Crowe marks Nakba Day

Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Seán Crowe TD, has marked Nakba Day by calling on the Irish Government to do more to assist and support Palestinian refugees.

Nakba, which means catastrophe in Arabic, occurred when more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes, during the 1948 Palestine war. Nakba Day commemorates these events and raises awareness of the current plight that faces Palestinian refugees and their families.

Deputy Crowe said:

“I want to commend all those who turned out in Dublin today to commemorate and mark the Nakba.

“It is important that today we commemorate and remember the more than 700,000 Palestinians who were forced to flee from their homes during the 1948 Palestine war.

“Since 1948, Israel has denied these Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homeland, despite UN Resolutions 194 and international law upholding this right of return.

“Unfortunately the policy of forced displacement of Palestinians continues today.

“The Palestinian refugee and displaced population remains the largest in the world. Many now live in exile while others are internally displaced because of actions of the Israeli military, which continues to occupy Palestine.

“It is estimated that up to 70% of the Palestinian population have experienced displacement at least once in their lives, with many experience it a number of times.

“I am calling on the Irish Government to ensure that it presses Israel to end the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinians and to abide by international law and the right of Palestinian refugees to return the their homeland.”