Press Release
The State of Palestine affirms that the Nakba is not a fossilized event in history. It is not only the 67 words of the illegitimate British Balfour Declaration; it is not only the ethnic cleansing of 530 Palestinian villages and the methodical expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians; it is not only the Zionist militias committing 70 massacres in Palestinian villages; it is not only the killing, destruction, pillaging, rape, and displacement of families of Deir Yassin.
The Nakba is an ongoing Israeli colonial project, which aims at cleansing the land of the Palestinian people, forcibly displacing them, and replacing them with illegal settlers. The Nakba never ended, nor has Israel’s brutality, oppression, and cruelty.
The Palestinian people are still denied their basic fundamental rights, living under Israel’s colonial occupation and apartheid regime or in exile, with no political path to self-determination and independence. They also continue to suffer the consequences of the international community’s chronic failure to uphold international law, resolve the Question of Palestine in all its aspects, and ensure accountability for grave violations of Palestinian rights.
As we commemorate the 74th anniversary of the Nakba that befell us, we also remind the international community and peoples of the world that the Palestinian right of return is unassailable, unchanging, and uncompromising and is yet to be fulfilled for the four generations of Palestinian refugees, in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions. The Palestinian people must not remain the exception to the standards and rules of the international order.
Israel, the occupying Power, must end its illegal occupation, dismantle its apartheid regime, and uphold its obligations in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions. We call on the international community to acknowledge that Israel’s policies are illegal, untenable and cannot be defended. We call on the international community to carry out their responsibilities under the law by collectively and effectively promoting accountability and a credible multilateral political process that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people, including their sacred right of return.