Update - Campaign for the Defense of Palestinian Refugee Rights
Coping with the Final Status Negotiations:
PALESTINIAN REFUGEES SET THEIR OWN AGENDA
With the re-opening of the final status negotiations between the PLO and Israel, Palestinian refugees continue to raise their voice in defense of their internationally recognized right of return to their homes and restitution of their property (UN Resolution 194), as well as their right to compensation for material and non-material damage incurred as a result of their massive eviction by Israel in 1948.
The Palestinian-International Campaign for the Defense of Palestinian Refugee Rights - launched by Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, inside the territory of the Israeli state and in exile - aims to: a) raise awareness about the ongoing legitimacy and practicality of the demand for the right of retur0n; b) support all forms of refugee self-organization, which strengthen the steadfastness of Palestinian refugees in this difficult era of political negotiations and provide continuity to their demands.
BADIL Resource Center facilitates this Campaign effort with the assistance of Palestinian researchers and international partners in Europe, the USA-Canada, and Australia.
Campaign for the Defense of Palestinian Refugee Rights -NETWORKING:
Expanding the Network of Refugee Partner Organizations in Palestine (BADIL Friends Forum)
1. Connecting the Southern and Northern West Bank:
Following the presentation of our Campaign initiative to the
community organizations and activists in the northern West Bank on
27 May 99 (see workshop report in AL Majdal magazine/2, June 99),
Yafa Cultural Center/Committee for the Defense of Palestinian
Refugee Rights in Balata refugee camp and activists from other
refugee camps in the northern West Bank decided to join the BADIL
Friends Forum established earlier in the south in order to promote
the Campaign among the local refugee community.
Contact/BADIL Friends Forum:
Northern West Bank: Hussam Khader, Shaher Bedawi
tel/fax: 09-2385930 (Balata Camp);
Southern West Bank: via BADIL Resource Center;
2. Re-Building the Ties with Palestinian Organizations Inside
the Territory of the Israeli State:
Between 5-7 August, BADIL held meetings with the National Committee
for the Defense of the Internally Displaced in Shafa Amr, with the
Association of the Forty in Haifa, with Raja Ighbariyeh (former
secretary of the Committee for Defense of Arab Lands, currently
inactive) in Nazareth, and with Al-Baqa' Center in Majdal Krum. In
these meetings, the important role of Palestinian organizations
present in the homeland - especially of those concerned with the
rights of the displaced and unrecognized communities - was
emphasized. It was decided to cooperate, from now on, in
networking, strategizing, and activities of the Campaign. A first
follow-up meeting between the BADIL Friends Forum and the National
Committee for the Internally Displaced was held on 19 August at the
Youth Activity Center-Aida Camp/Bethlehem.
Contact/National Committee for the Internally Displaced: Wakim
Wakim, coordinator; tel. 04-9921220, 053-752601; fax. 04-9925754
(Haifa);
3. Coordinating with Palestinians in Exile:
LEBANON & SYRIA
Following a BADIL fact finding mission to Lebanon in early 1999 and
extensive preparatory discussions, a formal group of Palestinian
Campaign partners in Lebanon (contact list, Campaign web-page for
Lebanon, etc.) is currently under establishment.
4. MECC (Middle East Council of Churches) gets involved:
On July 5, a workshop on the Palestinian refugee question was
organized by the MECC/DSPR in Jerusalem. This workshop aimed at
briefing the Executive Committee of DSPR (MECC Department operating
development projects for the refugee community) on current
developments in regards to refugee issues. Salim Tamari/IJS, Lex
Takkenberg/international law expert, and Ingrid Jaradat
Gassner/BADIL made presentations. The Executive Committee concluded
that:
a) representatives of the Executive Committee in the West Bank,
Gaza, 1948 Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon were ready to serve
Palestinian refugees by coordinating its development projects with
the Palestinian institutions and initiatives working in the refugee
camps;
b) DSPR would undertake awareness raising and information work for
the Palestinian right of return based on the resources prepared by
BADIL and its partners in the framework of the
Palestinian-International Campaign for the Defense of Palestinian
Refugee Rights.
Contact/MECC-DSPR: Dr. Bernard Sabella, Executive Secretary; tel.
02-6271715, fax. 02-6271716 (Jerusalem);
Email:[email protected]
5. International Partners
EUROPE:
Numerous NGOs, solidarity groups, and the ECCP (European
Coordinating Committee of Solidarity Groups on Palestine) are
currently working on the production of Campaign materials in
several European languages and collecting signatures for BADIL's
Petition for the Palestinian Right to Restitution. In Belgium,
thousands of petitions were sent to institutions and organizations.
This petition is to be presented to the European Parliament during
a meeting on the 17-18 November 1999 in preparation for a second
meeting on the refugee question in spring 2000.
Contact/European Campaign: Hilt Teuwen, Oxfam Solidarity;
email:[email protected]
USA and Canada:
An advisory committee for networking and promotion on behalf of the
Campaign was formed; collection of signatures for the Petition for
the Palestinian Right to Restitution continues .
Contact/Advisory Committee: Jennifer Moorhead,
email: [email protected]
AUSTRALIA and New Zealand:
Camping information and Petition signature collection
Contact for the Campaign and Petition signature collection:
Asem Judeh, email:[email protected]
Cecily Michels, email:[email protected]