Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The following letter was presented to
President Mahmoud Abbas's office on behalf of 78 Palestinian organizations on
Wednesday September 22, 2008. Note that ALL Palestinian political factions have
signed on as well.
Please distribute widely.
Open Letter to President Mahmoud Abbas
To: President Mahmoud Abbas
Chair of the Palestine Liberation
Organization Executive Committee
President of the Palestinian National
Authority
CC:
League of Arab States
Non-Aligned Movement
Organization of the Islamic Conference
Re: The Rights of Palestinian Refugees
and the Final Status Negotiations
Dear Mr. President,
Greetings of Return
We, the undersigned Palestinian refugee
organizations, civil society movements and institutions in the Palestinian
homeland and in exile are national organizations working to defend the right of
return. We appeal to you now because we are convinced that the alignment of the
official Palestinian position and the position of the Palestinian people with
regards to the final status negotiation issues is of the highest priority.
Foremost among these issues is the cause of the Palestinian refugees.
We are convinced that the alignment of
popular and official positions is the main guarantee of a strong Palestinian
position in the current negotiation process, which is taking place in a local,
regional and global context that jeopardizes the national rights of the
Palestinian people. In this context, we are concerned in particular about the
rights of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons to return to
their original lands and properties, restitution of their homes, lands and
properties and compensation for damages incurred over the past 60 years. Based
on the fact that all of these rights are guaranteed under international law,
and based on our awareness of the enormous pressures faced by Palestinian
negotiators and the tactics of negotiations, such as secrecy with regards to
the negotiation proceedings, we call upon you to adopt a negotiation strategy
that is based on openness with the entirety of the Palestinian people -
irrespective of their current place of residence - regarding all aspects and
details of the negotiation process. Implementation of the Palestinian refugees'
right of return was and continues to be the main purpose for which the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was established, a purpose which forms
the central pillar of the PLO's legitimacy as the sole legitimate
representative of the Palestinian people. Transparency and candidness of our
representatives with all sectors of our society will guarantee that our rights
are best defended, and strengthen our position in the face of enormous
pressures.
It has been clear at all stages of the
negotiations that this process aims to eliminate the core issue of the
Arab/Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice: the Palestinian refugees and
their rights of return and restitution. In fact, elimination of these central
Palestinian/Arab demands form the center-piece of both Israeli and US policies.
It is also no secret that during the so-called “Oslo Peace Process” these
policies have employed insidious tactics in order to nullify these rights
altogether. Such tactics include attempts to substitute the return and
restitution of the refugees with monetary compensation; to reduce the number of
those entitled to exercise these rights from over 7 million Palestinian
refugees and internally displaced persons to a tiny minority, including
so-called “hardship cases” that would be arbitrarily defined by Israel; to
suggest that the refugees return to homes located in the areas administered by
the Palestinian Authority; and other humiliating “trade offs” whereby
Palestinians are expected to surrender the right of refugees to return to
homes, lands and properties of origin in exchange for other rights and demands,
such as self-determination, borders, the reclamation of Jerusalem and removal
of the illegal settlement-colonies. The Palestinian leadership has rejected
such degrading bargaining tactics in previous negotiations, notably those known
as the second Camp David summit and the Clinton initiative. The late President
Yasser Arafat rejected these tactics, and he was made to pay for that with his
liberty and his life.
Whereas the rights of return, restitution
and compensation are enshrined in international law and specifically affirmed
in UN General Assembly Resolution 194 and UN Security Council Resolution 237;
Whereas we see that increasing US
pressure aims to force Palestinian negotiators to agree to an obscure framework
for a solution that is to be achieved by any means and at the soonest date, and
that such a framework is largely for internal US consumption in the context of
a US Presidential election;
Whereas it has become clear that the US
administration is working on other fronts to market its obscure framework for a
solution in the September 2008 session of the UN General Assembly;
Whereas we realize, as a result of our
movement's long and difficult experience with Israeli politics, that Israeli
political actors seek to solve the internal Israeli political crisis by venting
destruction on the Palestinian front through various policies and practices,
all of which work to entrench Israeli occupation, colonialism, and apartheid,
and aim to attain international recognition of Israel as a 'Jewish State;'
Whereas Western and Israeli election
platforms must not be employed to put pressure on the Palestinian negotiators,
who should in no way be a party to the political maneuvers of US and Israeli
political candidates, particularly in order to protect the legality,
legitimacy, and sanctity of Palestinian national rights regardless of who
emerges victorious in foreign elections;
Whereas we perceive the retreat of the
once principled European position, and the transformation of this position into
one that conforms to the US policy of total complicity and support for Israel;
Whereas we clearly see the weakness and
inability of the Arab countries to take action or play any effective role;
Whereas we witness the sharp, painful and
unprecedented deterioration in the internal Palestinian political arena;
Whereas it has become plain and obvious
that powerful external pressures aim to annul Palestinian refugee rights,
particularly the right to return to their original lands and properties and the
restitution of these lands and properties;
Whereas Israel and the US, according to
Israeli officials, are intensifying their efforts to reach a framework for a
solution that is acceptable to both Israel and the US and will be viable
regardless of the ruling party;
Whereas the primary measure of the
legitimacy of any solution remains the extent to which it will lead to the
exercise of the right of self-determination by the Palestinian people,
including foremost the right of Palestinian refugees to choose to return to
their original homes and lands regardless of their current place of refuge,
We approach you with this statement based
on our strong desire to chart a way forward that is built on the highest levels
of clarity and candidness with the Palestinian people; a way forward that aims
to strengthen the Palestinian position in this sensitive stage of the
Palestinian struggle; a way forward that ensures that any framework for a
solution will include the following principles in clear and immutable language
:
1. The
rights of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons to return,
restitution and compensation are fundamental rights under international law and
relevant UN resolutions – particularly UN General Assembly Resolution 194 and
UN Security Council Resolution 237. The content of these rights is
non-negotiable irrespective of the manner in which they will be exercised;
2. The
right of return is an individual right held by every Palestinian refugee and
internally displaced person. This right is passed on from one generation to the
next, based on the individual's choice on whether or not to return, an
inalienable and indivisible right, and not affected by any bilateral,
multilateral, or international treaty or agreement. Any such agreement must
respect the fundamental precepts and principles of international law;
3. The
right of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons to return is a
collective right that is not limited to one group or another, and it is an
integral part of the Palestinian right of self-determination;
4. The
right of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons to return is not
subject to referendum.
