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Concluding
Resolutions 1. The right of our people to return to our homes and properties is a historic and sacred right rooted in principles of justice and based on the principles of international law including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this context UN Resolution 194 reaffirms the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties and to be compensated for their suffering during the years of exile. These two rights are two separate, equal rights based on international law. Compensation is not a substitute for return; presenting compensation as substitute is inconsistent with UN Resolution 194 and the larger body of international law. This approach aims to promote resettlement, extinguish refugee rights, and thus turn the page on our rights forever. We emphasize that the right to return is not only affirmed in UN Resolution 194, but is also rooted in our national values and our historic right in Palestine. The right to return is an inalienable right; it is not subject to negotiations, bargaining, or opinion polls and stands at cross-purposes with all projects for the resettlement, integration, dissolution, and scattering of the Palestinian people. 2. We affirm that the framework for the refugee issue is based on the unity of the people to their land. We reject all attempts to separate these elements of the refugee issue regardless of reason or circumstance. 3. We affirm that the language of return is both political and legal. We reject all attempts to extinguish refugee rights and aim to reinforce the ability of refugees to defend the right of return. 4. The language of return is a unifying language that should be understood in the framework of national rights and the national consensus. It does not conflict with other forms of struggle. 5. We affirm the importance of the Arab role, supported by the Islamic world, in unifying the language of the right of return both on the official and popular levels. 6. We affirm the importance of maintaining the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as a witness of the crimes committed against our people by the Zionist movement and because the Agency embodies the political and moral responsibility of the international community for creating and for resolving the plight of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA services must be maintained until the refugees return to their original homes and properties. 7. We demand international protection as well as temporary protection for Palestinian refugees, a status accorded under international law to other refugees, because UNRWA's mandate does not include refugee protection. 8. We affirm the importance of working to enter the term al-Awda (Return) into foreign language dictionaries as has happened with the terms nakba and intifada. Agenda – Palestinian Refugee Rights 1. A coordination workshop will be held annually and other organizations should be invited in order to expand the movement for the defense of the right of return. 2. BADIL will be responsible for coordination between participants in the workshop. This coordination should be expanded through the internet and other media in order to disseminate popular information on the right of return and exchange experiences from activities in the field. 3. European, American, Palestinian, and Arab partners will take the responsibility for organizing joint activities during major national events, such as Land Day, the anniversary of al-Nakba, the Sabra and Shatila massacre, and the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. 4. Summer camps for children and youth from Palestine and the diaspora will be organized jointly in order to show Palestine (Land and People) and expose children and youth, emotionally and mentally, to the culture of Return (al-Awda). 5. Al-Awda initiatives and networks in each area will be empowered as a necessary first step towards coordination at the global level. 6. The Right-of-Return Coalitions in Europe and North America will work on preparing solidarity visits and fact finding tours for politicians, journalists and parliamentarians in order to highlight the situation of refugees in Palestine and the diaspora and to draw attention to the struggle of the internally displaced Palestinians in 1948 Palestine/Israel.
BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and
Refugee Rights |
