DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Resheq stressed that "the return of Palestinian refugees to their land and their homes from which they were expelled in 1948 is an inalienable, unwavering right, that does not die out by the lapse of time, and it is one of the key components of the national cause."
He said that resistance will continue so long as there is a Palestinian refugee deprived of returning to his village or city from which he was exiled. He stressed that any agreement that leads to forfeiting the right to return partly or totally is legally invalid and nationally unacceptable.
Resheq said, in an exclusive statement to mark the World Refugee Day, which falls in June, "As we renew our commitment to the right of refugees from our people to return to their land and homes, we renew our rejection of all forms of resettlement, and we stress that the right of return is an individual and collective right, which belongs to the Palestinian people.
The Hamas leader warned that some Palestinian and Arab parties indulging in solutions to reverse or stall the right of return reflect their denial of one of "our national rights", and also grants the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) amnesty "for the most heinous crime the world has witnessed during the last seventy years: the crime of uprooting a people from their land by using every means of killing and terrorism.”
Resheq highlighted the second article of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which provides illegitimacy of any agreement between an occupying power and an occupied people or their representatives if the agreement drops the people’s rights, saying: "We demand that the United States and all countries that claim to defend human rights should cease promoting solutions and compromises which distort our cause and put off our national rights.”
He added, "Our people and our nation will disallow any compromise that repeals any of our inalienable rights," stressing the need for continuation of efforts by UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and for implementation of the tasks it was created to carry out, "as a witness to the Nakba (catastrophe) which the international community bears partial responsibility for its occurrence and continuation of its repercussions."
Resheq called on donor countries to fulfill their financial obligations, noting in this regard "a serious regression in the level of services provided by UNRWA in Palestinian refugee camps inside the country and abroad."
The Hamas leader concluded his statement by calling on host countries to provide Palestinian refugees access to civil and social rights until they return to their homeland, stressing that Palestinian refugees possessing elements of a decent life is not incompatible with their commitment to the right to return and firm rejection of resettlement plans.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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