Jerusalem - FiMED

On the 109th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas affirmed that the Palestinian people cling to their land, their national and historical rights and their holy sites, stressing that the refugees' right to return to the homes from which they were forcibly displaced is an immutable right that does not lapse with time and is not open to bargaining..

In a press statement, the movement said this year's anniversary of the Balfour Declaration comes amid the continuation of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the escalation of attacks and settlement and displacement schemes in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, deeming these policies to target the Palestinian presence, national identity and historical rights..

It added that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are facing an ongoing humanitarian tragedy as a result of the genocidal war, while the West Bank and Jerusalem are subjected to displacement and Judaization projects, amid what it described as international silence and inaction..

Hamas described the Balfour Declaration, issued by the British government in 1917, as a major colonial sin against the Palestinian people, deeming current Israeli policies an extension of the same colonial mentality, through killing, siege, starvation and displacement, and the targeting of Palestinian cities, villages and camps..

The movement affirmed that the political decisions that targeted Palestine, and the accompanying crimes of killing, displacement, ethnic cleansing and expulsion over the past decades, have failed to erase the Palestinian cause or to void the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, stressing that these crimes will not lapse with time..

National unity and the right of return

On the national level, Hamas called for achieving Palestinian unity on the basis of a unified struggle strategy, with the participation of the various components of the Palestinian people, deeming this a necessity to confront the occupation's schemes and protect the land and the Islamic and Christian holy sites..

The movement renewed its affirmation that the right of Palestinian refugees to return to the homes from which they were forcibly displaced is a legitimate and legal right that is immutable, not to be retracted, forfeited or bargained over..

It also called on Arab and Islamic countries and the free people of the world to move to stop the Israeli crimes, work to isolate the occupation internationally, and support the steadfastness of the Palestinians and their struggle to liberate their land, return to it and establish their fully sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital..

It demanded international action to pressure the Israeli government to stop its violations, hold its leaders accountable before international courts, and enable the Palestinian people to obtain their rights, foremost among them the right to liberation and return..

At the end of its statement, the movement offered condolences for the martyrs, wished recovery for the wounded and the sick, and freedom for the prisoners, stressing the need to strengthen Palestinian cohesion and solidarity and to continue steadfastness until national rights are achieved.