The Nakba Day is observed annually on May 15 by Palestinians to remember the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes after the establishment of Israel in 1948…reports Asian Lite News
On the 75th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has said that the painful memory of Palestinian Catastrophe is still alive as a “dark sign in the human conscience” and a “setback for the values of freedom and justice.”
The Nakba Day is observed annually on May 15 by Palestinians to remember the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes after the establishment of Israel in 1948.
The OIC recalled the human tragedies it caused, “mass displacement and denial of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, and the repercussions of its chapters, which persist through the practices of Israel, a colonial occupation power.”
The Islamic inter-governmental organisation has recalled the “ethnic cleansing and systematic state terrorism against the Palestinian people, by committing more than 51 massacres that claimed the lives of about 15,000 Palestinian citizens, and the forced displacement of more than 950,000 others, as well as the complete destruction of 531 Palestinian villages.”
While welcoming UN resolution in November 2022 to commemorate the Nakba for the first time in the history of the United Nations, the OIC reaffirmed the responsibility of the international community and its political, legal humanitarian and moral duties to end the Israeli occupation, and activate international justice mechanisms to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity.
It also called the global community to correct the “historical injustice that still hangs over the Palestinian people, and find a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to their cause, in accordance with the relevant international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.”
The OIC said it values the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s role and its tireless efforts in providing basic services to the estimated 6.5 million Palestinian refugees.
Furthermore, it underlined the need for UNRWA’s continued role as a living witness to the tragedy of refugees, and the embodiment of the commitment of the international community towards the implementation of UN resolutions and the need to find a just and lasting solution to the issue of the Palestinian refugees.
“The organisation expresses respect and admiration for the Palestinian people, who, despite the recurring chapters and repercussions of this painful catastrophe over the decades, were able to continue their just struggle in all its forms, in order to defend their land, the cradle of civilizations, cultures and monotheistic faiths, and to protect their national identity, while sustaining their efforts to embody their freedom, independence and sovereignty over their national territory,” the OIC said in a statement.
The OIC also reaffirmed its unwavering support for the “inalienable rights” of the Palestinian people, foremost of which their right to return, and the embodiment of the establishment of their independent state on the 4/6/1967 borders, with Al-Quds Ashariff as its capital.