PLO official: US peace plan “will not pass;” “our people… will not negotiate over the salaries of the Martyrs and prisoners;” Palestinians in 1948 were “expelled by force and Zionist terror”
Headline: “Abu Houli: The deal of the century will not pass, whatever the cost may be; the causes of Jerusalem and the refugees are not up for sale or negotiations”
“Under the headline ‘From the dust of the Nakba to the realization of the return let us thwart the plots,’ thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City participated in a march to mark the 71st anniversary of the Nakba (i.e., “the catastrophe,” Palestinian term for the establishment of the State of Israel) …
PLO Executive Committee member and Chairman of the [PLO Supreme] National Committee to Commemorate Nakba Day (see note below –Ed.) Ahmad Abu Houli emphasized in his speech at the beginning of the central rally before the UN building, before the thousands of participants in the march that the deal of the century (i.e., US President Donald Trump’s as yet unpublished Middle East peace plan) will not pass – whatever the cost may be, and however heavy the sacrifices may be. He noted that the causes of Jerusalem and the refugees are not up for sale or negotiations.
Abu Houli said that our people will not sell its rights and principles for a handful of dollars, will not negotiate over the salaries of the Martyrs and prisoners, and will not succumb to the financial extortion. He emphasized that our people will continue the struggle over the land of Palestine while adhering to its legitimate national rights – liberation, independence, and the establishment of the independent Palestinian state whose capital is Jerusalem – and its eternal right to return to its original lands, from which it was expelled by force and Zionist terror.”
The picture accompanying the article shows a key in the colors of the Palestinian flag, representing the right of return, being held up during the march in Gaza City. On the key is written: “The return is a sacred right” and “The 71st anniversary of the Nakba.”
Ahmad Abu Houli also holds the position of head of the PLO Department of Refugee Affairs.
Nakba Day - Palestinians commemorate Nakba Day on May 15, the day after the establishment of Israel. On May 15, 1948, combined forces from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq joined local Arab forces in an attempt to eradicate the newly established State of Israel. The Nakba (Arabic = catastrophe) refers to the establishment of Israel, and the subsequent defeat in the war, including the killing and displacement of Arab civilians that occurred during the war.