May 18, 2025
Under the directives of His Excellency Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, under the patronage of His Excellency the Head of the Department of Refugee Affairs, Dr. Ahmed Abu Houli, and with the follow-up of the Secretary of the Popular Committees in Lebanon, Dr. Sarhan Sarhan, and Major General Tawfiq Abdullah Abu Abdullah, Secretary of the PLO in Tyre, commemorated the 77th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba in front of the UNRWA center in Rashidieh camp on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. The ceremony was attended by the Tyre District Commander, Major General Tawfiq Abdullah Abu Abdullah, and a member of the Lebanon Regional Command, Brother Youssef Zamzam Abu Mustafa; the leadership and cadres of the Fatah movement, the leadership of the PLO factions in Tyre; Lebanese and Palestinian national and Islamic forces and parties; popular committees; political and dignitaries; and a large crowd of Palestinian people.
The ceremony began with the recitation of Surat Al-Fatihah for the souls of the martyrs. The Lebanese and Palestinian national anthems were then played. A speech on behalf of the PLO was then delivered by Brother Youssef Zamzam Abu Mustafa, a member of the Fatah Movement's Lebanon Regional Command.
Abu Ibrahim Abu Al-Dhahab, the Popular Committee member in Rashidieh camp, also delivered a speech.
The speakers emphasized that our Palestinian people, the people of giants, the people of patience and steadfastness, the people of heroism and sacrifices who have waged revolutions since 1917, will not surrender or relent. Their giant revolution, led by the pioneering Fatah movement, began on January 1, 1965, transforming refugees into fighters. It continues and will continue until the return and independence are achieved, confirming to the world that Palestine is a trust in the necks of its sons from generation to generation. The elderly instill the spirit of struggle in their sons, and the young cling to their right to Palestine, sacrificing themselves for it until one of our lions or one of our flowers raises the flag of Palestine over the walls of Jerusalem. The churches and mosques of Jerusalem see it as far away, while we see it as close. We are truthful. This is what our people embodied in their continuous struggle, in the Intifada of the Stones, the Intifada of Al-Aqsa, the Marches of Return in the homeland and abroad, and the popular resistance led by the PLO. The Palestinian National Authority was established in preparation for the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. This state has been recognized by 149 countries, and we expect increased recognition during the International Coalition for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution conference next June, leading to full membership in the Security Council.
Our people, thanks to their struggle, sacrifices, and the wisdom of their leadership, have succeeded in transforming Nakba Day into a Day of Return, a day commemorated by the United Nations and commemorated annually by our people and those in solidarity with our cause.
This year, we commemorate the Nakba as our people are being subjected to a new catastrophe targeting our existence and the liquidation of our cause. In Gaza, more than 200,000 people have been killed, wounded, or missing, most of them children and women. Thousands are also imprisoned. 80% of the infrastructure has been destroyed, and aid, including food, water, medicine, and electricity, has been blocked with the aim of starving and displacing Palestinians. In the West Bank and Jerusalem, the occupation army and settlers are conducting daily raids on cities, villages, and camps, destroying, killing, and arresting thousands. They are also attacking Christian and Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and Hebron, destroying the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams camps, and displacing tens of thousands of their residents. All of this is being done with the political, military, and financial support of the US administration, using the October 7 operation as a pretext, forgetting that they have been committing crimes against our people since 1948 and do not recognize our legitimate rights. Since the first day of the aggression, President Mahmoud Abbas has been working with all countries and the United Nations to stop the war, withdraw from Gaza, allow aid into the country, prevent displacement, reject the separation of Gaza from the West Bank, halt settlement activity, assassinations, arrests, raids, and attacks on refugee camps and holy sites, and mobilize recognition of the State of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.
On the anniversary of the Nakba, we, in the Fatah movement and the PLO, call for an end to the division and affirm national unity within the framework of the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of our people. This PLO is the source of our strength in confronting our enemies and the only way to achieve our goals of return and independence.
The speakers emphasized the fraternal and fateful relationship between our Lebanese and Palestinian peoples, which has been forged through steadfastness, sacrifice, and martyrdom. They are committed to the right of return and reject resettlement, hoping for the recognition of civil and social rights, including the right to return, ownership, and work. They also support and adhere to UNRWA, protecting the rights of refugees until they return. They reject attempts to liquidate it or seek an alternative to it.
They saluted our great people who are steadfast on their land despite the destruction, siege, displacement, and deprivation of the most basic necessities of life, and our wise leadership, headed by the protector of our national project, President and Leader Mahmoud Abbas.
