I would point out only that the State of Israel with its original 1948
borders, was formed by the United Nations. Of course, the UN was doing the
bidding of western nations and Zionist leaders. So it would be inaccurate
to say that Israel stole land by coming into existence. It did, however,
immediately extend the borders originally assigned to it and it did remove
the existing Palestinian population.
Miriam
THE ELECTRONIC INTIFADA
Right of return is the heart of Palestine's struggle
Mohamed Mohamed The Electronic Intifada 6 September 2016
No leader can surrender Palestinians' right to return after 68 years of
exile. (Tijen Erol)
A friend of mine recently shared an image meant to show solidarity with
Palestine. At first glance, I thought it was nice: it depicts a heart that
is outlined with the word "Palestine," is filled with the names of many
Palestinian cities and is decorated with the colors of the Palestinian flag.
Naturally, I tried to find the city of Safad, which is near the birthplace
of my grandparents. I couldn't find it, but I also couldn't find other
nearby cities such as Akka, Haifa or even Nazareth. Then it became clear:
none of the Palestinian cities seized by Zionist forces during the 1948
Nakba were included in this Palestine heart.
As a descendant of Palestinians from a village in what is now known as
Israel, the barrage of Israeli propaganda attempting to bury the history of
our existence is not surprising. One can expect no less from a state that
was created through the expulsion and subjugation of an existing population.
Discrimination against Palestinians is not perpetrated solely by the Israeli
state; it is endemic to Israeli society itself. A recent Pew survey
indicates that almost half of Israeli Jews believe that Palestinian citizens
of Israel should be expelled from the country and 79 percent believe that
Jews deserve preferential treatment in Israel.
Yet the heart image, which ignores a key injustice perpetrated against
Palestinians, presumably originated from a supporter of Palestine. It is
just another picture among millions being shared online, but it serves as a
reminder of how the plight of Palestinians dispossessed in 1948 has in many
ways been forgotten, even by those who are supportive of the Palestinian
cause.
A non-negotiable right
The right of return, a cornerstone of the Palestinian struggle, is the
principle that Palestinian refugees have an inalienable right to return to
their homeland. This includes those who fled or were forced to flee in 1948
as well as in 1967, along with their descendants.
The right of return is also enshrined in international law. The UN General
Assembly in December 1948 adopted Resolution 194, which called for the
return of Palestinian refugees to their homes. In June 1967, the UN Security
Council passed Resolution 237 calling on Israel to facilitate the return of
refugees, thereby including those forced out by Israel's seizure of land
days earlier.
Israel continues to violate its obligations under international law. It has
no intention of correcting or addressing the historic injustices that
created the Palestinian refugee problem, and the right of return has been
one of the main issues preventing a just settlement of the conflict. In the
rare instances that Israel even considers Palestinian statehood, it regards
the right of return as out of the question.
Although the original refugees of the 1948 ethnic cleansing are declining in
number, their descendants number more than five million. Even if a fraction
exercised their right to return, this could potentially upset the balance of
power within the Israeli political system in a dramatic way. Considering
that Israelis have long been warned of the "demographic threat" to the
"Jewish state," and that the entire Zionist project relies on maintaining
Jewish demographic domination, it is no surprise that they are unwilling to
accept the right of return.
As a result of its entrenched political, economic and military power, Israel
has no incentive to accept responsibility for its crimes or make any
reparations. On the contrary, the Israeli propaganda machine actively tries
to normalize the country's dark history and its ongoing oppression of
Palestinians.
In other words, the expectation is that repeated human rights violations,
including ethnic cleansing and dispossession, become accepted as normal if
given enough time. This normalization influences the perceptions of
international audiences, the Israeli public and even Palestine supporters
who have become disheartened by the poor prospects for a fair resolution.
Game of patience
The first conference of the Zionist movement took place more than 50 years
before 1948; the colonization of Palestine has long been a maneuver of
patience, backed by overwhelming violence and international complicity.
This is still the case today, 68 years after the Nakba. Israel is likely
betting that after the first-generation refugees die off, the following
generations will gradually forget their claims to historic Palestine.
In the meantime, the trees planted by the Jewish National Fund will continue
to grow and conceal the evidence of Palestinian villages destroyed by
Zionists.
It is imperative that supporters of Palestinian rights never forget the
refugees of 1948. Palestine solidarity movements continue to call for the
right of return, but for strategic reasons much of their activism focuses on
issues such as settlement activity in the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem, and Israeli aggression against Gaza.
The Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement calls
for the boycott of "all of the Israeli companies and institutions that are
involved in its violations of international law," but it acknowledges that
the most prominent campaigns target companies that operate in illegal
Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Campaigns against settlement activity
in the so-called Occupied Palestinian Territories are simply more likely to
gain broad international support than those calling for the right of return.
This reality of what powerful nations - and even some activists - will
support is a testament to the persistence and effectiveness of Israeli
propaganda. Despite uprooting hundreds of thousands of people in 1948,
occupying their lands and subjugating those who remained, major world powers
view Israel as a legitimate state, a "bastion of democracy."
To them, Palestinian lands captured in 1948 are not perceived as occupied in
any way. The "Occupied Palestinian Territories" refer to the West Bank,
including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and Israel's official position
is that they are "disputed," not occupied. History is written by the victors
here.
Furthermore, supporters of Israel are notorious for answering valid
criticism of state policy with accusations of anti-Semitism. They equate the
Palestinian right of return with the denial of Jewish self-determination and
this discourages others from speaking out.
Remaining steadfast
The core issue here is that the Zionist founders of Israel expelled the
native Palestinian population and seized their lands. Israel's very
foundation rests on occupation and oppression.
In Lebanon, stateless Palestinians continue to live in overcrowded and
underserved refugee camps with few rights, while Israelis - effectively
squatters - live comfortably on the lands of these Palestinians' parents and
grandparents, only tens of miles away. Their rightful homes and lands are
undoubtedly occupied.
No peace agreement can ever void this right of return because individual
rights cannot be abrogated by any peace deal. Israel arrogantly claims
sovereignty over the Palestinian lands that it stole in 1948, and it would
like nothing more than to receive official sanction of this claim. Any
Israeli willingness to recognize Palestinian statehood would be contingent
on that.
In the meantime, Israel will continue to methodically malnourish, stunt and
limit the caloric intake of Palestinians in Gaza and suppress Palestinians
in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the hope that protracted
suffering and humiliation will lead them into submission.
The Palestinian people have remained steadfast in the face of such Israeli
tyranny. Sixty-eight years of displacement and repression have not broken
their will and resilience.
But as Israel's propaganda continues to distract from the truth of its
foundation, and when even the supposed chief representative of Palestinians
indicates his willingness to cede his claims to his hometown, it becomes
more important than ever for Palestinians and their supporters to reaffirm
the right of return. Otherwise, the true extent of the occupation of all
historic Palestine will be forgotten.
Mohamed Mohamed is the Finance, Grants and Development Associate at The
Jerusalem Fund and Palestine Center in Washington, DC.
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Right of return is the heart of Palestine's struggle
Mohamed Mohamed The Electronic Intifada 6 September 2016
No leader can surrender Palestinians' right to return after 68 years of
exile. (Tijen Erol)
A friend of mine recently shared an image meant to show solidarity with
Palestine. At first glance, I thought it was nice: it depicts a heart that
is outlined with the word "Palestine," is filled with the names of many
Palestinian cities and is decorated with the colors of the Palestinian flag.
Naturally, I tried to find the city of Safad, which is near the birthplace
of my grandparents. I couldn't find it, but I also couldn't find other
nearby cities such as Akka, Haifa or even Nazareth. Then it became clear:
none of the Palestinian cities seized by Zionist forces during the 1948
Nakba were included in this Palestine heart.
As a descendant of Palestinians from a village in what is now known as
Israel, the barrage of Israeli propaganda attempting to bury the history of
our existence is not surprising. One can expect no less from a state that
was created through the expulsion and subjugation of an existing population.
Discrimination against Palestinians is not perpetrated solely by the Israeli
state; it is endemic to Israeli society itself. A recent Pew survey
indicates that almost half of Israeli Jews believe that Palestinian citizens
of Israel should be expelled from the country and 79 percent believe that
Jews deserve preferential treatment in Israel.
Yet the heart image, which ignores a key injustice perpetrated against
Palestinians, presumably originated from a supporter of Palestine. It is
just another picture among millions being shared online, but it serves as a
reminder of how the plight of Palestinians dispossessed in 1948 has in many
ways been forgotten, even by those who are supportive of the Palestinian
cause.
A non-negotiable right
The right of return, a cornerstone of the Palestinian struggle, is the
principle that Palestinian refugees have an inalienable right to return to
their homeland. This includes those who fled or were forced to flee in 1948
as well as in 1967, along with their descendants.
The right of return is also enshrined in international law. The UN General
Assembly in December 1948 adopted Resolution 194, which called for the
return of Palestinian refugees to their homes. In June 1967, the UN Security
Council passed Resolution 237 calling on Israel to facilitate the return of
refugees, thereby including those forced out by Israel's seizure of land
days earlier.
