Return Unifies Us: March 22, 2014
Return Unifies Us: March 22, 2014
US Palestinian Community Network
www.uspcn.org + uspcn@uspcn.org + Twitter @USPCN
Return Unifies Us: March 22, 2014
USPCN is proud to be a signatory to this statement and demand for the Right to Return and the protection of our people in Yarmouk and other camps in Syria. The statement was developed by the Global Right to Return Coalition and the many Palestinian associations, unions, committees listed below, all declaring that the Right of Return is non-negotiable, and is a right that keeps us together.
We call on all Palestinian formations to consider endorsing this statement, and pro-Palestinian formations to support it. You may do so by emailing AlAwda2014@gmail.com and uspcn@uspcn.org
We also hope that you will heed the call for mobilization on March 22, the anniversary of one of our greatest triumphs in resistance. Send us your plans, and we will disseminate widely!
Printable version of statement here: Return Unifies Us
“Return Unifies Us”
Our heroic Palestinian people everywhere,
In the coming few days, the 46th anniversary of the battle of Karama will be upon us. During this heroic battle, our people proudly forged the path towards the return to our beloved homeland. This historic moment showed that it is 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.
This anniversary comes in the shadow of never-ending attacks, since the Nakba and continuing until the present: against our people, our cities, our villages and our camps in the homeland and in exile (Shatat). The latest manifestation of this ongoing Nakba is the attack and siege on our steadfast people in the camps in Syria. This attack has not, and never will, shake our people’s belief in the justness of our cause and the inevitability of our victory.
To our steadfast people everywhere,
This year, on the 22nd of March 2014, let us honour the memory of the Battle of Karama and the values of struggle it represents in our people’s consciousness by a day of action to insist upon our right, and the right of every last Palestinian refugee to return to our homeland. Let us emphasize the unity of our people against any and all attacks against our sons and daughters everywhere.
In the same spirit let us take the initiative on March 22nd, and raise our voices to demand our right of return, and to demand the unity of our people as the only way to safeguard and defend our national principles. Let us take action, filling our squares, streets, and our public spaces with mass rallies, popular festivals and scouts performances. From our beloved homeland and across our exiled communities and camps, let us raise our voices together with the slogans of national unity, asserting our unwavering demand for return and a salute to our people’s heroic sacrifices and struggle everywhere.
National Coalitions and Associations:
Palestinian Global Right of Return Coalition
The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
The Palestinian Scouts and Guides Federation– Palestine
The Coalition for Jerusalem – Al Quds (Jerusalem), Palestine
Constituent Members of the Palestinian Global Right of Return Coalition:
PLO Executive Office for Refugees – West Bank
Committee for the Defence of Rights of Palestinian Refugees/ Yafa Cultural Center
Union of Youth Activity Centers – West Bank Refugee Camps
Union of Youth Activity Centers – Gaza Refugee Camps
Union of Women’s Activity Centers – West Bank
Refugee Camps Consortium of the Displaced Inhabitants of Destroyed Palestinian Villages and Towns
Higher National Committee for the Defence of the Right of Return
Palestine National Committee for the Commemoration of the Nakba
Palestine Association for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally Displaced (ADRID), Nazareth – Palestine 1948
Palestine Remembered – Jordan
General Union of Jordanian Women
‘A’idun Group – Syria
‘A’idun Group – Lebanon
Beit Atfal Al-Sumoud – Lebanon
Group 194 – Syria
Right of Return Committee – Athens, Greece
Association Najdeh – Lebanon
Right of Return Committee – Sweden
European Federation of Right of Return Committees
Palestinian Return Network – Netherlands
Coordination Bureau – Lebanon
Rua’a Association for Culture and the Arts – Lebanon
Popular Association for Relief and Development – Lebanon
The Palestinian Right of Return Committee – Norway
Federations and Networks:
Popular Committees of the Refugee Camps – Gaza
Popular Committees of the Refugee Camps – West Bank
Network for Supporting Palestinian Camps in the Shatat – Syria
Palestinian Federation of Chile – Chile
The Union of Palestinian Associations in France – France
US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) – United States
Popular Organisations:
Al-Nakab Center for Youth Activities – Borj Al Barajneh Camp, Lebanon
African Community Center – Old City, Al Quds (Jerusalem)
Al Karame Center – Berlin, Germany
Al Sadaka Arab-Danish Cultural Center – Ringsted, Denmark
The Arab Palestinian Cultural Club – Uppsala, Sweden
The Association for Palestinian Political and Released Prisoners – Palestine 1948
Association for the Support of the Palestinian People: Canaan – Venezuela
Australian Palestinian Professional Association (APPA) – Australia
BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights – Bethlehem, Palestine
Baladna Association for Arab Youth – Haifa, Palestine 1948
The Beit Jibreen Cultural Center: Handala – Al Azzeh Camp, Palestine
The Block of Struggling Palestinian Women – Gaza, Palestine
The Damascene School – Yarmouk Camp, Syria
Ensan Center for Democracy and Human Rights – Bethlehem
General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) – Chile
General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) – Greece
General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) – United Kingdom
Grassroots Jerusalem – Al Quds (Jerusalem), Palestine
Jafra Association – Yarmouk Camp, Syria
Lajee Center – Aida Camp, Palestine
Ma’an Youth Group – Burj al Barajneh Camp, Lebanon
Ma’an Youth Group – Shatila Camp, Lebanon
The National Union of Students’ Parents – Palestine 1948
The Palestinian Association in Geneva – Switzerland
Palestine Club – Berlin, Germany
Palestinian Community Association – Athens, Greece
The Palestinian Charitable Association – Aleppo, Syria
Club Palestino – Santiago, Chile
Palestinian Arts and Heritage Center – Askar Camp, Palestine
The Palestinian Cultural Enlightenment Forum – Nablus, Palestine
The Palestinian Cultural Club – American University in Beirut, Lebanon
The Palestinian Cultural Club – Beirut Arab University, Lebanon
The Palestinian Cultural Club – Lebanese American University, Lebanon
The Palestinian Cultural Club – Shatila Camp, Lebanon
The Palestinian Women’s Association for Development and Justice – Geneva, Switzerland
Palestine Youth Movement – Sweden
The Refugee Follow-up Committee – Aleppo, Syria
Popular Committee – Al-Shati Camp, Gaza
Popular Committee – Bureij Camp, Gaza
Popular Committee – Deir El Balah Camp, Gaza
Popular Committee – Jabalia Camp, Gaza
Popular Committee – Khan Younis Camp, Gaza
Popular Committee – Maghazi Camp, Gaza
Popular Committee – Nuseirat Camp, Gaza
Popular Committee – Rafah Camp, Gaza
