Refugee Voices
‘Message Received?’ Opinions on the Geneva Accords
This summary was originally published in Arabic in Haq al-Awda
(January 2004). To read the full version, see the BADIL website.
The summary was drawn from more than 300 statements issued by
individuals, institutions, and Palestinian national
organizations.
The Palestinian National Council (PNC) has struggled in
international fora and managed to obtain several resolutions that
emphasized the right of refugees to return to their homeland.
Hence, it is disallowed for any member of the PNC to take upon
himself individually to participate in any activity that calls for
renouncing the right to return whether it is within the framework
of the Geneva Accords or any other framework.
Salim al-Zanoun, Chair, Palestinian National Council (PNC)
1 December 2003
The refugee problem is the core of the Palestinian people’s
struggle. The refugee problem will only be solved through their
return to their lands and country. The struggles and sacrifices of
our people disallow any person to renounce any of our people’s
rights. If the different peace initiatives presented to the
Palestinian people and its leadership are going to be at the
expense of the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, then, may
all these peace initiatives go to hell. We will not entitle anyone
to trade in our martyrs’ blood. We will continue our resistance and
struggle, which were granted to us by international law, in case we
fail to gain our rights through peaceful means.
Rafik Al-Natsheh, former spokesperson, Palestinian Legislative
Council
1 December 2003
So long as Israel is still committed to the principles that were
adopted at the First Zionist Congress and refuses to renounce these
principles, we as Palestinians cannot – in light of this reality –
consider any of the peaceful initiatives presented to us. I am
personally against all these initiatives until there is a clear
change in the Israeli position, at least in recognizing our
rights.
Haidar Abdel-Shafi, Head, the Palestinian Delegation to
Madrid-Washington Peace Talks
The rebuilding of a new Palestinian negotiations strategy is an
existing issue and belongs to the Palestinian people as a whole.
This issue is expressed through national, democratic and Islamic
Palestinian factions. It is disallowed for anyone to practice their
own personal political actions, and with the same flames that burnt
us for decades. The Geneva Accords are unbalanced. It is
manufactured by an Israeli expansionist policy that we’ve
experienced for long. Due to this policy, the Palestinian people
continued their struggle against occupation in order to establish a
balanced and comprehensive peace under the legitimate and
international supervision.
Nayef Hawatmeh, Secretary-General of the Democratic Front for the
Liberation of Palestine
29 October 2003
The Geneva Accords are a deed of surrender and a grave offense. The
Palestinian people along with the Arab and Muslim people cannot and
will not accept it under any circumstance. This agreement
effectively cancels the right to return for the Palestinian people
who were uprooted from their lands and homes. It further transforms
the “Promised” Palestinian state into a demilitarized protectorate
with its open space, water and borders wide open for the
occupation’s forces.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS)
1 December 2003
Based on our commitment to Palestinian national rights and the
rights of the Arab nation as a whole, the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine condemns the Geneva Accords that are
directed against the Palestinian people and its future generation’s
goals and aspirations. The main goal of this initiative is to
eliminate the right to return for the Palestinian refugees in exile
who were uprooted from their lands. The initiative will lead to the
cancellation of Resolution 194, which affirms refugees’ right to
return to their homeland and villages they were coercively uprooted
from in 1948.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Political
Bureau
30 November 2003
The Geneva Accords do not reflect the position of the refugees. It
reflects the personal positions of its signatories. This initiative
presents a major degradation from the consecutive national council
resolutions. Therefore, this initiative will not accomplish
anything for our Palestinian people; in fact, it will broaden the
disagreements within Palestinian society. I call for foiling and
resisting the Geneva Accords. I request the signatories to retract
and declare their commitment to the national goals of the
Palestinian people.
Husam Khader, Prisoner, Member of the Palestinian Legislative
Council, and Head of the Defense Committee for the Rights of
Palestinian Refugees
12 November, 2003
The Islamic Jihad movement rejects and condemns the Geneva Accords.
The movement considers this initiative as part of the Zionist war
waged by the Sharon government, an extension to the collusive plan,
and negligence to our people’s sacrifices, and a detachment from
the people’s consensus.
Sheikh Sharif Al-Tahayneh, Islamic Jihad Movement
1 December 2003
The Geneva Accords are an unofficial document and do not reflect
the position or opinions of the FATEH movement. It does not
correspond to the aspirations of the Palestinian people. We stress
that no one has the right to strive to reach fateful decisions on
behalf of the Palestinian people without referring to the people’s
democratic and national official bodies.
The Palestinian National Liberation Movement (FATEH), Southern
Province
29 November 2003
The content and the articles of the Geneva Accords are far below
the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people. It does
not represent the national consensus, and extremely harms our
national rights embodied in our national and central councils’
resolutions in their successive terms.
