Launching the International Coalition to Defend the Rights of the Palestinian People and Protect the Right of Return

The establishment and launch of the International Alliance to Defend the Rights of the Palestinian People and Protect the Right of Return was announced in the French capital, Paris, today, Wednesday. The alliance was organized by the Palestine Liberation Organization in cooperation with the French Communist Party and the Palestine Forum Foundation, with the participation of members of the organization's Executive Committee, Ahmed Al-Tamimi, Dr. Faisal Aranki, and Bassam Al-Salhi, President of the Palestine Forum, Munib Al-Masri, Governor Dr. Hussein Hamayel, Advisor to the Governorate of Jerusalem, Marouf Al-Rifai, and the active participation of Palestinian, Arab and international institutions and personalities, the Deputy Palestinian Ambassador to France, Ms. Nadine Abu Al-Haija, and embassy staff.

Qassim Awad, Deputy Director of the Human Rights and Civil Society Department and General Coordinator of the Conference, said that this conference came as a result of great efforts made over the past year, at the national, Arab and international levels, at a crucial moment in the history of the Palestinian people’s struggle for self-determination. The conference was held under the auspices of the Palestine Liberation Organization (the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people) and the French Communist Party, with the active participation of the French left, international progressive forces, global civil societies, labor unions, academics, legal experts, parliamentarians and political parties from Europe, the Arab world and internationally.

The founding statement stated that the conference aimed to form an "international coalition to defend the rights of the Palestinian people and protect the right of return," as a Palestinian, Arab, and international coalition rooted in the history of peoples' struggle. Our demand is the implementation of international law, the right of peoples to self-determination, the establishment of a just and lasting peace for all peoples, and the implementation of the principles of the United Nations Charter. We denounce any colonial project or the enslavement of peoples.

The statement also stated that the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu, its racist policies, its war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the international support it enjoys, pose an existential threat to the Palestinian people and peace in the region. Its criminal and racist project must be stopped immediately through effective pressure and sanctions from the international community, the European Union, and governments. 1. We urge all people of conscience to rise up to stop the genocidal project being implemented by the Israeli government in Gaza. An immediate and permanent ceasefire must be established, the deadly blockade imposed on the Strip must be lifted to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid, the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed must be ended immediately, and their perpetrators must be held accountable before international justice.

The statement emphasized that the Palestinian issue represents a national and human liberation issue, and can only be resolved through justice and law, ending colonialism, occupation, and apartheid in the occupied territories, and halting systematic discrimination against the Palestinian people. The national rights of the Palestinian people can only be achieved through a political solution based on the implementation of international law. The national liberation of the Palestinian people is part of the long struggle of the Arab peoples and the peoples of the world for independence and against colonialism, racism, and anti-Semitism. We call on France and the European Union to immediately recognize the State of Palestine, to enable the two-state solution.

The statement also stressed respect for and implementation of international law, reaffirming the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among which are the right to self-determination, the return of refugees in accordance with UN Resolution 194, the end of occupation and colonialism, and the establishment of an independent, democratic, and scientific state with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions (181, 242, 338, 1397, 2334, and others).

He also called for respecting and implementing the right of return as an inalienable individual and collective right, to compensate for decades of injustice and plunder suffered by the Palestinian people, and to impose sanctions on Israel as long as it violates international law, including suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and implementing the orders of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners must be released.

He called for the formation of an international coalition around demands to recognize the rights of the Palestinian people, implement international law, recognize the State of Palestine, and establish a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. By expanding the coalition to include unions, civil society organizations, academics, legal professionals, the media, and elected officials around the world, we aim to make it an effective tool for political influence.

He commended the pioneering role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of France in convening the international conference to protect the two-state solution on June 19 in New York under the auspices of the United Nations. We strongly support this initiative, which could pave the way for justice and peace by reaffirming the principles of international law and recognizing the rights of the Palestinian people. We also commend the courageous role of Egypt and Jordan in rejecting the Trump administration's unilateral "peace plan," which aims to bury Palestinian national rights and legitimize the annexation of occupied territories.

The statement added that the convergence of the "Freedom for Palestine" conference with the "Protecting the Two-State Solution" conference represents a historic opportunity to build a new balance in international relations, end the occupation and siege, re-establish justice, and open a real horizon for collective security and shared progress for the Palestinian people and the peoples of the Middle East.

At the end of the statement, the participants paid tribute to the Palestinian people, their courage and dignity in Jerusalem, Gaza, the West Bank, the 1948 territories, and in the diaspora and refugee camps. They also saluted the men and women who are resolutely struggling for freedom, democracy and the rule of law around the world, including inside Israel. They commemorated the members of humanitarian organizations, UN cadres and journalists who were killed due to the deliberate policy of the Israeli government. They called for the broadest possible action to support a just peace, and urged increased popular mobilization and global support to achieve this peace. They emphasized that the unity of the Palestinian people and the building of international alliances are the key to freedom.