Lying to the Refugees

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

The days marking the anniversary of the Nakba, or the “Days of Return,” witness auctions of lies against the Palestinian people, deceit and distortion. It is an occasion in which the worthless mixes with the worthwhile, national lying with media razzle-dazzle, concessions with rousing, passionate speeches.

The question of the Palestinian refugees forms the essence, the core, and the heart of the Palestinian cause, and there is no solution to the Palestinian cause without the right of return. The right of return is the first Palestinian constant, superseded by no variable, whim, or deviation. The right of return first, second, and third, and the right to self-determination — and anyone who departs from these two constants has departed from the essence of the cause, diverting attention toward what is secondary, and has also rendered a great service to Israel and its allies.

Recognizing Israel entirely contradicts the right of return, and so does normalizing with it and coordinating with it on security and administrative matters. Whoever recognizes Israel recognizes its right to the seized land, and its right to expel Palestinians from their homes and properties. He does not offer mere “legal” recognition — he offers practical recognition. Whoever recognizes Israel gives it both legal and practical recognition, entirely bypassing the fixed national rights of the Palestinian people. He may say he does this in order to obtain a state, but saying so means he wants to establish a state by Israeli will — and such a state, were it ever established, would be nothing but a security and administrative agent of the occupation.

Those who recognize Israel drop the right of return, even if they insist on it every day in the media. Holding to the right of return has requirements other than recognizing Israel, normalizing with it, and providing it security and administrative services. Those who recognize Israel now employ their media to sing the praises of the right of return, hold rhetorical festivals, and let loose a flood of revolutionary statements.

By God, they are liars, deceiving the people of Palestine. Whoever pursues a Palestinian child throwing a stone at a Zionist settler cannot possibly stand with the right of return — he is exploiting the memory of Palestinian suffering to inflict further harm on the Palestinian people. And whoever wants to trade seized land for land he holds no sovereignty over has no heart for the refugees at all.

As a people, we must lend no ear to those who recognize Israel, nor to those who normalize with it, and we must isolate them and expose their lies. At the same time, we are required to continue spreading awareness about the refugee question and to insist on the right of return. The refugee question is a winning cause, and it must be put forward forcefully before the peoples of the world, instead of wasting time searching for a state in Netanyahu’s and Obama’s pockets.

Palestinian and Arab resistance are required not to remain distant from shaping events, and their performance must become more precise and more courageous.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “الكذب على اللاجئين” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.