The Organization of Islamic Cooperation Affirms, on the 78th Anniversary of the Nakba of the Palestinian People, Their Inalienable Rights

SadaNews - The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation recalled, on May 15 of each year, the anniversary of the Nakba that befell the Palestinian people in 1948, following the declaration of the establishment of Israel, the occupying power, and the organized terrorism, genocide, ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, deliberate destruction of hundreds of Palestinian villages and cities, and confiscation of land and properties belonging to the indigenous Palestinian people.

The General Secretariat warned in a statement issued on the occasion of the Nakba anniversary about the grave consequences of the ongoing repercussions of this Nakba, which are reiterated throughout the year, through daily atrocities faced by the Palestinian people including organized terrorism, colonial settlement, the Judaization of Jerusalem, targeting of holy sites, attempts to alter their historical and legal status, systematic extermination, continuous military aggression, the piracy of tax revenues, and other Israeli policies aimed at erasing their identity and existence from their land and denying their legitimate rights.

It stated that this painful anniversary remains alive in the individual and collective memory of the Islamic nation and the entire world, considering it a dark mark on the human conscience, a setback for the values of freedom and justice, and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, as well as the principles of the United Nations Charter and its relevant resolutions.

The General Secretariat affirmed the right of Palestinian refugees to return and receive compensation in accordance with United Nations Resolution 194, emphasizing its absolute rejection of any positions, decisions, or measures targeting UNRWA in an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian refugee issue. It renewed its call for the international community to provide political, legal, and financial support to this international agency.

The General Secretariat called on the international community to bear its responsibilities in achieving international justice, ending the Israeli occupation and settlement, providing international protection for the Palestinian people, reinforcing their resilience on their land, and enabling them to obtain their inalienable legitimate rights, foremost among them their right to self-determination, return, and the establishment of their independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.