Ref: 31/2007

Date: 07 June 2007

On the 40^th Anniversary of the Beginning of the Israeli Occupation, PCHR, in Cooperation with Civil Society and National Groups, Organized a Public Assembly Titled “Fidelity to Palestine … Fidelity to Jerusalem”

On Thursday morning, 7 June 2007, PCHR, in cooperation with civil society organizations and national and public groups, organized a public assembly titled “Fidelity to Palestine … Fidelity to Jerusalem” on the 40^th anniversary of the beginning of the Israeli occupation and the 59^th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (the uprooting of the Palestinian people from their land).

The = opened the ceremony indicating that it aims to commemorate the Palestinian Nakba in Fidelity  to Jerusalem, Hebron, Jafffa, Haifa and all Palestinian towns, stressing that it constitutes a call for all political faction to unite and end shameful internal fighting.

In his speech, Dr. Ussama al-Farra, Governor of Khan Yunis, pointed out that all Palestinians do not remember anything about the Israeli occupation, but only a long series of massacres and crimes committed by a state which claims to be democratic and civilized although it is actually far away from the systems of human values and civilized societies and other systems that respect and appreciate human beings. With regard to the Palestinian internal situation, Dr. al-Farra stressed that what is going on contradicts with Palestinian values, weakens that internal front and leads to a retreat in the international and Arab support for the Palestinian cause.

In his speech, Mr. Ibrahim Abu al-Naja, Head of the Steering Committees of Palestinian Factions reminded of the many documents and agreements to stop internal fighting which were signed, but have not been respected. He drew the attention to the significant role played by the Palestinian people to stop internal fighting, through set-in tents and peaceful marches. In the conclusion of his speech, Mr. Abu al-Naja asserted that the major role in this stage, in which factions do not respect agreements, should be played by Palestinian civil society organizations.

In his speech, Mr, Yahia Mousa, Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, pointed out that 1967, which was the year of the defeat of the Arab regimes, was the birth of the national will and the Palestinian revolution which have constituted a qualitative addition to the struggle of the Arab region and the Palestinian people. He also talked about the Israeli practices against the Palestinian people, which have not bee able to break the resistance’s will, considering that the real Nakba, which can smash the Palestinian resistance’s will, is internal fighting.   

Mr. Nafez Azzam, a prominent leader of the Islamic Jihad, talked about persistent efforts by the Palestinian people over more than 100 years of conflict to preserve their rights and cause despite the clear imbalance of powers. He criticized internal fighting, which is far from the bright image drawn for Palestinians over many years. He stressed that dialogue is the only means to settle all internal differences, whose impacts are not limited to Hamas and Fatah movements only, but also the Palestinian cause and the image of the Palestinian people.

In her speech, Ms. Efaf al-Edrissi, Head of the Palestinian Women’s Union in Khan Yunis, highlighted the historical development of the Palestinian cause starting from the British Mandate, passing through the first immigration and efforts to disperse the Palestinian people, and ending with the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and its continuous impacts.

In his speech, Mr. Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, asserted that Israel has not admitted its occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank due to the legal and political obligations derived from such admission, particularly the application of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which protects civilian persons and property under occupation. Mr. Sourani highlighted 3 facts that have been certain with regard to the 40-year occupation: The Palestinian people live under an apartheid system institutionalized by Israeli through de facto policies; the 40^th year of the Israeli occupation has been the worst and bloodiest; the international law and humanitarian law ensure for all people the right to self-determination, which includes the right to resist occupation in all means, including armed struggle. With regard to the Palestinian internal situation, Mr. Sourani asserted that national factions must protect the people and their rights rather than being a burden on them, considering that what is going one threatens of a new Nakba that if continued, it would undermine the Palestinian cause and the right to self-determination, as well as takes the attention away from the Israeli occupation and its practices.

All of those who spoke in the assembly, which included a number of Folklore works, highly appreciated PCHR for organizing this activity and the role it plays in defending Palestinian human rights.