PLO official says the US is “Israel’s partner in a plot against our people’s inalienable rights,” and that “no one has the right to concede our refugees` right to return"
Headline: "Abu Houli: No one has the right to concede our refugees' right to return"
"PLO Executive Committee member and Head of the [PLO] Department of Refugee Affairs Ahmad Abu Houli said that the Palestinian refugees' issue is the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the region, and its solution will only be possible through the implementation of [UN] Resolution 194, which determines that the Palestinian refugees will return to their homes from which they were expelled in 1948…
He added: 'No one in the world has the right to concede our Palestinian refugees’ right to return to the homes from which they were expelled in 1948. The government of Israel will not succeed in absolving itself of the moral, legal, and political responsibility for the tragedy that has befallen the Palestinian refugees, and so too with the American administration, which has become the government of Israel’s partner in a plot against our people’s inalienable rights.'"
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."
"PLO Executive Committee member and Head of the [PLO] Department of Refugee Affairs Ahmad Abu Houli said that the Palestinian refugees' issue is the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the region, and its solution will only be possible through the implementation of [UN] Resolution 194, which determines that the Palestinian refugees will return to their homes from which they were expelled in 1948…
He added: 'No one in the world has the right to concede our Palestinian refugees’ right to return to the homes from which they were expelled in 1948. The government of Israel will not succeed in absolving itself of the moral, legal, and political responsibility for the tragedy that has befallen the Palestinian refugees, and so too with the American administration, which has become the government of Israel’s partner in a plot against our people’s inalienable rights.'"
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."