The Palestinian and Arab communities of New York and New Jersey are working together together to commemorate the Sixtieth Anniversary of the Nakbah, the Palestinian Catastrophe.
Between 1947 and the early 1950s, the Zionist movement, and then Israel, ethnically cleansed nearly 800,000 Palestinians from their homes and destroyed over 400 Palestinian villages. Since then, Israel has committed countless human rights abuses against the Palestinian people under its rule. It has consistently refused to allow Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons, who now number 7 million people, to return to their homes. The right of all people to return to their original homes and properties is a fundamental right guaranteed to all people. Thus, the Palestinian disaster continues to this day.
The Palestinian and larger Arab communities of New York and New Jersey and their supporters have organized numerous activities to commemorate the Sixtieth Anniversary of the Nakbah, traditionally dated to 1948 (the year Israel declared its statehood).
We invite all people of conscience to participate in our activities and encourage you to organize events in your communities for the commemoration of the Nakbah.
Please read our letter to the United Nations, which we will present on Friday, May 16, 2008.
