Campaign for the Defense of Palestinian Refugee Rights
Community and International Mobilization
Global Right of Return Coalition Calls for Arab Unity on the Right of Return: In late March, more than two dozen grassroots Palestinian refugee initiatives in Palestine, Arab host countries and in various countries of the diaspora issued a joint open-letter to states attending the Arab Summit in Beirut. The letter called for Arab unity on the principle of the unity of land and people and the right of return, implementation of international protection for the Palestinian people, including refugees, until they are able to return to their homes, villages and property, and declared support for the intifada.
Land Day 2002: The commemoration of Palestinian Land Day (March 30) this year coincided with yet another yet unprecedented military assault on the Palestinian people in the 1967 occupied territories aimed at crushing Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation and Palestinian demands for a comprehensive and just peace consistent with international law and UN resolutions (i.e., right to self-determination and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes of origin) by means of the gradual re-occupation of all or most of the areas designated as Palestinian controlled areas under the Oslo Accords.
The commemoration of the 26th anniversary of Land Day was a sober and urgent reminder of the unresolved root causes of the ongoing conflict - i.e., the mass dispossession of an entire people. Land Day commemorates the day nearly three decades ago when Israeli security forces shot and killed 6 Palestinians during demonstrations and a general strike called by the Palestinian leadership inside Israel to protest ongoing expropriation Palestinian land to build new Jewish colonies and expand existing Jewish cities. Today Land Day symbolizes Palestinian frustration concerning ongoing expropriation and unresolved claims to real property restitution.
Inside Israel the Arab Higher Follow-Up Committee held a central commemoration event in the unrecognized village of al-Araqib in the Naqab (Negev) in order to highlight the specific plight, needs and demands of the indigenous Bedouin community. Protests were also held in Kufr Kana, Sakhnin and Umm al-Fahem, traditional sites of protest at continuing land expropriation and racism. Scheduled activities in the occupied Palestinian territories were unable to proceed due to Israel's military assault and re-occupation of Palestinian population centers.
Palestinians inside Israel Rally in Support of Refugees in the Occupied Territories: Land Day commemorations inside Israel came on the heals of another large demonstration earlier in the month (March 7) in the Palestinian town of Sakhnin in solidarity with Palestinians in the occupied territories and against Israel’s escalation of military force, especially in the refugee camps. The march, organized by the Higher Follow-up Committee of the Palestinian community inside Israel, ended with a rally at the Land Day memorial in the center of Sakhnin where speakers condemned Ariel Sharon’s military assault on the refugee camps and called for international protection for the Palestinian people. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who spoke to the participants by telephone called for the implementation of UN resolutions and a return to negotiations.
Right of Return Committee in Denmark Holds Lectures on the Right of Return and Jewish ‘Democracy’:In Denmark the Right of Return Committee organized several meetings focused on the question of identity among Palestinians inside Israel and Jewish democracy and its contradictory relation to the non-Jewish community in Israel. Featured speaker was Palestinian intellectual and member of the Israeli Knesset Dr. Azmi Bishara. The lectures also addressed questions related to the al-Aqsa intifada. Other activities carried out by the Committee included journal articles, radio and television interviews and a series of lectures in different Danish cities.
Right of Return Coalition (al-Awda) US Organizes Emergency Fund for Refugees: Following the continued widespread demolition of refugee shelters in the 1967 occupied Palestinian territories by Israeli military forces and humanitarian crisis, al-Awda, The Right of Return Coalition in the United States set up an emergency fund to help Palestinian victims of Israel’s state-sponsored violence. Donations are being directed to UNRWA for distribution to those in need.
Persons wishing to donate can make checks or money orders payable to “PRRC”; write “Emergency West Bank and Gaza Relief Fund” in the memo section; and send payment to: Al-Awda, Palestine Right to Return Coalition, PO Box 1172, Orange, CT 06477. Persons may also donate online securely at http://al-awda.org/wb_fund.htm. For electronic transfers, the PRRC account in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania is with Commerce Bank. Bank Transit # 031301846 for wire transfers. The account # is 513176388. All donations are tax deductible.
Internally Displaced Palestinians Reaffirm the Right of Return: Early in the year, internally displaced Palestinians inside Israel added their voice to a growing list of Palestinians criticizing remarks made by Palestinian intellectual and PLO point-person for Jerusalem Affairs Dr. Sari Nusseibeh (See al-Majdal, Issue No. 12). Nusseibeh contends that a peace agreement providing for Palestinian statehood can only be reached if Palestinians stop demanding implementation of refugees’ basic human rights, including the right of return to their homes of origin inside Israel. The National Society for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally Displaced Inside Israel released a statement reaffirming the right of return as a sacred, inalienable and non-negotiable right that does not expire. “Dr. Nusseibeh’s statement is not a matter of individual freedom of opinion and expression,” stated the Society. “A people’s collective and individual rights are not a subject for games played by privileged intellectuals and academics. Those who are looking for peace will find it only if all refugees and displaced Palestinians are permitted to return to their towns and villages.”
