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| The "Return Unifies Us" day of action includes events organized by Palestinian refugees in a number of countries around the world, especially within the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon. |
Organizers hoped to raise awareness about the plight of the more than seven million Palestinian refugees, who are the descendants of the more than 700,000 Palestinians expelled from their homes by Israeli forces in the 1948 Nakba, or "catastrophe." Israeli authorities continue to refuse to allow the refugees to return, despite UN resolution 194 mandating they be allowed to do so.
Activists organized events in Damascus' Yarmouk refugee camp, which has
been besieged by regime forces since last summer, as well as in refugee
camps across Syria and Lebanon.
Rallies and marches by scout troops were also held in refugee camps and cities across the West Bank and Gaza, as well as among diaspora Palestinian refugee communities in Chile, Argentina, Cuba, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
The call was signed by numerous prominent Palestinian refugee rights coalitions, including the Global Right of Return Coalition, the BDS National Committee, the Civic Coalition of Jerusalem, executives of the Popular Committees and of the national and Islamic forces, as well as dozens of other associations.
Rallies and marches by scout troops were also held in refugee camps and cities across the West Bank and Gaza, as well as among diaspora Palestinian refugee communities in Chile, Argentina, Cuba, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
The call was signed by numerous prominent Palestinian refugee rights coalitions, including the Global Right of Return Coalition, the BDS National Committee, the Civic Coalition of Jerusalem, executives of the Popular Committees and of the national and Islamic forces, as well as dozens of other associations.
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Well over one hundred Palestinian popular associations around the world have now signed the call that was issued ten days ago. Amongst the signatories are the largest Palestinian national coalitions, including the Global Right of Return Coalition, the BDS National Committee, the Civic Coalition of Jerusalem, Executives of the Popular Committees and of the National and Islamic forces, as well as dozens of associations from across Palestine, Palestinian exile communities and refugee camps.
Stating that only "by insistence on the unity and cohesion of our people everywhere, the unity of their struggle, and the oneness of their destiny, that the right of return to their homes of origin and other national principles can be achieved", the call was issued "to safeguard and defend national principles". This call is the latest in a series of protests, rallies and marches, including a scout march coordinated across Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, in order to highlight the situation of Palestinians in Syria, to stand with them, and emphasize the right of every Palestinian to return home.
Palestinians in Syria are taking the lead: in Yarmouk, the Damascene School, along with the Yarmouk Youth Band ,will be organizing a special concert for the right of return. The residents of the now destroyed Handarat camp near Aleppo, currently on the Turkish border, will convene readings, oral testimony and recordings of Nakba survivors of Handarat camp. A further event is also being held in De'raa camp. Across the border in Lebanon, Palestinian youth associations will be holding two poster exhibitions in different camps: the first at Al-Nakaba Center in Borg Al Barajneh, and a second in Beddawi Camp where there will also be a film screening "Jomhurryet Dalal", and balloons in UNRWA School Yard, hosted by the Palestinian Cultural Club. One of the first signatories of the Call, the National Federation of Scouts, are holding scout marches across camps in Palestine and Lebanon.
In Nablus, in occupied Palestine, four scout troupes, along with local leaders and association heads will march to the center of the city, raising slogans in support of our people in Syria and for the right of return. In Gaza, the popular committees in the refugee camps have coordinated a series of demonstrations and rallies in four locations in the north, the middle and the south of the area, and rallies are being held in Bethlehem and Jerusalem and at the entrance of Al Am'ari camp near Ramallah.
The Palestinian Federation in Chile, representing a community of 300,000 Palestiniansy, are recording the testimonies of Palestinians living in the country and insisting upon their right of return, and hosting a community discussion with a roundtable. Smaller rallies and demonstrations are organised by the Palestinian Community Association in cities across France, by the General Union of Palestinian Students in Havana, Cuba, and by the US Palestinian Community Network in Washington. Argentina and Australia are hosting large community events, with dabke and speakers, and Palestinian students in the UK are organizing a large fundraiser at a concert in London to raise funds for Syria and to rally for the right of return.
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The Guardian
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| Palestinians are raising the flag of return under the banner Return Unifies Us'. Photograph: Oliver Weiken/EPA
From Syria to Turkey to Lebanon, exiled Palestinians haven't surrendered – they are raising the flag for a return to their home
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IMEU The Institute for Middle East Understanding offers journalists and
editors quick access to information about Palestine and the
Palestinians, as well as expert sources — both in the U.S. and in the
Middle East... Background Briefings
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ATFP News Roundup 3-23-2014
"The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the
core problem in the region. Not only has it been going on longer than
it should, it has also caused other conflicts to happen." Ahmad Y. Majdoubeh
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| When I Saw You. 2012. Palestine/Jordan. Written and directed by Annemarie Jacir |
Annemarie Jacir is part of a wave of Arab filmmakers who set their films
in the region and push stylistic and narrative boundaries—winning
regional and international awards and accolades in the process. The
Jordan-based filmmaker’s second feature, When I Saw You, is set
in 1967, when tens of thousands of refugees from Palestine poured into
camps in Jordan. Amid the chaos of war, 11-year-old Tarek is separated
from his father. Stranded with his mother (an impressive Ruba Blal) in
the confined space of the Harir camp, the free-spirited Tarek soon bolts
into the surrounding forest in search of his father. His mother
follows, and their journey toward home becomes a deeply affecting search
for freedom. Remarkable in terms of both craft and dramatic tension,
this poignant film is filled with a sense of defiance and hope.
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Palestinian Writer Suad Amiry Wins Italy’s Nonino Prize for Promoting Peace |
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How a Republican Christian Zionist Can Come to Translate Palestinian Literature
Tomorrow in London: Keep Your Eye on the Wall
‘The Keepers of Infinite Space’
2013 Neustadt Festival Opens Today with ‘Spotlight on the Middle East’
‘Punk Rock Travel Diary’ of Librarians to Palestine
Mahmoud Darwish and the Struggle Between Poetic and Political Imaginations
Book Launch: ‘The Storyteller of Jerusalem’
Five Years After the Cast Lead Operation: ‘Gaza Writes Back’
If You’re in Boston: Palestinian Narratives Across Genres
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| For thousands of years, the region of Palestine and the East Mediterranean has been denied an indigenous voice for an inclusive history. Three religions ascribe their origins to this part of the world, appropriating and re-appropriating the "Holy Land" time and again. Hidden Histories offers a powerful corrective to common understandings. It emphasizes Palestine's long history and dispels many old and new myths - covering issues of religious origins and sacred sites, identity and self-colonization, and the retrieval of ancient heritage. |
“Ra’ad carries his impressive erudition lightly. He even has a chapter
on the ‘Cats of Jerusalem.’ He introduces his Epilogue with, ‘This is
not my last chapter. It is the beginning of another book.’ Let us hope
so, and as soon as possible, please.” – Jane Adas, The Link
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