Members of the Palestinian National Council residing in Jordan
3 December 2003
I want to emphasize the sacredness of the right to return. I
consider it the cornerstone of a just and comprehensive peace in
the Middle East. I herewith condemn the Geneva Accords, which is
yet anther conspiracy that oversteps legitimate international
resolutions, especially the ones related to the right to return,
which was reaffirmed by the United Nations more than 130 times.
This initiative also negatively affects our national rights.
Abdel Fattah Ghanem, Presidential Advisor on Refugee Camp
Affairs
2 December 2003
The legitimate representative of our people embodied in the
institutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole
representative of our people, and the sole representative capable
of conducting any political negotiations related to our national
problem. Individuals that show up every now and then, and ignore
the suffering and sacrifices of our people do not represent our
legitimate rights. We call upon them to put an end to their actions
that are inconsistent with the legitimate Palestinian frameworks
and in a period in which our people are bleeding and being exposed
to the worst of Israeli state terror. We reiterate our steadfast
and continued commitment to the national rights of our people
including the Palestinian refugees’ right to return in accordance
with Resolution 194, and our right to self determination and the
establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its
capital.
Emergency Committee for Islamic and National Forces
19 October 2003
The Geneva Accords free the Zionist movement and the Hebrew State
from its moral and political responsibility towards the creation of
the refugee problem in 1948. The initiative also ignores the roots
of the Arab-Israeli conflict through ignoring the Nakba and moving
forward to the June 1967 war that resulted in the occupation of the
rest of Palestine. It provides for a direct and clear renunciation
of the Palestinian people’s national rights, which were affirmed by
international conventions and United Nations’ resolutions, namely
Resolution 194. This resolution, according to our opinion, consists
of three main correlated rights: the refugees’ right to return to
their original land, which they were uprooted from in 1948, the
right to restitution, and the right to compensation based on
standards of international law.
The Palestinian Coalition for the Right to Return, Lebanon and
Syria Office (Beirut)
6 December 2003
Our task in defending the Palestinian refugees’ right to return and
in confronting any settlement plans is a national, regional and an
Islamic task. This task is part of a framework that aims at
revitalizing our common national and regional responsibility in
confronting the Israeli occupation and the Zionist expansionist
policy. Only through the unification of our parties and forces in
facing our common enemy, can our nation regain its extorted rights.
The right to self determination cannot prevail without a
comprehensive right to return. The unity of the Palestinian people
is a basic requirement that must exist in order to exercise our
right to return and self determination.
Tala’t Abu Othman, Press Secretary, Committees for Defending the
Right to Return, Jordan
15 December 2003
We, and all our Palestinian people, at home and in exile, emphasize
our adherence to our national rights, most importantly our right to
return and our right to a fully sovereign and independent state
with Jerusalem as its capital. We declare our absolute rejection of
the Geneva Accords and its free concessions because it harms our
national rights. It also carries in its folds many dangers that
threaten our people’s legitimate national rights. We call upon the
Palestinian leadership to declare its clear rejection towards this
initiative, in addition to lifting the political mantle from all
signatories. We call upon the Arab governments and the
international community’s institutions to withhold any official
legitimacy to the initiative because it contradicts Arab and
international resolutions.
Palestinian Youth Organizations and Institution in Sour, Lebanon;
the Social Communication Center (Ajyal); the Islamic Club for
Palestinian Students; Jerusalem Club for Palestinian Students; the
Democratic Youth Union; the Palestinian Progressive Youth
Organization; the Palestinian Youth Organization; the Youth of the
Palestinian Popular Struggle Front; the Youth of the Palestinian
People’s Party; and the Youth of the Palestinian Liberation
Front
15 December 2003
The Yasser Abed Rabbo, Beilin and Ayalon initiatives are only
attempts to add legitimacy to the ethnic cleansing plan and to
sentence the refugees to a life of expulsion away from their
homeland. We do not acknowledge any attempt to eliminate the right
to return, and the individuals that promote such attempts do not
represent the Palestinian people. We call upon the world to support
us and stand closely beside us in order to spread peace in the
Middle East.
Palestinian organizations and members of the Palestinian National
Council working in the field of the right to return in Lebanon.
Among the signatories: “Aidoun” Group, Protective Center for Human
Rights, the Palestinian Organization for Human Rights, the
Palestinian Institution for Human Rights, “Al-Awda” Palestine
Center, Committees Union for the Right to Return, the Palestinian
NGO’s Coordination Body, the General Union for Palestinian Women,
Group “194”, “We will definitely return” Assembly, the General
Union for Doctors, the General Union for Labor Syndicates in
Palestine, the Arab Women Solidarity Association, the Palestinian
Democratic Women Organization, Social Solidarity Association, Union
for Palestinian Youth Centers, Families of Martyrs Organization,
Palestinian Engineers Assembly and Union for Palestinian Democratic
Youth
December 2003
We condemn the Geneva Accords especially the dangerous concessions
it provided regarding the Palestinian refugees’ right to return to
the lands they were uprooted from by force and massacre. This
initiative does not represent the people, in fact it contradicts
our people’s aspirations and rights they unanimously agreed upon
for decades. This initiative is a mean to add legitimacy to the
ethnic cleansing plan against the 1948 part of Palestine, and to
sentence the refugees to a life of expulsion away from their
homeland. The individuals that promote such attempts do not
represent the Palestinian people, and no one delegated them to give
up our national rights.