Internally Displaced Palestinians Demand Reopening of Mosque in Destroyed Palestinian Village: On 1 March internally displaced Palestinians and members of the Palestinian leadership, including members of the Israeli Knesset Mohammad Baraka, Hashem Mahamid and Mohammad Kana’an, held a mass meeting at the site of the destroyed village of al-Ghabisiyya located in the northern Galilee. Participants demanded that the 240 year-old mosque closed by the Israel Lands Administration (ILA) in 1997 be reopened and renovated for property use. Palestinians have met every Friday at the village site for prayer since that the mosque was closed. In February 1950 the Israeli military governor expelled the Palestinian residents of the village and then declared the area closed under Article 125 of the 1945 Defense Emergency Regulations. Residents of the village initiated legal action and the High Court ordered that the villagers be allowed to return due to the fact that the declaration issued by the Military governor had not been published in the Official Gazette as required by law.
The Israeli military governor, however, continued to
prevent the villagers from returning and a few days later published
the declaration. When the residents of the village initiated new
legal action the High Court subsequently ruled against them. It is
estimated that today there are some 10,000 refugees (including
descendents) from al-Ghabsiyya, slightly less than half of whom are
registered for assistance with UNRWA. Residents of the village hold
claims to some 11,700 dunums of land expropriated by Israel for
exclusive Jewish use.
Internally Displaced Palestinians and Israeli Peace Groups to Mark
Destroyed Palestinian Villages: Internally displaced Palestinians
and several Israeli peace groups, including Gush Shalom and Bat
Shalom, are undertaking a project to post Hebrew signs at the site
of destroyed refugee villages inside Israel. The signs will include
the original name of the village (many of the village sites were
renamed with Hebrew names) and a brief account of the circumstances
of displacement. The project aims to create awareness and spark
discussion and debate about the Palestinian refugee issue and place
the right of return on the public agenda. Some Israeli peace groups
have also raised the idea of creating children’s games about the
Nakba, organizing study tours to the destroyed villages, creating
maps that include the refugee villages and organizing
exhibitions.
Lobbying the UN and International Community
Refugees Appeal to the UN and International Community to Stop
Israel’s War on the Camps: At the end of February following the
beginning of Israel’s war on the camps – dubbed ‘The Colors
Journey’ – refugees in the West Bank and Gaza Strip sent an urgent
appeal to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the European Union and
other members of the international community calling for immediate
intervention to stop Israel’s military assault of Palestinian
refugee camps and put in place an effective protection regime in
accordance with relevant UN resolutions and human rights
conventions. “We demand such protection especially now,”stated the
memo prepared by the Union of Youth Activities Centers – Palestine
Refugee Camps, “while we are confronted with a situation which
endangers our lives, security and survival, and for as long as our
issue is not resolved in accordance with relevant UN resolutions
and we cannot return to our homes from which we were expelled.”
Despite this and other appeals from the refugee community, and
statements of support from international human rights
organizations, the international community has yet to act, even in
the face of Israel’s escalating military campaign in the occupied
Palestinian territories.
Arab NGO Forum Calls upon the Arab Summit to Reaffirm the Right of
Return: For the first time in history Arab civil society
organizations convened to discuss their joint agenda prior to the
summit of Arab states in Beirut in late March. The Arab Civil
Forum, organized by the Arab NGO Network for Development and the
Arab Institute for Human Rights convened in Shatila Refugee Camp in
Beirut on 24 March in order to discuss issues related to the future
of the region from the perspective of individuals and organizations
concerned with human rights, human development and the
strengthening of democracy, particularly in light of the difficult
situation faced by Arab societies due to external and internal
constraints on freedom.
Discussion focused on means to support the Palestinian intifada and
Palestinian national independence based on international law and UN
Resolutions 194, 242, 338 and 1397; ways to strengthen global
support for the Iraqi people in the quest for democracy and an end
to the international embargo; and, mechanisms for fighting
oppression, poverty, and corruption in the region, including
respect for minority rights, the release of all prisoners of
conscience, and the end of impunity for all those responsible for
human rights violations, especially war crimes and crimes against
humanity. The Forum was opened in the presence of the families of
the victims of the 1982 massacres at Sabra and Shatila refugee
camps and expressed its support for the lawsuit lodged against
current Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and others in Belgium.
Committees were formed in 11 Arab countries to follow-up human
rights advocacy, monitor the actions of Arab governments, and lobby
for the lifting of martial law and the prosecution of war crimes by
Arabs and Israelis alike.
BADIL Calls Upon the US Department of State to Remedy Glaring
Underreporting of Human Rights of Palestinian Refugees: Each year
on February 25, the U.S. Department of State submits to the
Congress "a full and complete report regarding the status of
internationally recognized human rights" in countries that receive
assistance from the United States and in all other foreign
countries that are members of the United Nations. These "Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices" are prepared in compliance with
U.S. law (Foreign Assistance Act and Trade Act) by the State
Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor based on
information gathered from government officials, victims of human
rights abuses, academic studies, and reports released by the press,
international organizations and NGOs. Wherever it is demonstrated
that a state receiving U.S. foreign aid is responsible for "a
consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally
recognized human rights," the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
requires that all military and economic aid be immediately and
automatically terminated.
