Knesset ‘Legalizing’ Ocupation of Palestinian Land

The Israeli Knesset (parliament) has endorsed a draft resolution that gives Tel Aviv carte blanche authority to maintain the occupation of the lands confiscated from Palestinians.

The resolution, endorsed on Monday, has been widely described as a tremendous effort by Israeli lawmakers to pervert the course of justice with regards to the occupied Palestinian lands.

"This is not a law for returning the lands, but rather a law to legitimize usurping the Palestinian lands. What kind of democracy could be that allows occupation of Arab territories on the pretext that the lands are only Arab?" Arab Knesset member Dr. Jamal Zahalqa said before Israel’s legislature.

"What kind of equality before the law you are talking about if your main goal is to strip a right holder off his legitimate rights. We don’t need your democracy. We don’t need your equality. We need our land that you usurped from us. Take your democracy and give us back our land," he stated.

Article 11 of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 — passed on December 11, 1948 near the end of the Arab-Israeli War — says that the Palestinians should have the right to return to their homeland, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return.

It is estimated that about 4 million Palestinians living in refugee communities scattered mainly in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon could claim the right of return under this article.

Palestinians maintain that their state must be constructed on territory marked by the borders of 1967 as soon as possible.

(Press TV)

(The Palestine Chronicle is a registered 501(c)3 organization, thus, all donations are tax deductible.)
Our Vision For Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders & Intellectuals Speak Out