PA prime minister demands Palestinian “right of return” to Israel
Headline: “Shtayyeh: The [PA] president’s speech is a warning sign for the international community against the dangers that derive from the continuation of the [Israeli] occupation”
“[PA] Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh praised the comprehensive and detailed speech given by [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday evening [Sept. 24, 2021] at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly…
Shtayyeh emphasized the content of the president’s speech, which emphasized the [Palestinian] refugees’ right of return according to UN Resolution 194 (see note below -Ed.) and added the deeds of ownership belonging to him and his family who were expelled in 1948, and also his reference to how all our Palestinian people in the homeland and diaspora are still holding the deeds of ownership over their land and the keys of their homes until their dream is realized of returning to the cities, villages, and towns from which they were expelled.”
UN Resolution 194 (Chapter 11, Dec. 11, 1948) states that "refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return." Palestinian leaders argue this means that all Arabs who left Israel during the war (hundreds of thousands) and their descendants (a few million) have a "right of return" to Israel. Israel argues that the resolution only calls for a limited return and only under certain conditions, especially focusing on the words "wishing to return... and live at peace with their neighbors."