Palestinians mark World Refugee Day

Tuesday, 21 June 2011 09:22

Palestinians have held a demonstration in front of the UN office in the Gaza Strip to mark World Refugee Day and demand that the international community fulfill its responsibility toward the Palestinian refugees. Pro-Palestine activists also took part in the event on Monday to reaffirm the importance of solidarity and burden-sharing with the Palestinian refugees, a Press TV correspondent reported. “I think this is a very important moment for the Palestinians to act now and convince the international community to pressure Israeli authorities to accept the Palestinians' right to return to their homeland,” said Khalil Shaheen of Palestinian Center for Human Rights. On Monday, a European aid convoy with 53 pro-Palestinian activists entered Gaza via the Rafah border crossing to help ease the conditions of Palestinians in the coastal sliver. According to the UN General Assembly Resolution 194, the Palestinian refugees wishing to return to their homes should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date and compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to the property. However, Israel has been deliberately denying the right to return of the Palestinian refugees, in clear violation of the international law. In a recent development, Israel's Navy said it would stop an international flotilla which is planned to set sail for Gaza at the end of June. The convoy will comprise around 1,500 activists. The Israeli military attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, 2010, killing nine Turkish nationals aboard the Turkish-flagged MV Mavi Marmara and injuring about 50 other people that were part of the team on the six-ship convoy. The Israeli regime laid an economic siege on Gaza in June 2007 after an elected Hamas government took control of the strip. The blockade has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza. Some 1.5 million people in Gaza are being denied their basic rights, including the freedom of movement and the right to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.