Palestinian organizations in Europe: “Al-Awda” Palestinian Center
(London), the Palestinian Community Assembly in Britain, the Right
to Return Committees Coalition in Europe, Palestine Assembly in
Austria, the Palestinian Emigrants Association in Austria, the
Right to Return Coalition in Sweden, Roots Association
(Switzerland), the Palestinian Emigrants Assembly in Norway, the
Palestinian Emigrants Assembly in Holland, Al-Karmel Assembly
(Holland), the Palestinian People Solidarity Association (Italy),
the Palestinian Emigrants in Finland, the Right to Return
Committees in Denmark, the Palestinian Emigrants Assembly in
Odnesya (Denmark), Al-Aqsa Cultural Center (Denmark), the
Palestinian – Ketlan Cultural Cooperation Association (Spain), the
Palestinian Emigrants in Catalonia and Paliars (Spain)
December 2003
We call upon President Yasser Arafat to disqualify the Palestinian
signatories of the Geneva Accords, and to exclude them from any
political post within the Palestine Liberation Organization or the
Palestinian National Authority. We call upon the Palestinian people
especially refugees to enhance and empower their unity and struggle
in order to avert all harms threatening their right to return to
their lands and their right to restitution.
A letter addressed to President Yasser Arafat from social, popular
and private Palestinian organizations for defending the right to
return and the Intifada. Among the signatories: the Right to Return
Committees Union, “Aidoun” Group, the Palestinian Return Assembly,
“We will definitely return” Committee, “194” Group, the Palestinian
Youth Forum, the Palestinian Democratic Cultural Forum, Land
Committees for Defending the Right to Return, Youth Activities and
Organizations’ Coordination Committee, the Palestinian Democratic
Youth Union, the Women’s Committee in Supporting the Right to
Return, Bisan for Social Development, the Palestinian Youth
Organization, the Palestinian Democratic Women’s Organization,
Ghassan Kanafani’s Cultural Forum, the Palestinian Popular Women’s
Committee, the Palestinian Cultural Library, Palestinian FARAH
Organization for Children, the Palestinian Cinema Club, Bisan Troup
for Popular Arts, the Palestinian Youth Center (Jafra) and Martyr
Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Club
23 October 2003
What is happening in Ramallah including killings, kidnappings and
destruction clearly reveal Sharon’s intentions. What is happening
in Geneva inside cozy rooms is an obvious perversion. The
individual struggle to participate in such initiatives is only for
the mere fact of reserving a wretched negotiation seat.
Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouthi, Secretary, the Palestinian National
Initiative
2 December 2003
The signatories of the Geneva Accords do not represent the
Palestinian people, they represent themselves only. The Palestinian
position regarding this initiative stems from the Palestinian
people at home and in refugee camps, whether inside or outside
Palestine. I call upon the Palestinian people, including factions
and grass-root organizations to confront the harms that this
initiative might cause to the unity of the Palestinian people.
Abdallah Al-Hourani, Head of the Preparation Committee for
Defending the Right to Return
1 December 2003
In the year 2000, the participants of the second Nazareth
conference warned against conspiring or overstepping the right for
return. The conference warned the Israeli side and drew the
attention of the Palestinian side to the dangers mounting from
signing any agreement that eliminates the right for return whether
explicitly or implicitly. The participants announced their
adherence to the right of return and their refusal to any
alternatives for those rights, such as; compensation, or
resettlement. على هذا الموقع ، شاهد الجنس الأكثر سخونة ، الفيديو
الاباحية الرائع الذي يمكنك مشاهدته على قصص سكس أفضل موقع مع الاباحية المتشددين Hence,
any agreement similar to the Geneva Accords is considered void and
invalid.
The Committee for Defending Refugees’ Rights in Israel
October 2003
To our people all over the world, we want to reaffirm our adherence
to the fact that the right for return to our original lands is a
right granted to us by all human, religious and international codes
and resolutions. We reaffirm our rejection of the so-called Geneva
Accords in form and in substance. Any political solution that does
not provide refugees with a free and voluntary choice to return to
their lands be considered null and void.
The Central Popular Committee for the Right for Return, FATEH Youth
Organization, Union and Social Affairs and Women Organizations in
Bethlehem Governorate
1 December 2003
We, the Popular Services Committees for Refugees, affirm our
steadfast position regarding the issue of refugees. Our position,
and according to international resolutions and human rights
conventions, especially UN Resolution 194, affirms the right of
refugees to return to the lands they were uprooted from and
compensating them for all their years of refuge. Any talks or
solutions that undermine our right of return is absolutely
rejected.
Popular Committees in the Gaza Strip
13 October 2003