Refugee Voices
Palestinian Refugees Reject Bush Declaration
Leaving the Camp Will Only be to Return
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“What Bush declared to satisfy Israel will only make us cling more
to our right of return, and if that does not happen today, our
children and grandchildren will accomplish it, regardless of the
sacrifices they may have to offer,” stated seventy-year-old Khalid
Mansour from Jenin refugee camp. The statements of Khalid Mansour
(Abu Rashid) regarding Bush’s statements are representative of the
opinions of all refugees not only in Jenin camp but in all the
refugee communities.
If Mansour ever considers leaving the refugee camp, to which he came half a century ago, it will only be to go to Haifa. Commenting on the 2002 atrocities in the camp, Mansour said: “Occupation forces merely destroyed another stop on our return path. If we ever consider leaving the camp, we have nowhere else to go but the land from which we were displaced by horrifying massacres committed by Zionist gangs.” Abu Rashid sees differences between what happened in 1948 and what happened in 2002. “In 1948, we were driven out of our homes and land in Haifa, Akka, Lydda and Ramle by massacres committed by Zionist gangs, and we headed for the West Bank, Gaza and neighboring countries. But this time things are different; there is no place for us to go. We will not hesitate to return to our homes inside the ‘Green Line’, even if that costs us our lives.”
Ismail Ali al-Kayali, 56 years old from Gaza, was only one year old when his family was displaced from their village. al-Kayali refuses to give up the right of return. “Nobody can give up our dream to return. Even though I don’t remember the village, my father told me a lot about it and I do the same thing with my sons. All the time I hear statements that call upon us to give up of the right of return, but they don’t know that the Palestinian people will not sell their homeland under any condition.” Tharifa al-Khalidi is 70 years old and originates from Karatiyya. She lives now in Gaza. She affirmed her right and dream to return to her village,. “When we left our village, our conditions became worse. I still believe that the return to our village will resolve all of our problems. I’m willing to give up everything here in order to implement the return to my village.”
Jamal Zubeidi, from Jenin did not live through the Nakba but suffered from its results. “Neither Bush nor Sharon is entitled to extinguish our historical right of returning to the land and homes of our fathers and grandfathers. If the world is willing to succumb to the desires of the United States, we are the exception. Our people will never succumb to the actions of occupation, no matter what form of oppression and aggression it uses. If we intended to surrender the right of return, we would not have offered all the sacrifices we have offered. Losing loved ones for the sake of this issue says that it is sacred to us. There is not a Palestinian in the world that is not willing to give up his life for the cause.” Asma Abu Al-Haija, is married to Sheikh Jamal Abu al-Haija, who was held in an Israeli prison, “What right does Bush have to offer Sharon a new Balfour Declaration and cancel the right of more than five million Palestinians? Why does he allow Jews that have no connection with Palestine to come and immediately receive citizenship and the facilities they need? We reject these statements. There is no alternative to return.”
Jamal Shati, head of the Refugee Affairs Committee at the Legislative Council, agrees. “After 55 years, it is obvious that Israel insists on pursuing and displacing the Palestinian people and demolishing their homes, not realizing that if these people decide to move, they would only return to the homes from which they were driven out in 1948. Bush’s statements, despite their seriousness, will not lead to denying the Palestinian refugees the right of return.” Shati spoke about the brutal attack on the refugee camp in 2002, saying, “The war that the Jenin refugee camp witnessed, fought with US weapons, is part of the Israeli scheme aimed at forcing the Palestinians out of Palestine. We will not leave, regardless of how much force they use, and if we decide to leave it will be to Haifa, Jaffa, Lydda and Ramle.” Hasan Jabarin, head of the popular committee at al-Bureij refugee camp said, “No one can imagine how much the refugees in the camp insist on their right of return, all the refugee generations confirm the right of return and will not allow anyone to give up this right.” https://australiacasinoonline.com
This article was originally published as two separate articles in Haq al-Awda (May 2004).