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Statements |
The Right of Return Congress
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A conference organized by
the Preparatory Committee in support of the right of
return was convened in London on 17-18 October 2003. Its
first aim is to intensify popular Palestinian activities
to defend this right, which forms the basis of any
serious attempt to resolve the Palestine question. The
second aim of the conference is the coordination of
efforts of the Palestinian civil society in Palestine,
Arab countries and foreign capitals in order to protect
this right. This requires the formation of a permanent
secretariat to play the role of higher coordinating
council for the purpose of coordinating activities and
recruitment of supporters for the right of return among
Arabs and friendly peoples world-wide. They would form
an organized lobbying force that supports and defends
the right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their
homes from which they were forcibly expelled.
The conferees explained that the conference is
politically independent and bears absolutely no
association with any factional or party agenda. Its
primary agenda is to undertake specific tasks by those
who believe in its mission and is able to execute its
objectives.
The conferees emphasized their allegiance to the
Palestinian Liberation Organization, recognizing the
need for the Organization to preserve the national
consensual programme, strengthen democratic methods of
operation, and open its ranks for all Palestinian forces
working on the ground in Palestine.
The conference heard a number of presentations over the
two-day period on the conditions of the Palestinian
refugees and their proposed plans of action in their
various places of exile: in 1948 Palestine, in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq,
Egypt, Emirates, Europe, USA, Canada and Far East. These
were followed by intensive discussions. After the
deliberations all the participants presented practical
suggestions for future operations. The following tasks
were identified for the next phase:
Management and organization:
1. The formation of a higher coordinating committee that
acts as a convener. It should function as an initiator
and coordinator composed of:
(a) members of the Preparatory Committee of the
conference. [The original committee consisted of the
late Dr. Edward Said, the late Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Lughod,
Dr. Haider Abdel Shafi, Mr. Shafiq al Hout, Dr. Salman
Abu Sitta, Mr. Bilal al Hassan, Prof. Naseer Aruri, Mr.
Majed al Zeer, Ms. Abla Abuelbeh].
(b) a coordinator from every country where there are
Palestinian refugees
(c) the coordinating committee will have a permanent
council comprised of a limited number of officials to
coordinate between the various geographic regions. They
are: Dr. Salman Abu Sitta, Dr. Naseer Aruri, Mr. Bilal
al Hasan, Mr. Majed al Zeer and Ms. Abla Abuelbeh.
2. The conference chose Dr. Salman Abu Sitta as its
general coordinator and official spokesperson.
Practical operations
In an attempt to specify practical and achievable tasks,
the conference approved the following work plan:
1. To intensify the culture of return among Palestinians
as a fundamental and essential basis of joint action by
centers of research, writers, journalists and educators
to spread the culture of the right of return at the
broad popular level, especially among the youth and
students. This requires the provision of basic
information about the conditions of the Palestinian
people, their right of return to their land and homes,
and encourages the transmission of this information to
future generations.
2. The conference adopted a manifesto concerning the
right of return (attached). This was presented by the
coordinating committee of the conference. It reads in
brief: "The right of the Palestinian refugees and exiles
to return to their homes is a fundamental and
inalienable human right, which does not diminish with
the passage of time or any political agreement. The
Right of Return is also derived from the sanctity of
private ownership and is not annulled by occupation or
change of sovereignty. The Right of Return is basically
an individual right and does not lend itself to
delegation or concessions in any agreement or accord. It
is also a collective right”.
3. The conference decided that one of its tasks in the
immediate future is the formation of lobbying bodies in
every country where there are Palestinian communities
and active civil society organizations. This would be
done through dialogue and contacts, winning supporters
within members of governments, parliaments, trade
unions, research centers, academic institutions, and
media experts. The conference delegates in every region
should formulate a practical programme suitable for
their region in coordination with the permanent council.
4. The conference acknowledged the need to prepare a
national database about the expulsion of the Palestinian
people (al Nakba) from their villages, their current
places of refuge, numbers, material and social
circumstances, the international resolutions that
support their right of return, and responses to the
claims advanced by parties opposed to the right of
return. These studies would be translated into other
languages so that they can be adopted by all those
concerned with this issue.
5. The conference decided that the permanent council
will issue a newsletter to report the activities of the
local committees in the region. In this way all parties
would be kept informed of developments.
Political level
The conference will examine the various political
positions announced from time to time relating to the
right of return. Examples are the recent so called
'Geneva Agreement' and the survey published a few months
ago claiming that a large percentage of the Palestinian
refugees do not wish to exercise their right of return
to their homes in present-day Israel. The conference
declared its rejection of the so-called Geneva Agreement
and expressed its astonishment as to how a few persons
could assign to themselves the task of conceding the
inalienable Right of Return and confining the return to
the areas of self-rule or resettlement in Arab
countries; ignoring the terms of UN resolution 194 which
confirms the right of the refugees to return to their
homes from which they were expelled in 1948. The
conference declared that the Palestinian National
Authority is obliged to put an end to the initiatives of
these individuals so that the impression is not conveyed
that matters are moving in this direction. Since the PA
has itself announced that this understanding is
unofficial and non-binding then it must condemn this
proposed and any such agreement, as it deviates from the
fundamentals of the Palestinian national position.
The conference examined the public opinion polls which
some research centers claim were conducted to serve the
cause of the right of return. It has since become
evident that these surveys were concocted to serve
objectives that are rejected by the Palestinian people
generally and the Palestinian refugees in particular.
The conference affirmed the need to coordinate its
efforts by all means to combat the role played by these
centers which claim objectivity and knowledge.
The conference heard from participants about the dire
condition of the Palestinian refugees in some Arab
countries. It decided to initiate political contacts
with these regimes to improve the living conditions of
the Palestinian refugees.
The conference specifically examined the condition of
the Palestinian refugees in Iraq and the urgent need for
UNRWA to provide humanitarian support for them, noting
that Iraq is one of the Arab states where UNRWA does not
carry out its duty toward the Palestinian refugees
residing on its territory. With regard to the refugee
camps in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which have for
many years been suffering from tyranny and destruction
by the Israeli occupation forces, the conference
asserted the need for international protection
undertaken by UNRWA and the UN. This requires
coordinated Palestinian, Arab, Western and international
efforts.
It is important to note that the conference was convened
through personal efforts. The delegates bore the costs
of travel and accommodation, thus confirming the civic
and social nature of their work and avoiding any support
that ties the conference with any external party.
The developments of recent years, which acted as a wake
up call, have shown that the right of return has
gradually turned into a popular movement with increasing
and far-reaching influence on the Palestinian and
Western public. Similarly, this movement has imposed its
imprint on Palestinian negotiators to the extent that it
forms a safeguard against any compromise and dereliction
of duty. The right of return movement is expected to
grow significantly both within the Arab world and
internationally. This conference marks a major step in
that direction.
London
18/10/2003
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