Press Releases

Challenging the Ongoing Nakba: Palestinians Unite and Light the Flame of Return
Challenging the Ongoing Nakba: Palestinians Unite and Light the Flame of Return
PR/AR/150520/21
 

On the 72nd commemoration of the Ongoing Nakba, BADIL and the Global Palestinian Refugee Network (GPRN), in partnership with a number of grassroots movements and organizations (both local and international), organized the lighting of the “Right of Return” torch under the slogan “One People, One Destiny, and Our Inevitable Return."

Around the world and simultaneously, Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons lit torches for the right of return to reiterate the continued Palestinian demand for this inalienable right.  Palestinians lit the flame of return in Jerusalem, Haifa, Acre, Nazareth, Lod, Khan Yunis, Dheisheh Camp, Aida Camp, Balata Camp, Al-Fawar Camp, Jalazun Camp, Burj Al-Barajneh Camp, Shatila Camp, Amsterdam and Geneva.

These activities symbolize the Palestinian people’s unity and struggle against the Zionist-Israeli colonial and apartheid regime, the continued connection to their homeland and commitment to rights and justice. The flame of return activities challenge Israeli segregation, fragmentation and isolation, until return to their original homes, the restoration of their property, compensation and self-determination on the land of Palestine is made possible.

At present, Zionist and American campaigns aimed at fragmenting and displacing the Palestinian people and their land are becoming more and more evident. These campaigns are attempts to undermine the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people; importantly, the right to return and the right to self-determination.

The torch lighting events also highlight the importance of addressing the root causes of the conflict, which are ongoing displacement, colonialism and apartheid whilst prioritizing the rights of the Palestinian people. In order to achieve just and lasting peace, one must address these core issues and reject all compromises and plans that seek to strip Palestinians of their rights, especially in what is known as the "Deal of the Century.”