THE ARAB INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE RIGHT OF RETURN: International Declaration In Defence Of The Palestinian Right Of Return
23-24
November 2008
We the participants in the Arab International Congress for
the Right of Return which was hosted by the Arab Syrian capital, Damascus, during the period 23rd – 24th
November 2008 with the attendance of more than 5,000 delegates from
organizations, associations, political parties, popular unions and syndicates
for the right of return representing Palestinian, Arab, Islamic and
international personalities of all persuasions as well as Palestinian
communities from all parts of the world and which demonstrated an undertaking
of historic solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle for their
legitimate and inalienable rights.
And in support of the Palestinian right of return and vowing
to continue defending and supporting their efforts to realize it we declare the
following:
1. The right of the Palestinian
refugees to return to their homes and lands from which they were expelled with
compensation for the losses that they have incurred lies at the centre and
heart of the Palestinian issue. It is a deeply-rooted and inalienable right
that cannot be compromised, bargained or diminished.
2. The right of return is a
legitimate and natural right, individual and collective, guaranteed by
religions, conventions and international laws. It is a permanent right that
cannot be annulled by time. It is also an absolute right. No party individual
or collective, unofficial or official, possess the right to concede this right,
likewise it is unacceptable to hold referenda about it.
3. The Congress reaffirms the
need to popularize the culture of resistance and its practice as the option of
resistance is the best and shortest way to realize the return of the refugees
to their homes. It calls for the safeguarding of this option and its
fortification on the national, patriotic, Islamic and international fronts.
4. The adherence to the right
of return is among the priorities of the Palestinian national liberation
struggle and the Arab, Islamic and international liberation project. The
undertaking by the free peoples of the ummah and the world to defend
this right is a humanitarian and civilizational duty.
5. We support the Palestinian
people in reaffirming their permanent allegiance to their land and country,
civilizational legacy and Arab and Islamic identity. The Congress also
reaffirms its commitment to their unity in Palestine and abroad as it is a
prerequisite to protect their just rights which cannot be disregarded,
bargained, divided or deferred.
6. The expulsion of the
Palestinian people was conducted by the Zionist forces through adopted
terrorist methods, murder and massacres which were effectively a crime ethnic
cleansing and crimes against humanity. The international powers which aided and
provided all forms of assistance to the Zionist project also bear
responsibility.
7. Any initiative which
diminishes the right of the refugees to return are condemned and rejected
whether it involves compensation, resettlement, naturalization or an
alternative home regardless of the personalities, agencies or organizations
that stand behind these initiatives.
8. We call upon the United
Nations (UN) to expedite the right of return without further delay. The
continued suffering of the refugees is a blatant indictment of the
international system, evidence of its tyranny and its dependence on the law of
the jungle.
9. The UN must assume
responsibility to enable the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestinian Refuges in the Near East (UNRWA) to continue its duty in all
theatres of its operation.
10. The actions of the Zionists aimed at expelling more
Palestinians are dangerous criminal actions which must be resisted. It is also
mandatory to resist all 'population exchange' and 'transfer' initiatives and
settlements and the racist wall which aim to change the demographic and
geographic identity of Palestine.
11. It is the right of the Palestinian refugees to
enjoy civil, economic and social rights in all places of refuge until they are
repatriated. It is the duty of the Arab states in which they reside to
guarantee these rights and remove all forms of oppression and suffering.
12. We regard the what is called the 'Jewish state' a
pretext to complete the expulsion of the Palestinians who live in the part of
their land occupied and in 1948 and an attempt to annul the right of return and
entrench the 'Jewish Law of Return' which is clearly a legitimization of this
symbol of racism in Palestine and endorsement of the settlement project at the
expense of the Palestinian people and their identity.
13. The Congress commends the steadfastness of the
Palestinian people inside and abroad as well as their resistance and sacrifices
throughout the years and generations - men, women, elders and children,
liberated and prisoners in the face of expulsion and settlement campaigns.
14. All the institutions and organizations and agencies
that defend the right of return are called upon to coordinate their efforts and
contribute to the mobilization of Palestinian, Arab, Islamic, Christian and
humanitarian resources and power, regionally and internationally, in order to
realize a global consensus to implement the right of return and defeat any
attempt to abrogate or conspire against it.
15. We call for the activation of political,
legal, economic, media and educational instruments and methods to defend the
right of return and disseminate its culture and entrench it in the souls of
generations, especially the young and upcoming.
