Concluding Statement of the Fourth International Convention of Al Awda - The Palestine Right to Return Coalition

For Immediate Release
July 17, 2006

Concluding Statement of the Fourth International Convention of
Al Awda - The Palestine Right to Return Coalition

In concluding its successful Fourth Annual International Convention, Al
Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, takes this opportunity to
condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the Israeli aggression being waged
against the Palestinian and Lebanese people.

At this moment, while the Israeli war machine unleashes itself upon the
civilian infrastructure and national institutions of the Palestinian and
Lebanese people, and while the US administration is once again giving a
green light to Israel to continue its aggression, it is paramount that we,
and all people of conscience, stand against this inhumanity and continue to
assert our unequivocal solidarity with the Arab people of Palestine and
Lebanon in their resistance against occupation and aggression.

Despite the overwhelming number of myths propagated by the US and Zionist
establishments, and repeated by the US corporate media, the assaults being
launched against our brothers and sisters in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip aim
to destroy the civilian infrastructure of those areas.

These assaults also aim to break the will of the Palestinian and Lebanese
people, such that US imperial and Zionist hegemonic interests can reign
supreme throughout the region. This is consistent with
US policies in the Arab East, specifically with regards to the US occupation
of Iraq, which we likewise continue to condemn in the strongest possible
terms, while demanding its immediate cessation.

The events unfolding in Palestine and Lebanon represent an affront to the
most elementary principles of human decency - be it with regards to
subverting a democratically elected local authority, rejecting the principle
of self-determination, while denying the victims of occupation their right
to resist their occupiers.

We challenge the people and institutions of conscience throughout the United
States to condemn, in principle and in action, the aggression being waged
against the Palestinian and Lebanese people, and to stand in solidarity with
the victims of this aggression. In this regard, we call for support and
participation in the National Emergency March being held in Washington DC,
on 12 August 2006.

Moreover, we call for the launch of educational forums and teach-ins on the
Palestinian Refugees Right to Return and the reality of the situation in
Palestine and Lebanon including but not limited to the
Israeli occupation of Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian lands, the US
occupation of Iraq, the legitimate resistance movements opposing these acts
of dispossession and occupation, and the state of the 10,000 Arab prisoners
held in Israeli jails.

The precariousness of the situation in Palestine and Lebanon compels us to
be vigilant. It is incumbent upon us to engage in an escalating campaign of
protest and education which will be critical for building a movement that
can challenge and ultimately bring an end to the brutality and injustice
which is unfolding before us. It is long past due that
progressive movements and forces in the US unite and raise their
voice in condemning the US government, Zionism and Zionist policies in the
region, and demanding that our people's rights not be held hostage
to the calculations of US mid-term elections or any other secondary
consideration. Now is the time for the anti-war movement to raise its voice
in answer to the challenge that history has placed before us.

We continue to affirm the inalienable right that all Palestinian refugees
have to return to their homes, towns and villages. Our work in Al-Awda will
continue to be dedicated to the achievement of this goal.


Defend the People of Palestine and Lebanon!

Stop the US and Israeli War from Iraq to Lebanon to Palestine

Freedom for all Arab Prisoners!

Protect and Implement the Right of Return of the Palestinian People!

Long Live Resistance to Occupation and Aggression!


Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-685-3243 or 415-678-6220
Fax: 360-933-3568
E-mail: info@al-awda.org
WWW: http://al-awda.org