Murra: There are American and European attempts to revoke right of return

[ 03/06/2011 - 09:44 PM ]

BEIRUT, (PIC) --

 Ra’fat Murra, a Beirut-based Hamas official, criticised outside interference to try and stop activities on 5th of June to mark the 44th anniversary of the Naksa and said such interference clearly indicates the success of the 15th May Nakba marches which called for the implementation of right of return.

“The US stands and international warnings and threats which take declared and undeclared forms to stop the ‘Return March’ on 5th June to the borders of occupied Palestine is a clear proof of the success of the 15th May ‘Return March’ and that the march achieved its aims. It is also a proof of the achievement made by the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon through their sacrifice, steadfastness and insistence, bringing international attention to their just demands to return and their insistence on it while the occupation rejects it, “ Murra said in a press statement.

“The size of external pressures at the political and security levels to stop the 5th June march is evidence that the US, Europe and Israel have the same position on the right of return and want to stop any attempt to open this legitimate, humanitarian and just file. This intervention exposes the reality of countries that claim to support people’s right to freedom of expression and self-determination and shows the big lie about such countries acceptance of peaceful expression which the Palestinian refugees did when they marched towards their occupied homeland,” Murra pointed out.

Murra belittled Zionist military threats to the march and said that the people were determined to march despite those threats and the international pressures being exerted to abort the march.

A protest march in Jordan to mark the Naksa

[ 03/06/2011 - 08:47 PM ]

AMMAN, (PIC)--

Hundreds of people participated in a march that started at the Hanbali mosque after the Friday prayers towards the Ras Al-Ain district to mark the 44the anniversary of 1967 Naksa.

Participants in the march, that was organised by opposition parties carried placards that condemned occupation and the Wadi Araba peace agreement between Jordan and the Israeli occupation. They also carried placards reaffirming the right of return of Palestinian refugees and rejecting the notion of an alternative home in Jordan for those refugees.

“People want the annulment of Wadi Araba accord,” participants chanted “People want to cleanse Rabia,” in reference to the Amman neighbourhood were the Israeli occupation embassy stands.

Deputy secretary of the People’s Democratic Party made a speech on behalf of opposition parties in which he said: “We stand here today to pay tribute to the Palestinian, Jordanian and Arab generations of resistance and steadfastness which continued its struggle since the Nakba and gave thousands of martyrs, wounded and captives as well as millions of refugees in defence of Palestine,” and called on Palestinians to put their house in order and protect reconciliation and national unity.

Member of the executive office of the Islamic movement Ahmad al-Kafaween also made a speech in which he called on the Arab and Islamic states to stand united in the face of Zionist designs which target the whole Ummah and its resources in addition to depriving Palestinians of their ancestral home.

June 5th March Postponed In Lebanon

Friday June 03, 2011 16:12 by Kevin Murphy - IMEMC and Agencies

A high ranking Palestinian leader has told Lebanon Daily Star newspaper that the June 5th march by Palestinian refugees will be postponed due to pressure from the Lebanese government.

The Daily Star report said that organisers of the march did not intend to unsettle Lebanese stability and was not concerned of the timing of the march.

The report claims that US Embassy to Lebanon put the Lebanese government under significant pressure to prevent the march.

Lebanese officials have held meetings with Palestinian leaders to encourage them to cancel moves to repeat the protests to Israel’s borders that occurred on Nakba Day this year and left 16 protesters dead.

Israel has threatened Lebanon and Syria in the run up to June 5th to prevent any repeat of the events of Nakba Day which Israel say were coordinated by resistance group Hezbollah, Iran, Syria and Hamas.

The Lebanese military were coordinating with UNIFIL forces on the ground on how best to contain refugees. The military had announced the area surrounding the border to be a closed military zone

Netanyahu: “Israel Will Act Firmly Against Attempts To Cross Border”

Friday June 03, 2011 08:04 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned Thursday that Israel will act firmly against attempts to cross into the country while the Palestinian mark the “Naksa” day this coming Sunday.

The Nakba day marks the day Israel was established in historic Palestine (the 1948 territories), while the Naksa day marks Israel's occupation of the rest of the occupied territories (West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and other Arab areas).

During a speech at a High Tech Conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that he issued orders to the army and the security forces to “maintain self-restraint” while at the same time to act firmly “to protect the border and prevent any infiltration”.

His statements came as thousands of Palestinian refugees and supporters intend to hold protests in several Arab countries to mark the 44th anniversary of the Naksa similar to protests held during Nakba commemoration on May 15th when thousands of protesters and Palestinian refugees, marched along the Syrian border in an attempt to cross back into the country through the occupied Golan Heights.

Netanyahu claimed that Syria and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah Party were responsible for the attempts to cross into the country during the Nakba day, and that they were partners in what he called “the aggression”.

He added that Syria and Hezbollah “will try to challenge the Israeli sovereignty in the coming days”, and that “Israel will practice its right to protect its borders and security”.

Meanwhile, several Israeli military and security sources stated that the army is preparing for any possible clashes that could take place this Sunday, and that the Northern Command of the army intends to deploy thousands of soldiers along the borders with Lebanon and in the Golan Heights.

Also, Israel's Military Intelligence services started monitoring chatter social websites such as Twitter and Facebook in order to obtain information about planned protests and marches, especially in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in addition to Palestine.

According to Israeli Ynet news, the Lebanese military is due to close off the border to Israel on Sunday to prevent a repeat of the clashes on Nakba Day of this year, according to Israeli Yet News

Lebanon has designated the border between Israeli and Lebanon a “closed military zone” in the run up to protests on June 5th as part of Naksa Day.

The army has made it clear that it will cooperate with UNIFIL forces on the ground to enforce the exclusion barrier.

During the May 15 Nakba protests, four people were killed on the Syria-Israel border, and five were killed on the Lebanon-Israel border, while 52 injured in Gaza, and at least 24 injured in the West Bank as Israeli forces attacked Palestinian refugees trying to re-enter their homeland. The day of protests was a commemoration of the ‘Nakba’ or ‘Catastrophe’, the day when Israel was created on Palestinian land 63 years ago.

The Israeli military confirmed firing at protesters on the Israel-Syrian border, as thousands of refugees tried to cross into the Golan Heights that is now a disputed territory claimed by both Israel and Syria. Many Arabs who lived in the area found their towns and families split in half by the border.

Thousands of Palestinian refugees in southern Lebanon also tried to cross the border with Israel Sunday morning, and were met with gunfire from Israeli troops stationed at the border. At least five people were killed, and ten wounded by Israeli gunfire in the Maroun Al-Ras area in southern Lebanon.