Right of Return Watch: American Task Force on Palestine and its position on Palestinian refugees' Right of Return

• Dr. Ziad Asali's (president and founder of ATFP) Remarks on Refugees' Right of Return
• ATFP's position on Refugees' Right of Return
• Conclusion
• ATFP's Members of the Board & How You May Contact Them
• Related Links
• Post Your Comments & Let ATFP Know How You Feel About Their Position on Right of Return

Dr. Ziad Asali's Remarks on Right of Return

Dr. Ziad J. Asali (a Palestinian MD who's the president and founder of American Task Force on Palestine-ATFP) stated in an interview with Ori Nir (the Washington bureau chief for The Forward, a Zionist publication) regarding his thoughts about Palestinian refugees' right of return: we must now separate the right from the return, the full quote as follows:

Asali, who was six when his family fled Jerusalem in the spring of 1948, says he knows full well how unpopular this position is among Palestinians. His mother, he says, died with the key to their Jerusalem home under her pillow. "But we must now separate the right from the return," he said. The moral right of refugees to recover their properties, he said, should be addressed by a combination of compensation and an Israeli acknowledgement of the wrong that was done to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians. "But in terms of an actual return, well, there is really nothing to return to. It's Israel now." (Forward, Feb. 25, 2005) Note how Dr. Asali equates refugees' moral right with "refugees to recover their properties".

Similarly, in an Op-Ed article published on Dec. 5th, 2006 in the pro-Zionist newspaper, The Washington Times, Dr. Asali stated:

[Palestinians] also must come to terms with the reality of Israel and with the fact that while refugees have rights that must be fully redressed -- national rights, individual rights, property rights and even the right to an apology -- 4 or 5 million Palestinian refugees are not going back to live in Israel. (Washington Times, Dec. 5th, 2006)

In another article at the Zionist publication, the Forward, on Nov. 28, 2003, Dr. Asali has divided Palestinians between the ones who live outside (therefore lost the connection with their homes) and the ones who still live inside Palestine:

[Palestinians] "have a sense that they would have lost something concrete and definable and that's a loss of connection to their homes, and this is at the core of the difference between Palestinians in the diaspora who are still politically involved and the people who stayed in Palestine". (Forward, Nov. 28, 2003)

If Dr. Asali (who is a refugee living in the diaspora) lost his connection to his looted home in West Jerusalem, that does not imply other Palestinian refugees do! Ironically, Dr. Asali cannot say the same words to his Zionist friends who "conveniently" remembered their connection to the "Promised Land" after 2000 years!

ATFP's Position on Right of Return

We have emailed and called ATFP several times asking clarification from ATFP, and they have pointed us to an article posted at their website which articulates ATFP's position the refugees' right of return. What is especially alarming about this position is section 5:

As part of any comprehensive settlement ending the conflict, Israel should accept its moral responsibility to apologize to the Palestinian people for the creation of the refugee problem. Palestinians should accept that this acknowledgment of [moral] responsibility does not undermine the legitimacy of the present-day Israeli state. (ATFP: Statement of Principles on the Palestinian Refugee Issue)

It should be noted that ATFP has endorsed and continues to promote the Geneva Accord all over its site. Mr. Yasser Abed Rabbo (the architect of this accord who lost the last Palestinian election), stated the following during an interview with Charlie Rose on Dec. 4th, 2003:

We'll try to find a package for the problem of the refugees that could be solved either by returning to the Palestinian state, which is the homeland of the Palestinian people, or a symbolic return to even Israel. Or to stay in the present countries if the countries accept or to go to a third country. [Click here to view the video - Fast forward to minute 38, second 48]

Conclusion

ATFP position on refugee's Right of Return (as expressed in their earlier Statement of Principles) clearly implies that if Israel admits its moral responsibility [according to Dr. Asali this implies recovering their looted properties] for creating the refugees problem, however, refugees' right of returning to their homes, farms, and businesses should not endanger the political, demographic, religious, economic, and the national identity for the present-day Israeli state. In other word, refugees' return is permissible as long it does not endanger "Jewish majority" for the present-day Israeli state.

According to what Dr. Asali stated in the Forward article that we've previously quoted, ATFP's position on Right of Return is unpopular among his Palestinian brothers. Ironically, his views are even out of touch with his mother who died while the key to her Israeli looted house was beneath her pillow! It should be emphasized that not even a single Palestinians political group (neither from the political left nor the political right) advocates such a unpopular position. In other words, ATFP's position on this critical issue is completely out of touch with the Palestinian people, and that makes it on the fringe. In our emails to all board members, we have emphasized that the core issues of the Palestinians-Israeli conflict are the ethnic cleansing and the dispossession of the Palestinian people; the core issue are neither occupation nor how many states that might be created!

We call on members of the board that they should:

1. Take a position that clearly supports the inalienable rights of their Palestinian people to return to their homes, farms, and businesses.
2. Distance themselves from ATFP's declared positions that are articulated by its president and in its statement of principles.
3. Hold Dr. Asali accountable to what he says and does in their names (especially when it's their reputation and financing that sustains ATFP) by creating a system of checks and balances.
4. Reach out to their Palestinian brothers (especially the refugees) to get an idea how they feel and think about their Right of Return.
5. Recognize that any compromise on right of return implies transferring ownership of Palestine not to individuals, but rather to institutions like the Jewish National Fund on behalf of all Jews. In such a case, even when the balance of power changes to Palestinians' favor in the future, Palestinians would find themselves with power but no rights to the land (exactly like the Zionists now). In other words, any compromise on Right of Return will be permanent!
6. Distance themselves complete from the Geneva Accord which has no political representation among the Palestinians people whatsoever.

We believe once these facts are digested, in a clear mind, many board members will come to their senses and support their Palestinian brothers. We understand that many had long friendship with Dr. Asali and his wife Naila and may not be aware of the ramification of this position on our Right of Returning, however, that is no excuse for being blind sided like this.

We call on all Palestinians around the world to write their comments in the below section (which will be emailed to all board members) & phone call of the below members of the board to demand that ATFP and its president to reverse their position on Palestinian refugees' Right of Return.

ATFP's Members of the Board

It should be NOTED that ATFP's board members are willingly financing ATFP and allowing their names and professions to be used at ATFP's website for promotional purposes, and all of the below information was extracted from their corresponding websites (including the pictures). If any of the below members wish to clarify their stance on this critical and historical issue (especially before releasing it to the general public by May 1st, 2007), please do not hesitate to contact us. ROR Watch will make its best effort to correct any of the below information immediately.

Al-Mujalli, Ali & Partners
96 Al Razi Street
Jabel Al-Hussain
Al Hotari Bld. 1st Floor
Amman, Jordan

http://www.HalaFoundation.org (needs verification)

858-487-2159

Decorize, Inc.
1938 E. Phelps
Springfield, MO 65802

Needs verification

Needs verification

www.Pal-Tech.com

10502 Crestwood Drive
Manassas, VA 20109

Possible paper on refugees

http://www.OasisWine.com (Mr. Salahi is not even a Palestinian! He does not even he see himself as one!!! See below article)

@The South Asian

GeorgeSalem.com

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

http://www.Suidan.com

http://www.AlHusseinRehab.org.jo

Website

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