Press Releases

Boston, MA – Boston area students hosted a groundbreaking conference addressing the complex realities of the implementation of the Palestinian refugees’ Right of Return in which BADIL Resource Center contributed a crucial role.

BADIL and Zochrot (an Israeli NGO that promotes the acknowledgment, accountability and responsibility of the Nakba and the return of the Palestinian refugees) presented keynote speeches highlighting the work they do in promotion of the Palestinian right of return and refugee rights, particularly to create a culture of return in both Palestinian and Israeli societies. 

BADIL's keynote address emphasized that in addition to the politics that imbue the case of 6.5 million refugees is the fact that Palestinian refugees are like all other refugees in that their humanitarian condition is of utmost priority as is tragically evidenced by the discriminatory treatment of Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria.  To that end, durable solutions for Palestinian refugees is both an individual right as well as a prerequisite to establishing a viable peace. BADIL highlighted the findings of its comparative study trips to Cyprus, South Africa, and the Former Yugoslavia. It impressed upon the audience that while many questions remain outstanding the twin guiding principles are that each Palestinian refugee be given a choice to return as enshrined in UN Resolution 194 and that their return not cause the mass forcible displacement of the Israeli population. 

A team made up of BADIL’s USA advocacy consultant, USA Mobilizer and a number of interns and volunteers contributed to the successful implementation of the conference and BADIL’s active participation and strong presence therein.

“The Right of Return Conference” took place on Saturday and Sunday 6-7 April at the Boston University Law School Auditorium with over 200 people in attendance. The conference explored right of return discourses as they exist among Palestinian communities around the world by opening a space for envisioning and delving into the practical implementation of this right. The aim of the conference was to shift and expand the discourse around Palestine in US academia and to explore the right of return within the United States more broadly. Conference panelists discussed legal, political, spatial, discursive, and cultural questions, featuring their submissions to a call for papers. The discussions were open to the general public.

The conference was sponsored by a number of student groups, including Boston University’s Students for Justice in Palestine, The Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee, Northeastern University’s and Brandeis University’s Students for Justice in Palestine.