PA Observer to the UN distorts facts: “Zionist terror organizations massacred 400 cities and villages in 1948”
Headline: “Mansour sent the UN a letter about the Nakba”
“Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour sent three identical letters to the three heads of the UN: the UN CEO, this month’s president of the Security Council (Egypt), and the chairman of the General Assembly. In the letters he noted that May 15, 2016 was the 68th anniversary of the Nakba (i.e., “the catastrophe,” Palestinian term for the establishment of the State of Israel) in 1948.
In his letters, Mansour explained that 68 years ago more than 800,000 Palestinians were uprooted, expelled from their homes and lands, or fled out of fear for their lives, after the Zionist terrorist organizations perpetrated barbaric massacres in more than 400 cities and villages in Mandatory Palestine, in a clear act of ethnic cleansing… [He added:] ‘Today, the Palestinian Nakba continues. Millions of them live in the Diaspora as refugees, without receiving their inalienable right to return to their homes, or continue to live in the State of Palestine, including in East Jerusalem, under Israeli military occupation for nearly 50 years. They are forced to suffer the constant violations of their human rights and endure more loss of life and property, in addition to indescribable suffering and difficulty.’ Ambassador Mansour noted that on Nakba Day, ‘we must again emphasize the Palestinian refugees’ right of return, a collective and personal right according to UN resolutions, and especially resolution 194 of the General Assembly. This right does not expire as time passes, and honoring it is basic to achieving a just and permanent solution to the conflict.’”
UN resolution 194 (Chapter 11, Dec. 11, 1948) states that "the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return." Palestinian leaders argue this means that all Arabs who left Israel during the war (hundreds of thousands) and their descendants (a few million) have a "right of return" to Israel. Israel argues that the resolution only calls for a limited return and only under certain conditions, especially focusing on the words "wishing to return... and live at peace with their neighbors."
“Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour sent three identical letters to the three heads of the UN: the UN CEO, this month’s president of the Security Council (Egypt), and the chairman of the General Assembly. In the letters he noted that May 15, 2016 was the 68th anniversary of the Nakba (i.e., “the catastrophe,” Palestinian term for the establishment of the State of Israel) in 1948.
In his letters, Mansour explained that 68 years ago more than 800,000 Palestinians were uprooted, expelled from their homes and lands, or fled out of fear for their lives, after the Zionist terrorist organizations perpetrated barbaric massacres in more than 400 cities and villages in Mandatory Palestine, in a clear act of ethnic cleansing… [He added:] ‘Today, the Palestinian Nakba continues. Millions of them live in the Diaspora as refugees, without receiving their inalienable right to return to their homes, or continue to live in the State of Palestine, including in East Jerusalem, under Israeli military occupation for nearly 50 years. They are forced to suffer the constant violations of their human rights and endure more loss of life and property, in addition to indescribable suffering and difficulty.’ Ambassador Mansour noted that on Nakba Day, ‘we must again emphasize the Palestinian refugees’ right of return, a collective and personal right according to UN resolutions, and especially resolution 194 of the General Assembly. This right does not expire as time passes, and honoring it is basic to achieving a just and permanent solution to the conflict.’”
UN resolution 194 (Chapter 11, Dec. 11, 1948) states that "the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return." Palestinian leaders argue this means that all Arabs who left Israel during the war (hundreds of thousands) and their descendants (a few million) have a "right of return" to Israel. Israel argues that the resolution only calls for a limited return and only under certain conditions, especially focusing on the words "wishing to return... and live at peace with their neighbors."