16. Sixty years have passed since the rape of Palestine
without the realization of the return of the Palestinians to their homes and
lands, the UN is therefore obliged to revoke the membership of the Zionist
entity and expel it for the international system since the repatriation of the
Palestinian refugees constituted a precondition for its admission.
We proclaim this Covenant which is not subject to alteration
or exchange in honour of our obligation to the right of return and in defence
of it and our duty to transmit it to future generations until the Palestinian
people regain their right and return to their homes and country.
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THE ARAB
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE RIGHT OF RETURN
Conferences
Palace, Damascus,
23-24
November 2008
Letter from
the Arab International Congress for the Right of Return to Syria
The participants in the Arab International Congress for the
right of return reaffirm that the right of return is an integral and
indivisible part of the right of the ummah to freedom, independence
and liberation of its land. They reaffirm their support for the national,
patriotic and liberation stand of Syria and the steadfastness of its people
under the leadership of Dr Bashar Al Asad in the face of all forms harassment,
threats and aggression the last of which was the abhorrent American attack on
Syrian territory.
In this context the participants emphasize also the need to
liberate the Occupied Golan by all means available and it salutes the continued
steadfastness of the inhabitants of the Golan. They call upon the sons of the ummah
and the free people of the world to act decisively to support the right of
Syria to liberate its occupied land as it is the right of the entire ummah
to liberate its land and protect its independence and protect its national
security.
The participants acknowledge in the hosting of Damascus of their Arab Congress a reaffirmation of the
steadfastness of Syria, its people, leadership and presidency, in its policies
which are based on defence of the right and interests of the ummah and
its national fixtures.
The participants in concluding their work convey their
profound gratitude to President Dr Basher al Asad, the Syrian leadership and
people for providing all the facilities needed for the success of the Congress
and in securing the best means for the Congress to disseminate its message to
the ummah and the free peoples of the world.
Damascus
24/11/2008
THE ARAB
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE RIGHT OF RETURN
Conferences
Palace, Damascus,
23-24
November 2008
Letter from
the Arab International Congress for the Right of Return to the people of Iraq
The participants in the Arab International Congress for the
right of return view the American occupation of Iraq a threat to Arab
nationalist security, a demonstration of absolute support for the security of
the Zionist entity and the continuation of its aggression and usurpation of the
rights of the Palestinian people foremost of which is the right of return. They
regard support for the Iraqi resistance and safeguarding of the unity and Arab
identity of Iraq an important step toward the restoration of the Palestinian
people of their land and rights.
In this context the participants declare their total support
for the strong stand of the Iraqi people in rejecting the security agreement
which the American administration is seeking to impose on Iraq. They warn of
the direct harm and dangers that will emanate from this agreement on the
sovereignty of Iraq, its independence and future; similarly, the Arab
nationalist security and the security of the neighboring countries, their
sovereignty and independence. They call upon all the popular forces, unions and
Arab and international political parties to assist the Iraqi people to overturn
this humiliating agreement through the liberation of their land and safeguarding
of its national unity.
The Congress salutes the Palestinian people residing in Iraq
who are suffering from increased aggression and forced expulsion anew. They
demand the preservation of their rights and provision of the means of a
dignified life and allow them to return to their homes in Palestine. It
condemns the persecution that they are subjected to.
Damascus
24/11/2008
THE ARAB
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE RIGHT OF RETURN
Conferences
Palace, Damascus,
23-24
November 2008
Letter from
the Arab International Congress for the Right of Return to the male and female
prisoners in Israeli jails
We the participants in the Arab International Congress for
the right of return convened in the Conferences Palace in Damascus
and attended by numerous Palestinian, Arab, Islamic and international
delegations impart to you our immense pride for your invaluable sacrifices in
your struggle for freedom and dignity.
The kidnap of 12,000 male and female prisoners, their
incarceration in the darkness of Zionist prisons and detention centres and
their subjection to various kinds of abuse, torture and denial of their most
basic rights exposes the nature of this occupation which is based on brutality,
repression and the violation of all the principles of human rights and attempts
to stifle the will of the Palestinian people.
We follow with admiration this heroic steadfastness that
you, male and female, embody behind the prison bars. This demonstrates your
success in this struggle of wills with your jailers and their settler entity
which is incapable of striking out your determination, perseverance and
adherence to your just rights.
