee Camp
- Al-Fawar Youth Cultural Center
- Baladi for Culture and Art- Beit Jala
- Addamer Support and Human Rights Association
- Defence for Children International
- Al-Haq Association
- Besan Benevolent Association- Gaza
- Political and Religious Parties – Gaza
- Educational Diversity Group – Gaza
- National Rehabilitation Association – Gaza
- Al Rabwat Charity for development – Gaza
- Committee to Promote Community Resilience – Qaa Al Areen Community – Gaza
- Committee to Promote Community Resilience – Mawasi Community – Gaza
- Al- Mawada Heritage Association – Gaza
- Al-Qarara Association for Rural Women Development – Gaza
- Al – Muna Association for Development – Gaza
- Yafa Youth Association – Gaza
- Wifaq Association for Women and Children – Gaza
- Al-Fukhari Association for Development – Gaza
- Khaza’a Center for continuous tillage – Gaza
- Beit Al-Mustaqbal Association – Gaza
- Association of Women Charitable Program – Der Al Balah – Gaza
- Palestine Vanguard Organization – Gaza
- Women’s Program Center Association – Beach Camp – Gaza
- Majd Al-Krum Movement – Majd Al-Krum – Palestine 1948
- Aidoun Association – Lebanon
- Al Karmel Sport Center – Shatila Refugee Camp – Lebanon
- Nuwat Association Social Solidarity Center – Lebanon
- Chess Club – Lebanon
- Beirut Heritage Soceity – Lebanon
- Nahr Al-Bared Youth – Lebanon
- Al-Adab Magazine – Lebanon
- Fraternity Association Beirut – Lebanon
- Human Call Association – Ein El -Helweh Camp – Lebanon
- Future Leaders Youth Movement – Lebanon
- Libyan General Student Union (23 Universities)
- Al houlah association – Lebanon
- Majed Abu Sharar Media Foundation – MASMF
- One State Youth Initiative – Lebanon
- Free Palestine Melbourne – Australia
- Center for the Study of Islam and Decoloniality – Pakistan
- Palestine Solidarity Committee – Pakistan
- JUST-IS Interfaith Solidarity against Global Militarism and for Social Justice
- Intal Globalize Solidarity – Belgium
- Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
- BeaconResearch Ltd
- Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network (PIEN)
- Australians for Palestine
- BADAYL
- Australia Palestine Advocacy Network
- European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
- Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- International Movement for a Just World
- Manchester Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- Stop the JNF – UK
- Sheffield Palestine Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
- Brighton and Hove Palestine Solidarity Ccampaign
- Palestine Action Scotland
- Sabeel
- IAJS
- Loud Jew Collective
- Jews against the Occupation Australia
- Whatcom Peace and Justice Center
- Kairos Palestine
- PAX CHRISTI VICTORIA
- Utrecht in Solidarity with Palestine
- Makan UK
- Free Palestine Maastricht
- Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK
- Palestine Solidarity Rotterdam
- Australian Foundation for Palestinian Children
- Center for Global Education
- Students for Justice in Palestine – Amsterdam
- West African Human Rights Defenders’ Network
- Indiana Center for Middle East Peace
- Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions (ICAHD-USA)
- Gaza Bristol Friendship Group
- Black Republic Publication
- Plataforma de Solidaridad con Palestina – Granada
- Palestine Solidarity Alliance south africa
- Movement for Liberation from Nakba (MLN)
- Kumi Now
- South African BDS Coalition
- Sabeel Kairos Norway
- Venceremos, Partido de Trabajadorxs
- Juventud Chileno-Arabe por Palestina de Valdivia
- Movimiento Amplio de lZquierda, de Argentina
- Movimiento Venezolano de Solidaridad con Palestina
- Masar Badil
- Al-Yudur
- Alkarama – Palestinian women’s movement
- African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
- New Weapons Research Group (NWRG)
- Law for Palestine
- PSC Gauteng, South Africa
- Trinity College Dublin Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Implementation Group
- Indo Palestine Solidarity Network
- Friends of Sabeel, North America (FOSNA)
- Asociación Paz con Dignidad
- International Institute for Nonviolent Action (NOVACT)
- Comité de Solidaridad con los Pueblos-Interpueblos Cantabria
- Comunidad Palestina en Canarias
- BDS País Valencià
- Anticapitalistas
- BDS Almería
- United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)
- Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
- Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine
- Kairos Palestine Sweden
- Collectif Palestine Vaincra
- UK-Palestine Mental Health Network
- Groningen for Palestine
- ActivistenpartijUvA
- Activistenpartij
- UvAsociaal
- University of Gothenburg
- Kairos Sabeel netherlands
- Saddlworth Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund
- Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union
- Comhaltas na Mac Léinn Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, University of Galway Students’ Union
- TU Dublin Students’ Union
- DCU Student’s Union
- International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network
- Comhlamh justice for Palestine
- plant een olijfboom
- Young Communist League of Britain
- Madison for Palestine
- Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
- Carlow College Students’ Union
- Association of Young Democrats
- National Council of Churches in India- Kairos India Partnership (NCCI)
- Indo-Palestine Solidarity Network
- Arab Lawyers Association – UK
- Arab Lawyers Netwok
- European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (EECP)
- Associació Catalunya-Liban
- Ateneu del Món ONG
- Plataforma de Solidaridad con Palestina de Sevilla
- SUDS
- SODEPAZ – Solidaridad para el Desarrollo y la Paz
- Coalició Prou Complicitat amb Israel
- Comité de Solidaridad con la Causa Árabe (CSCA)
- Plataforma Solidaria con Palestina de Valladolid
- RESCOP – Red Solidaria Contra la Ocupación de Palestina
- Plataforma Córdoba con Palestina
- Plataforma unitària contra les violències de gènere
- Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de Andalucía
- Muslim Counterpublics Lab
- Democratic Lawyers Association of Bangladesh
- Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste
- Indian Association of Lawyers
- Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU)
- Colectiva Actoras de Cambio
- Association Marocaine des Droits Humains
- Organización de Mujeres Salvadoreñas por la Paz (ORMUSA)
- Belgian Academics and Artists for Palestine (BAA4P/BACBI)
- Africa4Palestine
- Edmonton Small Press Association
- Arab Organization for Human Rights
- Baltimore Nonviolence Center
- International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)
- Association Marocaine Mains Solidaires
- Aida-Celtic Club