For the first time ever, the United Nations on Monday officially commemorated the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” when more than 750,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homeland during a sweeping Zionist ethnic cleansing campaign in service of the establishment of the modern state of Israel 75 years ago.
Events scheduled for Monday include a morning conference at U.N. headquarters in New York City held by the U.N. Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, as well as a special evening commemoration in the General Assembly Hall.
“This is an occasion to highlight that the noble goals of justice and peace, require recognizing the reality and history of the Palestinian people’s plight and ensuring the fulfillment of their inalienable rights,” the U.N. Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL) said in a statement.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, hailed Monday’s “historic” commemoration, noting that the General Assembly in 1947 voted—without consulting Palestinians—to
— source commondreams.org | Brett Wilkins | May 15, 2023