We have investigated the conditions of detention and
imprisonment and the extensive violations it entails and particularly the
inhumane conditions that female prisoners, mothers and children are subjected
to in the Zionist jails. We strongly condemn these practices and list them
among the crimes of the Zionist entity.
Likewise we denounce the kidnap of the parliamentarians
elected by the Palestinian people and their head, the speaker of the
parliament, Dr Aziz Al Dweik and other leaders of the Palestinian national
struggle.
We reassure you that we regard your issue and the need for
your immediate release a central issue for which all people of the Arab and
Islamic ummah and free people of the world would struggle and place at
the top of their priorities.
We salute you and through you salute with pride your
families and the families of the martyrs of Palestine.
We are convinced that you will attain freedom and your
steadfastness will remain a school from where lessons in glory and dignity
would be taught.
Accept our highest esteem.
Damascus
24/ 11/2008
THE ARAB
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE RIGHT OF RETURN
Conferences
Palace, Damascus,
23-24
November 2008
Letter from
the Arab International Congress for the Right of Return concerning the criminal
siege of the Gaza Strip
The participants in the Arab International Congress for the
right of return convened in the Conferences Palace in Damascus
and attended by numerous Palestinian, Arab, Islamic and international
delegations strongly condemn the continued imposition of the oppressive siege
on one million and a half Palestinians in the Gaza Strip which constitutes a
crime against humanity (the crime of genocide), a flagrant breach of human
values and international conventions and a form of punishment that should be
resisted and evoke alertness of its dangerous consequences.
The siege policy now in its second year have reached unprecedented
levels of violation of the rights of the people of Gaza who are isolated from
the entire world and deprived of all the necessities of life. It constitutes a
hideous scar on the forehead of the entire international community and its
leading powers in particular, not to mention the responsibility of the Arab
states in this regard. History would record a black page for the failure of the
Arabs to break the siege and they were able to do it.
The Arab International Congress for the right of return is
bewildered that some Arab parties have themselves endorsed the siege; indeed
they have participated in it to the extent that it is no longer possible to
conceal or remain quiet about it. The Congress calls for immediate Egyptian
steps to open the Rafah Crossing, the only opening of the Gaza Strip to the
outside world and their only remaining lifeline. They must allow the Gaza Strip
to import the necessities of life, transportation and basic services such as
water, electricity, fuel and medicine. There is no doubt the continued closure
of the Rafah Crossing is inconsistent with Egypt's Arab standing and with the
role that is expected of it. We do no accept this stand for its historical
records as it does not represent the true nationalist and patriotic will of the
Egyptian people.
The Congress calls upon the decent people of the Arab and
Islamic ummah and the world to raise the level of their demands to
confront the criminal siege of Gaza and launch far-reaching activities to end
the siege and deliver support for the people of Gaza.
The Congress emphasizes the necessity to break the
oppressive siege imposed on the Gaza Strip by all means and methods. The
Congress salutes in this regard the ships of 'Hope' and 'Dignity' and all
similar initiatives which broke the siege highlighting the need for further
decisive Arab, Islamic and international initiatives until this organized
criminal programme is ended. Ultimately it will be recorded in history as a
distinctly heinous war crime. They must specifically send truck loads of
support as well as Arab and international ships. It calls upon the Arab and
Islamic peoples to offer whatever relief they can to the people of Gaza
especially and the people of Palestine generally and pressure their governments
to lift the siege.
Damascus
24/ 11/2008
THE ARAB
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE RIGHT OF RETURN
Conferences
Palace, Damascus,
23-24
November 2008
Letter from
the Arab International Congress for the Right of Return concerning the issue of
Jerusalem
The participants in the Arab International Congress for the
right of return convened in the Conferences Palace in Damascus
and attended by numerous Palestinian, Arab, Islamic and international
delegations express their heightened concern and disquiet over the growing
threats meted out to the city of Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine as a
result of the policy of systematic judaization and attempts to efface its
Palestinian Arab identity. The Congress is equally concerned with the Zionist
efforts to impose a de facto settler policy in the city and the
continued restrictions on the legitimate Jerusalemite inhabitants aimed at
expelling them.
The Arab International Congress for the right of return
particularly warns of the danger of tampering with the blessed Masjid Al Aqsa
and the Islamic and Christian endowments in the Holy City. It warns of the
risks of pursuing the systematic eradication of the Arab identity of the city,
its historic sites and their special civilizational and cultural character and
the efforts to isolate the indigenous Jerusalemite population from the rest of
Palestine and restrict them by walls, fences and settlements.
