Palestinians and the Return Home (Part 2)

The profound effect of this on an individual, I cannot imagine. To become a refugee once is painful enough; twice is beyond belief. My grandfather never returned to see the home that was stolen from him in 1948 simply because he couldn't bear to see it occupied by an Israeli family who would probably care less about his loss, or even his existence. Like so many other Palestinians, the key to that house remained in his possession until the end of his life. The same was done with nearly every Palestinian family. Always hoping that one day they would return, it is the story of thousands of Palestinian families.

In a mobile society like the one we live in, such a feeling could perhaps never be completely understood. The meaning of living and remaining on a land that was owned and cultivated by your father and your fathers father and his father before him (and so on) could never be fully appreciated. It is difficult to explain sometimes, this attachment to the land, the pain over the loss of it, and the dream of return. But for most Palestinians it has been an everyday thought. Fifty two years after the fact, the same hope exists, and it is doubtful that the dream of Al-Awda will ever go away. Yet, "negotiations" will go on, and Israel will continue to refuse any Palestinians expelled from their homes, the right to return. In the meantime, it continues to welcome millions of immigrants from Russia and elsewhere.

Legally, the Palestinian right of return has a firm basis. Being allowed to return to one's homeland is a basic human right. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 13, states, among other things, that every individual has the right to return to his country. United Nations Resolution 194, adopted on December 11, 1948 states: "...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... compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return." This resolution has been re-affirmed nearly every year following. The Principle of Self Determination states that every individual has the right of ownership and residence in his country. In 1969, the latter priniciple was applied specifically to the Palestinian people. Yet, these resolutions go on ignored. Although the faces at the negotiating table have changed through the years, this basic human right continues to be ignored. For Palestinians, however, one truth remains: there will never really be peace or justice without return. And, anxiously, they await that return.

Go To Page: 1 2