Palestinian, Malaysian NGOs Mark Nakba Anniversary With Call For International Action

KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 (Bernama) -- Palestinian and Malaysian civil society, humanitarian and advocacy organisations have called on the international community to take stronger action over ongoing Israeli violations committed against the Palestinian people, in conjunction with the anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.

In a joint statement on Friday, the organisations, including the Palestinian Cultural Organisation (PCOM) and the Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organisation (MAPIM), among others, said the Nakba was not merely a historical event but a continuing reality experienced by Palestinians over decades.

"For Palestinians, the Nakba is not a history to be recounted, but a complete life still being lived with all its loss, oppression and longing," the statement said.

The organisations said attempts to uproot Palestinians from their land had continued since 1948, alleging that while methods had changed over time, "the mentality remains the same".

"On that day, the Israeli occupation destroyed more than 530 Palestinian villages and towns, expelling people under the sound of gunfire and instilling fear," the statement said, adding that such actions had evolved into siege, starvation, bombardment, settlement construction, demolition, displacement, and the alteration of the land's features and identity.

The statement also linked the current situation in Gaza to the historical displacement of Palestinians, saying the conflict there represented "a long-term continuation of a tragedy that began the moment Palestinians were uprooted from their homeland".

"Gaza, which was once a refuge for tens of thousands displaced from their cities and villages, has become a place where people are hunted down even in their tents, deprived of food, and even the hope of surviving another day," it said.

The organisations also raised concerns over developments in the West Bank and Jerusalem, claiming that land confiscation, settlement activities and efforts to alter Jerusalem's identity continued to affect Palestinians.

They urged international human rights and media organisations to expose the reality of the suffering endured by Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem and to refrain from treating their plight as mere statistics or temporary events.

The groups further called for an end to settlement expansion and the protection of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, while reiterating support for full recognition of the Palestinian people's right to freedom, dignity, and return to their land.

-- BERNAMA