The Congress calls attention to the choice of Jerusalem as
the Arab cultural capital for 2009. It is an occasion to renew Arab and international
focus on the realties of the occupation and its oppressive and arbitrary
policies toward the rights of Jerusalem and its legitimate Jerusalemite
inhabitants as well as the need to intensify efforts to support Palestinian
steadfastness in the city and develop the instruments of support and assistance
to the Jerusalemites in their struggle.
The Arab International Congress for the right of return call
for an Arab, Islamic and international response in accord with their
responsibility. It calls for sanctions on the Israeli Occupation for its
violations, breaches, its expansive racist policies and expansionism in
Jerusalem. Equally it calls for urgent Arab, Islamic and international efforts
to confront this grave danger to Jerusalem and its sanctuaries.
The Congress sends its greetings to the Jerusalemites who
are steadfast in the battle of truth and justice and allegiance to their city
with its identity and sanctuaries in spite of the priceless sacrifices they
make to secure their freedom and honor.
Damascus
24/ 11/2008
THE ARAB INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE RIGHT
OF RETURN
Conferences Palace, Damascus,
23-24 November 2008
Letter from the Arab International Congress for the
Right of Return to the people of Sudan
The participants in the Arab International Congress for the
right of return convinced of the longstanding and current danger of the Zionist
role in the plots to dismember Sudan and undermine its national unity, Arab,
African and Islamic identity and halt its role as a bridge between the Arab ummah
and its strategic and civilizational depth in Africa declare their firm support
for the people of Sudan in their struggle against all forms of
colonial intervention, dubious internationalization and provocative
initiatives. It calls upon all the dynamic forces in Sudan to close their ranks
and deepen their understanding and unity and deny any opportunity to all those
who seek to subvert the unity of Sudan, its security and stability.
The participants call upon the Arab and Islamic states to
fully bear their responsibility to thwart the conspiracies aimed at Sudan and
by extension the Arab national security in its entirety.
Damascus
24/ 11/2008
THE
ARAB INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE RIGHT OF RETURN
Conferences Palace,
Damascus,
23-24
November 2008
Letter from
the Arab International Congress for the Right of Return to the people of
Lebanon
The participants in the Arab International Congress for the
right of return salute the brave people of Lebanon in their resistance and
distinguished victory over the Zionist enemy. They regard support of the
resistance and unity of the Lebanese people and the sanitizing of
Lebanese-Palestinian relations of all infections is a central pillar in the
battle for the right of return. They regard this as part of the Lebanese
nationalist battle against the dubious settlement and expulsion projects which
requires combined Lebanese and Palestinian efforts for the right of return in
all fields and endeavors. They reaffirm the need for the immediate
reconstruction of Nahr Al Bared refugee camp and end the suffering of its
residents.
Damascus
24/
11/2008
Leila Khaled: The entire Palestinian people and Arab nation must unite for
the right to return
Comrade Leila Khaled, member of the Political Bureau of the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, stated that the achievement of
the right of return requires collective work of a united Palestinian people and
the entire Arab nation and the full involvement of Palestinians in exile,
noting that Arab and international dimensions are key elements in the right of
return.
She made these statements at the Arab and International Forum on the Right of
Return in Damascus, Syria, on November 25, 2008, noting that the right of
return is the key to the resolution of the Palestinian issue, and that without
the return, all so-called negotiations and agreements are pointless. She drew
particular attention to the Palestinian internal division, stating that this
division is like a dagger in the side of our cause and a roadblock in the face
of the national project of the Palestinian people.
Comrade Khaled emphasized that the right of return faces serious challenges
today, from settlements, closure, isolation, Judaization and Zionisation
programs and mass imprisonment and arrests, and called for upholding the
resistance that has been proven successful in expelling occupation in Lebanon and throughout the Arab world. She noted that any attempt to destroy our right to
return is doomed to failure and that it is our human right and our right under
international law, and that conspiracies and programs designed to undermine our
rights will indeed fail in the face of popualr mobilization.
Comrade Khaled said that "The Palestinian struggle and the Arab struggle
for freedom, despite displacement and settlement projects, will win our right
to return, and through unity, struggle and armed resistance we will obtain our
rights and all of our rights as Arab people, and our rights as humans, to be
free, to return, and to live as free people with self-determination."
