Setback for the values of freedom and justice
On this day, 15 May, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) recalls the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Nakba of the land and the people of Palestine, following the establishment of Israel, the colonial occupation power, and the accompanying 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, and the confiscation of the lands and property of the indigenous Palestinian people.
This painful memory is still alive in the individual and collective memory of the Muslim Ummah, as a dark sign in the human conscience and a setback for the values of freedom and justice, due to 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.
While welcoming UNGA Resolution A/RES/77/23, of November 30, 2022, to commemorate the Nakba for the first time in the history of the United Nations, the OIC reaffirms, on this occasion, 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, the occupying power, accountable for its crimes against humanity, 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 also values and appreciates the UNRWA’s role and its tireless efforts in providing basic services to the estimated 6.5 million Palestinian refugees. Furthermore, the OIC underlines 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 organization 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 reaffirms 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.—PR