May you remain steadfast in our struggle
for freedom and dignity
Drafted: August 2008
Signed:
1. 194
Association (Syria)
2. Abassiya
Association (Palestine)
3. Abnaa
Al-Balad Center for the Defense of the Right of Return (Syria)
4. Aidun
Group (Lebanon)
5. Aidun
Group (Syria)
6. Al-Awda
Palestine Network (Holland)
7. Al-Awda
Palestine Right to Return Coalition (North America)
8. Arab
Cultural Forum (Gaza, Palestine)
9. Arab
Liberation Front
10. Arab
Palestinian Front
11. Association
for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally Displaced (Palestine)
12. Badil
Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights (Palestine)
13. Beit
Nabala Association (Palestine)
14. Bisan
Association (Syria)
15. Coalition
of Right of Return Defense Committees (Jordan)
16. Coalition
of Right of Return Defense Committees (Jordan)
17. Committee
for the Rights of Palestinian Women (Syria)
18. Confederation
of Right of Return Committees (Europe: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland,
Greece, Germany, France, Holland, Poland, Finland)
19. Coordinating
Committee of Palestinian Organizations Working in Lebanon (Lebanon)
20. Council
of National and Islamic Forces in Palestine (Palestine)
21. Democratic
Front for the Liberation of Palestine
22. Democratic
Palestine Committee
23. Depopulated
Towns and Villages Associations (Gaza, Palestine)
24. Farah
Heritage Society (Syria)
25. Grassroots
Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Palestine)
26. Higher
Follow-up Committee on Prisoners (Palestine)
27. Higher
National Committee for the Defense of the Right of Return (Palestine)
28. Inevitable
Return Assembly (Syria)
29. Islamic
Jihad Movement
30. Islamic
Resistance Movement [Hamas]
31. Istiqlal
Youth Union (Lebanon)
32. Istiqlal
Youth Union (Syria)
33. Ittijah:
Union of Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations (Palestine)
34. Jafra
Youth Center (Syria)
35. Jimzo
Association (Palestine)
36. Lajee
Center, Aida Camp (Palestine)
37. National
Assembly of of Palestinian Civil Society Organizations (Palestine)
38. National
Committee to Commemorate the Martyr Ahmad Al-Shuqairy (Jordan)
39. National
Nakba Commemoration Committee (Palestine)
40. Palestine
Democratic Union [Fida]
41. Palestine
House Educational and Cultural Center (Canada)
42. Palestine
Liberation Movement [Fatah]
43. Palestine
Remembered (USA)
44. Palestine
Right of Return Coalition (Global)
45. Palestinian
Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (Palestine)
46. Palestinian
Civil Society Coordinating Committee in Palestine and Abroad (Global)
47. Palestinian
Liberation Front
48. Palestinian
National Democratic Movement (Palestine)
49. Palestinian
National Initiative
50. Palestinian
People's Party
51. Palestinian
Popular Struggle Front
52. Palestinian
Refugee Rights Defense Committee (Balata Camp, Palestine)
53. Palestinian
University Professors Union (Gaza, Palestine)
54. Palestinian
Women's Grassroots Organization (Syria)
55. Palestinian
Youth Democratic Union (Syria)
56. Palestinian
Youth Organization (Syria)
57. Palestinian
Youth Struggle Union (Syria Branch)
58. People's
Assembly of the Towns and Villages Depopulated in 1948 (Palestine)
59. Platform
of Associations in Solidarity with Palestine (Switzerland)
60. Popular
Committees to Defend the Right of Return (Gaza, Palestine)
61. Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine
62. Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command
63. Refugee
and Right of Return Committee (Syria)
64. Refugee
Camp Popular Committees (West Bank & Gaza, Palestine)
65. Refugee
Executive Office (Palestine)
66. Right
of Return committee (Switzerland)
67. Ruwwad
Cultural Center (Aida Camp, Palestine)
68. Salameh
Association (Palestine)
69. Secular
Democratic State Group (Gaza, Palestine)
70. Union
of Right of Return Committees (Syria)
71. Union
of Women's Activity Centers, West Bank Refugee Camps (Palestine)
72. Union
of Youth Activity Centers, Refugee Camps (Palestine)
73. Vanguard
for the Popular Liberation War [Sa'iqa]
74. Women's
Activity Centers (Gaza, Palestine)
75. Yaffa
Charitable Fund (Jordan)
76. Yaffa
Cultural Center (Balata Camp, Palestine)
77. Youth
Assembly (Gaza, Palestine)
78. Youth
Struggle Union (Lebanon)
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