Israel continues to violate its obligations under international law. It has
no intention of correcting or addressing the historic injustices that
created the Palestinian refugee problem, and the right of return has been
one of the main issues preventing a just settlement of the conflict. In the
rare instances that Israel even considers Palestinian statehood, it regards
the right of return as out of the question.
Although the original refugees of the 1948 ethnic cleansing are declining in
number, their descendants number more than five million. Even if a fraction
exercised their right to return, this could potentially upset the balance of
power within the Israeli political system in a dramatic way. Considering
that Israelis have long been warned of the "demographic threat" to the
"Jewish state," and that the entire Zionist project relies on maintaining
Jewish demographic domination, it is no surprise that they are unwilling to
accept the right of return.
As a result of its entrenched political, economic and military power, Israel
has no incentive to accept responsibility for its crimes or make any
reparations. On the contrary, the Israeli propaganda machine actively tries
to normalize the country's dark history and its ongoing oppression of
Palestinians.
In other words, the expectation is that repeated human rights violations,
including ethnic cleansing and dispossession, become accepted as normal if
given enough time. This normalization influences the perceptions of
international audiences, the Israeli public and even Palestine supporters
who have become disheartened by the poor prospects for a fair resolution.
Game of patience
The first conference of the Zionist movement took place more than 50 years
before 1948; the colonization of Palestine has long been a maneuver of
patience, backed by overwhelming violence and international complicity.
This is still the case today, 68 years after the Nakba. Israel is likely
betting that after the first-generation refugees die off, the following
generations will gradually forget their claims to historic Palestine.
In the meantime, the trees planted by the Jewish National Fund will continue
to grow and conceal the evidence of Palestinian villages destroyed by
Zionists.
It is imperative that supporters of Palestinian rights never forget the
refugees of 1948. Palestine solidarity movements continue to call for the
right of return, but for strategic reasons much of their activism focuses on
issues such as settlement activity in the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem, and Israeli aggression against Gaza.
The Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement calls
for the boycott of "all of the Israeli companies and institutions that are
involved in its violations of international law," but it acknowledges that
the most prominent campaigns target companies that operate in illegal
Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Campaigns against settlement activity
in the so-called Occupied Palestinian Territories are simply more likely to
gain broad international support than those calling for the right of return.
This reality of what powerful nations - and even some activists - will
support is a testament to the persistence and effectiveness of Israeli
propaganda. Despite uprooting hundreds of thousands of people in 1948,
occupying their lands and subjugating those who remained, major world powers
view Israel as a legitimate state, a "bastion of democracy."
To them, Palestinian lands captured in 1948 are not perceived as occupied in
any way. The "Occupied Palestinian Territories" refer to the West Bank,
including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and Israel's official position
is that they are "disputed," not occupied. History is written by the victors
here.
Furthermore, supporters of Israel are notorious for answering valid
criticism of state policy with accusations of anti-Semitism. They equate the
Palestinian right of return with the denial of Jewish self-determination and
this discourages others from speaking out.
Remaining steadfast
The core issue here is that the Zionist founders of Israel expelled the
native Palestinian population and seized their lands. Israel's very
foundation rests on occupation and oppression.
In Lebanon, stateless Palestinians continue to live in overcrowded and
underserved refugee camps with few rights, while Israelis - effectively
squatters - live comfortably on the lands of these Palestinians' parents and
grandparents, only tens of miles away. Their rightful homes and lands are
undoubtedly occupied.
No peace agreement can ever void this right of return because individual
rights cannot be abrogated by any peace deal. Israel arrogantly claims
sovereignty over the Palestinian lands that it stole in 1948, and it would
like nothing more than to receive official sanction of this claim. Any
Israeli willingness to recognize Palestinian statehood would be contingent
on that.
In the meantime, Israel will continue to methodically malnourish, stunt and
limit the caloric intake of Palestinians in Gaza and suppress Palestinians
in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the hope that protracted
suffering and humiliation will lead them into submission.
The Palestinian people have remained steadfast in the face of such Israeli
tyranny. Sixty-eight years of displacement and repression have not broken
their will and resilience.
But as Israel's propaganda continues to distract from the truth of its
foundation, and when even the supposed chief representative of Palestinians
indicates his willingness to cede his claims to his hometown, it becomes
more important than ever for Palestinians and their supporters to reaffirm
the right of return. Otherwise, the true extent of the occupation of all
historic Palestine will be forgotten.
Mohamed Mohamed is the Finance, Grants and Development Associate at The
Jerusalem Fund and Palestine Center in Washington, DC.