Saeb Erekat: "Before
his murder in 1948, Lord Folke Bernadotte, the first UN mediator to the
Arab-Israeli conflict, stated: "It would be an offence against the
principles of elemental justice if these innocent [Palestinian] victims
of the conflict were denied the right to return to their homes, while
Jewish immigrants flow into Palestine." Lord Bernadotte paid for his
candour with his life as Jewish militants assassinated him under the
direction of Yitzhak Shamir, the man who would later become prime
minister of Israel.
Less than
three months after his death, as the war of 1948 ground to a close, and
nearly three-quarters of the entire indigenous Palestinian population
had been displaced by Israeli forces, the UN passed general assembly
resolution 194, calling for the return of Palestinian refugees to their
homes and to be awarded compensation for their losses...
... When
negotiations resume once again, the world must not abandon the refugees
of Palestine, nor attempt to coerce their representatives to do so
either.
Israel's recognition of Palestinian
refugee rights and its agreement to provide reparation and meaningful
refugee choice in the exercise of these rights will not change the
reality in the Middle East overnight, nor will it lead to an existential
crisis for Israel. What it will certainly do is mark the beginning of a
new reality that will no longer be rooted in repression, denial of
rights, and discrimination. In other words, it will lead to a lasting
peace – the kind of peace envisaged by Lord Bernadotte and hoped for by
Palestinians and Israelis alike."
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