Ghana Karmi: DEMOLISHING PALESTINIAN HISTORY
https://x.com/MaryKostakidis/status/2020444502671212739
Ghana Karmi: DEMOLISHING PALESTINIAN HISTORY
'On 20 January this year Israeli troops demolished UNRWA’s Headquarters in East Jerusalem, a deeply shocking event insufficiently condemned. As the building collapsed, Jerusalem’s Israeli deputy mayor declared that, with God’s help, all UNRWA staff would be expelled, killed, and eliminated, describing them as Nazis.'
'This vulgar and arrogant assault on a vital lifeline for 5.9 million Palestinian refugees living in the Palestinian territory and the countries surrounding it was condemned by the UN and by EU states. To them, it was the latest and most blatant example of Israeli lawlessness. But to me, it was a body blow.'
'But, no matter how hard Israel tries, there can be no escape from the historical reality so long as UNRWA remains in existence. UNRWA’s archives, collected over many years, are a unique repository of Palestinian history: 50 million documents containing the family files of five generations of refugees since 1948. They are a priceless record of refugee life from the start of Israel’s creation, and a lasting testament to the history Israel has worked so hard to erase.'
'However, what really puts UNRWA beyond the pale for Israel is that its whole existence is premised on the Palestinian right of return. The UN set up UNRWA to provide temporary relief pending the refugees’ return to their places of origin. It was never intended to operate in perpetuity, although Israel’s obduracy has made it seem so, and would be wound up when its functions were no longer required. The Palestinian right of return - enshrined in UN General Assembly Resolution 194, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and common decency - is inextricably linked with UNRWA’s existence. Israel’s fantasy is that, by destroying UNRWA, it can delete the right of return, escape its own ignoble beginnings, and believe its own lies.'
posted by Satish Sharma at
04:19
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