National Committee for the Commemoration of the Year of International Solidarity with the Palestinian People

Closing Statement

National Committee for the Commemoration of the Year of International Solidarity with the Palestinian People

United for a Free Palestine

9 April 2014, Ramallah – Palestine

The National Committee for the commemoration of the year of international solidarity with the Palestinian people launched its program of activities this Wednesday in Ramallah during a meeting attended by representatives of the various sectors of society.

The Committee endorsed its plan of action, which includes a series of central activities launched on important national dates, especially the anniversary of Nakba, the anniversary of the 1967 occupation, the anniversary of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, as well as the international Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. In this regard, the Committee called on the Palestinian people in the homeland and in exile as well as national and civil society institutions to engage actively in this national endeavor, utilizing its relations at the Arab and international levels to achieve the stated goals of the campaign. Furthermore, the Committee considered that achieving the goals of the campaign would greatly contribute to the consolidation of international solidarity with our people, which in turn would apply pressure on Israel to end its occupation of our land.

The Committee declared that the goal of the campaign is to work with international solidarity groups, relevant United Nations institutions and organizations, as well as friendly governments, international groups, and civil society to increase solidarity campaigns with our people and their just cause. The campaign also aims to further develop ways to transform this solidarity into practical initiatives and policies at the state and international level. These policies would hold Israel accountable for its crimes against our people and compel it to adhere to international law and the implementation of United Nations resolutions that call for an end to the occupation as well as the complete withdrawal from our territory, occupied since 1967. The focus of such efforts would be enabling our people to exercise self-determination, which is a prerequisite to realizing a permanent and comprehensive peace in the region.

The Committee reiterated the Palestinian people’s determination to persevere in our struggle to realize our legitimate national rights, foremost of which are self-determination, the right of return in accordance with UN resolution 194, and the establishment of the independent and sovereign State of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders.

The National Committee further expressed its sincere appreciation for the General Assembly resolution considering the year 2014 as the year of international solidarity with the Palestinian People with the aim of consolidating solidarity with our people and contributing to increased international awareness of and support for the national Palestinian cause and our legitimate rights. Additionally, the Committee expressed its appreciation for the efforts exerted by the Palestine Committee at the United Nations as well as all states and international organizations that have participated thus far in the activities commemorating the year of international solidarity with our people.

The Committee pointed to increasing international support for our people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state, with Jerusalem as its capital on the entirety of our land occupied since 1967. It reiterated that the independent Palestinian state must be free from any manifestation of the illegal military occupation, settlements or the colonial Wall, all of which constitute blatant violations of international law and United Nations resolutions.

In related context, the Committee welcomed the Palestinian leadership’s decision to accede to 15 international treaties and conventions, considering this an exercise of our natural legal and political right. The Committee also reiterated that this important step would consecrate the standing of the State of Palestine in the international community. In this regard, the Committee rejected the Israeli threats to undertake measures of collective punishment against our people. It also affirmed that the Israeli government bears full responsibility for its illegal expansionist policies and repeated violations of international law.

The Committee further affirmed the United Nations’ permanent responsibility to resolve the Question of Palestine in all its aspects. It called on the international community, including the Security Council, to assume its legal, political, and moral responsibilities to implement United Nations resolutions relevant to the Question of Palestine, chiefly ending the Israeli occupation and lifting the historical injustice that befell our people since the Nakba of 1948.

Finally, the Committee called on peoples of the world and defenders of justice and peace to consolidate their solidarity with our people and their national rights and just cause. In this regard, the Committee expressed its great appreciation of the international boycott campaign and reiterated its commitment to further develop this campaign and the expansion of its role in confronting the colonial, expansionist and racist policies of the Israeli occupation.

In conclusion, the Committee considered that ending this chapter of injustice and indignity due to occupation and aggression was long overdue and a debt owed to the martyrs who fell in defense of freedom, foremost among them the late leader Yasser Arafat, as well as the sacrifice of our champions of freedom, who are still languishing in Israeli prisons.

 

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