On 50th Anniversary of Naksa, Palestinians Denounce Zionist Occupation
June 5 is remembered by Palestinians as "Naksa” Day, meaning "setback,” marking the Israeli invasion and occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai, and the Golan Heights that began on June 5, 1967 during the Six-Day War, displacing some 300,000 Palestinians, as well as thousands of Syrians, from their homes.
"For the Palestinian people, marking 50 years of occupation means marking 50 years of oppression, subjugation and daily control over all aspects of people's lives,” Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Saeb Erekat said in a statement. "At the same time, it has also meant 50 years of statements and international resolutions that Israel, the occupying power, has insisted on violating with impunity.”
Erekat denounced Israeli claims that it only aimed for a "temporary occupation” of the territories annexed in 1967, saying instead that it was part of a broader "colonial settlement strategy aimed at taking as much as Palestinian land and natural resources as possible.”
Meanwhile, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said that national efforts to push forward Palestinian interests have allowed Palestinians and their leadership to withstand all "conspiracies” in the past 50 years, and have allowed for some advances, such as the recognition of a Palestinian state by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012, Maan news agency reported.
Abu Rudeineh highlighted the importance of diplomatic ties with fellow Arab countries, adding that "this coordination will determine the future of the entire region and will find a fair solution for the Palestinian cause.”
The Hamas movement deplored that the half-century anniversary of the Naksa occurred "amid a breakdown of national unity,” calling for an end to the crippling 10-year Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip.
"We don't consider Naksa to be the end of the road, but an important turning point in the lives of the Palestinian people that must be surpassed and all its consequences must be eliminated,” Hamas added.
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