Press Releases

The Continuing Catastrophe: Part III:Naksa and Beyond, Palestinian life under occupation and in exile (1967 to 2004)

For Immediate Release

No. (E/22/04)

18 June 2004


Part III of BADIL’s three-part series on the continuing Nakba is now on the BADIL web site. From the Naksa and Beyond, Palestinian life under occupation and in exile, Bulletin No. 19, marks 20 June, World Refugee Day.

This part covers establishment of Israeli military government in West Bank and the Gaza Strip; annexation of eastern Jerusalem, adoption of UN Security Council Res. 242 calling for Israeli to withdraw from occupied areas and a just settlement of the refugee problem; the beginning of illegal colony/settlement building; the Oslo process and Res. 1544 of 19 May 2004 adopted after the recent Rafah incursions and housing demolitions, calling on Israel to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law and adherence of both parties to the “Road Map”.

National days, anniversaries and holidays usually celebrate positive events--the end of a war, the signing of a peace treaty, the birth date of a famous historical figure.   Palestine’s days of commemoration, 15 May (Nakba Day) and 6 June (Naksa Day), observe an on-going catastrophe, not a fixed, one-time event. 

Nakba day marks the mass expulsion and dispossession of the Palestinian people during the 1948 conflict and war in Palestine and Naksa Day remembers the 1967 War and the occupation of West Bank and Gaza. It is also a demand for the respect of human rights and rule of law, especially the right of refugees and internally displaced Palestinians to return and repossess their homes, lands and properties.

For most Palestinians the Nakba is a continuing catastrophe with daily military attacks, house demolitions, land confiscation, expanding Jewish colonies, broken promises and make believe withdrawals from Palestinian territory.

See BADIL’s web site for Bulletins 17-19

The Continuing Catastrophe:
      Part I--    Al Nakba—From 1878 to 1948
      Part II--   The 1948 Nakba to the 1967 Naksa
      Part III--  The Naksa and Beyond, Palestinian life under occupation and in exile

BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights takes a rights-based approach to the Palestinian refugee issue and encourages an understanding of this by supporting research into refugee rights and international law; advocacy; and promoting community participation in searching for lasting solutions to the issue.