Solidarity With Heroes of Human Karama (Dignity)
By Leila Diab
Note” November 29th UN International Day of Solidarity
with the Palestinian people was declared in 1977. the General Assembly called for the annual observance of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (resolution 32/40 B). On that day, in 1947, the Assembly adopted the resolution on the partition of Palestine (resolution 181 (II))
For over 68 years, the partition, the establishment of a corpus separatum for City of Jerusalem and over all, Question of Palestine coming to a peaceful fruition, has become one of the greatest world and human catastrophes in this modern time and day in history. November 29th, the UN Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, is a day to celebrate as well as honor and commemorate the Palestinian heroes of human KARAMA (dignity) whose voices for freedom will never remain silent.
The blinded eyes of the majority of world leaders and institutions have created a boiling cauldron sea of injustices and homeless refugees that continues to fester in the homeland of Palestine.
Humanitarian people from all over the world with a humane conscientiousness continue to persevere and protect the over one million Palestinian refugees living in the camps of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip. East Jerusalem and in the refugee camps in the Israeli held occupied territories of Palestine. Life for Palestinians in the occupied lands of Palestine under the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) has exasperated their displacement of moral existence and exhausted their UN universal human rights convictions, to no avail.
One might ask, ‘who are Palestinian refuges? According to UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency) Palestinian refugees are “defined as persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period of June 1, 1946 to May 15m 1948, and who lost both their homes. land and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.”
For example, in one of the host Arab countries such as Syria, as was pointed out in the book, The Sociology of the Palestinians (edited by Khalil Nakhleh and Elia Zureik) in 1980, it documented a reveling fact. “The size of the Palestinian community in Syria was quite small, especially by comparison with the total Syrian population (250,00 of 8,000,00 or 3%) most of them registered as refugees. Of these, 50,000 resided in camps. Unlike a Palestinian majority in Jordan, over 20 per cent in Kuwait and about 10 percent in Lebanon. Syria’s treatment of the Palestinians derives from the long history of support for the pan-Arab movements and the ideology and from its anti-imperialist stances.
And in some ways, Palestinians became most integrated into Syrian society at all levels and rarely suffered discrimination in jobs, rights to ownership or political activity.” Today it has been destroyed.
Today, an inhumane emergency crisis in Syria has severely affected Palestine refugees and the Syria people due to many imperialist policies of divide and conquer an ongoing armed conflict, and a new wave of displaced Palestinians and more Arab refugees.
Accordingly, UNRWA confirms,, their services are available to all those living in areas of operations who meet this definition, and are registered with the Agency and who need there assistance. Ironically, UNRWA was established in 1950 in order to respond to the needs of over 750, 00 Palestinian refugees.
But during the months of July and September 2015, UNRWA was authorized to resume very limited operations due to limited resources for humanitarian aid.
Regrettably, nearly one-third of registered Palestinian refugees, more than 1.5 million karama souls, live in 58 deplorable, decimated refugee camps. And these refugee camps are in dire need of health care services,clean water to drink, endure a high population density, cramped living conditions and basically an inadequate infrastructure such as sewers, roads and severe economic hardships.
And the solidarity with the Palestinian people this November 29th, is unheard, and riddled with silent refrains to save humanity among the majority of world leaders and the mainstream media to end their suffering, let alone praise the Palestinian ‘s human dignity of perseverance. And steadfastness to exist.
Today there are more than 5 million Palestinian refugees who are eligible for UNRWA services.
However, how much longer will they continue to be marginalized and insignificant having lived through intense traumas? Who will stand in solidarity to the rapid urgent needs of vulnerable Palestine refugees, all the Palestinian people and the thousands of Arab refugees? One might ask, ‘shouldn’t their universal desires launch a world solidarity movement to save humanity?
All people of human dignity (karama) should adhere to the opening preamble of the UN Universal Declaration of Human rights which amplifies the message,
“Where as, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”
November 29th, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, is a day for all humanity to praise, protect , shelter and honor the Palestinian heroes with human dignity…karama.