After decades of displacement, Palestinians stick to their legal right of return

The Palestinian National Council (PNC) has reiterated that the people of Palestine are sticking to their legal right to return to their land and homes. In a statement marking the 69th anniversary of the Nakba (Catastrophe) of the creation of the Zionist state of Israel and the consequent Palestinian refugee crisis, the PNC noted that the struggle which began when armed Zionist gangs forced 750,000 Palestinians from their homes in 1948 is ongoing.

More than 1 million Palestinians were displaced in 1948
Relive the journey of Nakba refugees

The PNC hailed the prisoners on hunger strike inside Israeli jails, stressing that all Palestinians are supporting them in their battle to achieve their basic human rights. “The sufferings of the Palestinian people are continuous due to the consequences of the Nakba,” it explained. This will end, the statement added, by liberation from occupation and achieving the right of self-determination. “This means the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital and the return of refugees based on international resolutions.”

In addition, the PNC renewed its trust in the Palestinian people and their ability to undermine the projects seeking to Judaise Palestinian land and religious sites. Israeli oppression, it insisted, will not undermine the Palestinian struggle for liberation and freedom.

Read: Remembering the Nakba

Despite their security collaboration with Israel, the PNC statement hailed the Palestinian Authority, Fatah and PLO President Mahmoud Abbas, stressing the importance of his diplomatic moves within the international arena to regain the rights of the Palestinians based on the “two-state solution.” Many observers believe that such a solution is actually dead and buried.

The statement stressed that the PLO is the “sole legitimate representative” of the Palestinians and called for all Palestinians at home and abroad to support it. The PNC called for an end to the internal division and concentration on fighting the occupation. It added that the international community should bear its legal and moral responsibility for the Palestinians, who have been under Israeli occupation for decades.