Today, Friday, the Palestinians celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the "Nakba Day" without popular activities, in a first precedent due to the measures taken to prevent the outbreak of the new Corona virus. The popular events held on the anniversary of the "Nakba" were canceled.
The Department of Refugee Affairs in the Palestine Liberation Organization announced that the activities of this year for the day of the Nakba will be limited to digital activities on social media platforms as part of a media campaign bearing the slogan "We will return to Palestine."
The department urged the raising of the Palestinian flag and black flags on the roofs of Palestinian homes, the whistling of mourning and stopping the movement for 72 seconds with the number of years of the Nakba and the launch of takbeers from the minarets of mosques and the ringing of church bells.
For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Information announced the allocation of a special unified broadcasting wave to commemorate the Nakba Day under the title (We will not forget) with the participation of a number of local radio, television and news agencies.
According to official sources, approximately 950,000 Palestinians were displaced from their original cities and towns upon the announcement of the founding of Israel, and 774 Palestinian villages and cities were controlled and 531 completely destroyed.
The number of Palestinians at the end of 2019, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, is about 13 million, of whom about 5 million are Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (43% of them are refugees). In a statement on the occasion of the Nakba Day, Palestinian Foreign Minister and Expatriates Riyad al-Maliki called on the international community to assume its responsibilities to end the effects of the Nakba based on international law and support the Palestinian right.
Al-Maliki urged the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is the right to self-determination, independence, and work to end the Israeli occupation, the embodiment of the independent State of Palestine with its capital in Jerusalem, and the right of return to refugees in accordance with Resolution 194.
The Palestinian factions issued separate statements confirming the adherence to Palestinian rights, foremost of which is the right of return of refugees, confronting projects to "liquidate" the issue, and perpetuating the Israeli occupation.
