May 14, 2025
The National Committee for Commemorating the Nakba affirmed its categorical rejection of all attempts to displace the Palestinian people, whether internally or externally, as well as any plans or policies to annex parts of the West Bank under any pretext or justification, and any efforts to dismantle the geographical and demographic unity of Palestinian land.
In a statement issued today, Wednesday, on the eve of the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, the committee emphasized the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and return to their lands and villages from which they were uprooted—a right that is inalienable, does not expire over time, and cannot be nullified by occupation. The statement also reiterated the right of the Palestinian people to seek justice and liberation from the illegal occupation, a right supported by international humanitarian law, the United Nations Charter and its relevant resolutions, as well as international agreements.
It added: “May 15 marks the anniversary of the great Nakba that befell our Palestinian people and whose painful consequences continue to affect us since 1948. This painful reality has left deep and sorrowful marks across generations, but it has never weakened our people's will or diminished their determination to persist in their steadfastness and cling to their legitimate right of return. Our people remain committed to their national identity, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), their sole legitimate representative, and firmly rooted in their land, growing stronger in their resolve to achieve their full national rights.”
The committee pointed out that the Israeli occupation continues to impose new realities on the ground every day, highlighting its aggressive and colonial nature. This begins with its denial of the historical crime committed against the Palestinian people and its refusal to acknowledge their rights to their homeland and return. It added that the Israeli government continues its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in over 200,000 martyrs and wounded—most of them women, children, and the elderly—along with more than 11,000 missing persons and the displacement of over 1.9 million Palestinians.
The committee called on the international community to stop the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, demand the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, open border crossings, and allow the entry of international humanitarian aid. It also called for an end to repeated Israeli attacks on cities, villages, and refugee camps in the West Bank, and to halt violations of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, Hebron, and all Palestinian areas. Furthermore, it demanded that Israeli leaders be held accountable for their crimes.
The statement stressed the PLO’s principled stance—reaffirmed by the Palestinian National Council and the Central Council in their respective sessions—on the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes from which they were displaced in 1948, in accordance with Article 11 of UN Resolution 194. It also emphasized the need for compensation for years of displacement, deprivation, and loss of property, and rejected resettlement, alternative homelands, forced displacement, and any solutions that deny the right of return.
It underscored the necessity of continuing the work of UNRWA, which cannot be replaced, in accordance with its mandate issued by the UN General Assembly under Resolution 302. UNRWA remains a cornerstone of humanitarian work in Gaza and a lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees in Palestine and host countries including Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. It serves as a living embodiment of international responsibility toward the Palestinian refugee issue until a political solution is found in accordance with Resolution 194.
The statement also reiterated the Palestinian vision for facing challenges, as expressed by President Mahmoud Abbas at the extraordinary Arab Summit on March 4. This vision aims to protect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, ensure their steadfastness on their land, prevent their displacement, rebuild what has been destroyed in Gaza and the West Bank, and implement international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative to end the Israeli occupation and establish a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
It reaffirmed that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in all its components. It represents their national will and protects their independent national decision. The restoration of national unity must begin with the commitment of all national and Islamic factions to the PLO as the sole legitimate representative, and to its political and struggle program, its international obligations, and the principle of one Palestinian political system, one law, one legitimate weapon, one sovereign national decision, and peaceful popular resistance.
The committee extended its thanks to the brotherly Arab countries for their supportive positions, especially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Arab Republic of Egypt, for their courageous stance rejecting the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, and for acting as a firm barrier against the implementation of such displacement plans.
