Today marks the 45th anniversary of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
It is a day of celebration and lament. Celebration in honour of all those people all over the world who stand with the Palestinian people and on the side of justice and law.
Lament because it has been 74 years since the wholesale displacement and exile of the Palestinian people in 1948, a disaster for which there has yet to be redress or resolution.
It is also a day to educate and inform a wider global public about the Palestinian cause for justice and rights in Palestine.
Like any other people, Palestinians have a right to live in peace, prosperity, with self-determination and freedom from oppression. We have a right, as all refugees do, to return to the lands and homes from where we were forcibly displaced.
And for as long as those rights are not upheld, and the Palestinian people continues to suffer exile and occupation, we also have an internationally sanctioned right to struggle for our freedom.
We call on all people of good will around the world to see that the injustice the Palestinian people has endured for so long ends. And we submit that this ending must start with the countries of the world holding Israel accountable for its many transgressions of international law that prevent us from enjoying our legitimate rights.
And to all those millions of people from all over the world who stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Palestinian people in pursuit of our rights, we salute you.
