World Refugee Day, 6 Million Palestinian Refugees Dream to Return Home

June 20, 2023

On June 20 each year, World Refugee Day is celebrated as a reminder of the suffering of refugees displaced from their homeland, and to highlight their concerns, issues, and the potential means to help them. UNHCR chose this year to commemorate the day under the theme ” hope away from home…  A world where refugees are always included”.

Six million Palestinian refugees are still dreaming to return to the homes they were displaced from by the Zionist gangs in 1948 and 1967. After they lived off their ancestral land and made their living with dignity and honor, the Palestinians have been turned into refugees suffering from humiliation and deprivation, dwelling in tin houses, and surviving on the crumbs of international aid.

It is undoubtedly necessary to reduce the refugees’ suffering by providing aid and job opportunities, but the only way to end the suffering of Palestinian refugees is by returning home in accordance with the UN resolution 194 which states that “refugees wishing to return to their homes should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date”.

Despite the theme “Hope away from home” that UNHCR adopted this year, still, a lack of hope is hanging over the Palestinian refugees now more than ever. This is especially true amidst the absence of any real pressure on the occupation to allow the return of refugees to their homes, and the failure of the international community to fulfill its obligations to the extent that the most basic services of UNRWA are now threatened to stop.

The international community, including the organizations concerned with refugee issues, is demanded to put an end to the Palestinian refugees suffering by fulfilling its financial pledges and providing them with the most basic needs in a way that guarantees them human dignity, in conjunction with real and serious pressure on “Israel” to allow them to return to their homes, lands, and villages that they were unjustly displaced from.

The perpetuation of the Palestinian refugee’s problem without a fair solution means prolonging the conflict and sustaining the instability and uncertainty in the region. The loss of hope may lead the region to further deterioration at various political, security, and social levels. Therefore, we, MOFA, affirm the right of return as a sacred right for the Palestinian people and the only way to achieve justice and peace.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Gaza – Palestine