Based on the above, BADIL addressed a letter to the U.S. State
Department and the U.S. Ambassador to Israel on 8 January 2002, in
order to clarify the glaring underreporting in the State
Department's Year 2000 Annual Country Report for Israel of the
facts and legal implications of Israel's massive confiscation of
Palestinian-owned property and lands. The letter argued that
Israel's land confiscation program satisfies all three required
elements of the automatic foreign aid termination provisions of the
Foreign Assistance Act and that consequently, all U.S. foreign aid
to Israel - including both military and economic aid - must be
terminated immediately. BADIL requested full and fair reporting of
this matter in the forthcoming Year 2001 Annual State Department
Country Report for Israel. The 2001 report, issued in February
2002, however, failed to remedy the problem. (See, Refugee
Protection, below)
Sanctions/Boycott Campaign of Israel Picks up Increasing Support:
Israel’s ongoing military occupation and brutal assault on
Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has
engendered increasing support for consumer boycotts and economic
and military sanctions against Israel until it ends the illegal
occupation and comes into compliance with international law,
including the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their
homes of origin. In March the US-based women’s NGO Madre and the
National Lawyers Guild added their voices to a growing list of
Palestinian, Israeli, and international organizations and
individuals calling for sanctions and/or boycotts. In a letter to
the US Department of State, Madre wrote:
“The use of these weapons [F-15 and F-16 fighter jets and Apache
helicopters] violates the US Arms Export Control Act, which states
that US-supplied weapons may only be used for internal security and
legitimate self-defense. Moreover, the Leahy law prohibits US
funding to any country whose military commits human rights
violations.” In late November 2000 the Israeli government issued a
written assurance to the British government following a UK decision
that no military equipment originating in Britain could be used in
the occupied Palestinian territories and that no UK-originated
equipment nor any UK-originated systems/sub-systems/components are
used as part of Israel’s military activities in the territories.
Since that time, however, British government officials revealed
that modified Centurion tanks were being used in the
territories.
The sanctions/boycott campaign is consistent with the World
Conference Against Racism NGO Declaration and Program of Action
(September 2001), which calls upon the international community to
impose “a policy of complete and total isolation of Israel as an
apartheid state as in the case of South Africa which means the
imposition of mandatory and comprehensive sanctions and embargoes,
the full cessation of all links (diplomatic, economic, social, aid,
military cooperation and training) between all states and Israel.”
It also called upon the government of South Africa to take a lead
role given its own historical success in countering the undermining
policy of ‘constructive engagement’ with its own past apartheid
regime. The United Nations itself has issued numerous resolutions
in the past during the 1970s and 1980s calling upon states to end
economic and military aid to Israel due to the illegal occupation,
close cooperation with the Apartheid regime in South Africa and
nuclear weapons research, development and production.
World Conference Against Racism (Update) – Government Declaration
Reaffirms Palestinian Refugee Right of Return: In late December
2001 agreement was finally reached on the official government
Declaration and Program of Action from the Third World Conference
Against Racism held in Durban, South Africa (August/September
2001). The official document was delayed by some four months due to
a dispute concerning the placement of several paragraphs. The final
version of the Declaration and Program of Action is considerably
weaker than the Declaration and Program of Action adopted by NGOs
(See al-Majdal, Issue No. 11).
The official Declaration and Program of Action contain few details
relevant to the Palestinian people as specific victims of racism.
However, the Declaration does recognize (para. 65) the right of
Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and property in
dignity and safety, and urges all states to facilitate such return.
The Declaration further expresses concern about the plight of the
Palestinian people under ccupation (para. 63) and calls for a just,
comprehensive and lasting peace in the region (para. 64) based on
equality, justice and human rights. The Program of Action, while
calling for respect for international human rights and humanitarian
law (para. 151), merely calls for an end to violence and a return
to political negotiations. The Program of Action does not contain
references to Palestinian refugees.
In February the General Assembly Third Committee(Social, Cultural,
Humanitarian)adopted four draft resolutions relating to the
elimination of racism and racial discrimination as a follow-up to
the official government Declaration and Program of Action. The
Committee voted to establish an anti-discrimination unit to combat
racism and to promote equality and non-discrimination. Israel and
the United States voted against the draft resolution while Canada
and Australia abstained. The draft resolution also supported the
appointment of five independent experts to follow up on the
implementation of the Declaration. Two other draft resolutions
relating to the allocation of resources to implement the WCAR
Program of Action, and urging states to take all available measures
in accordance with obligations under international human rights
instruments to combat racism were approved without a vote. A third
resolution calling upon states, who have not yet ratified or
acceded to the international human rights instruments that combat
racism, to consider doing so was orally approved.