Press Releases
On 14 May 2023, the Palestinian people lit the Torch of Return simultaneously at 51 sites in Mandatory Palestine and in exile. As part of the annual activities to resist the Ongoing Nakba organized by the Global Palestinian Refugee and Displaced Persons Network (GPRN) under the slogan: "75 Years of Ongoing Nakba... 75 Years of Ongoing Resistance," crowds gathered in various locations on both sides of the Green Line and in Lebanon, as well as in several countries around the world, and chanted in unison: "One people, one destiny, and return is inevitable."
The torch of return was lit at various sites by Palestinian and international organizations, through which Palestinians affirmed their unity as one people with a common destiny, and their return is undeniable. The flames of return, in Lebanon, the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem merged with the flames in Nazareth, Majd al-Krum, Ara'ara, and Sheikh Munis (Tel Aviv), instilling in the younger generations the belief that return is the foundation of all rights, and there is no solution or peace without returning to the original lands, reclaiming properties and receiving compensation.
The event, which is coordinated annually by BADIL Center in partnership with the Global Palestinian Refugee and Displaced Persons Network, patriotic community-based organizations, youth groups, popular committees, and representative of political parties, included community and cultural activities that reaffirm the right of return to the original lands, the right to self-determination, and the Palestinian people's right to resist the Israeli colonial-apartheid regime.
The statement of the ongoing Nakba in its 75th year, issued in five languages and endorsed by more than 185 Palestinian, Arab, and international organizations and networks, highlighted the policies of forced displacement practiced by the Israeli oppressive regime against the Palestinian people. These policies are an integral part of the foundations of this regime, alongside colonialization and apartheid. The statement also affirmed that the complicity of influential Western countries with this regime will not diminish the legitimacy of the Palestinian resistance.
