Gaza City:
Thousands of Gazans on Friday called for a "right of return" of refugees, as they marked the 62nd anniversary of the Naqba, the "catastrophe" of the creation of Israel which sparked the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Some 6,000 people took part in two demonstrations, one at Jabaliya refugee camp organised by the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip and another in the Nuseirat camp staged by the Islamic Jihad faction.
"We will never give up the right of return" of refugees to their towns and villages, a Hamas leader, Muin Mderes told the crowd in Jabaliya.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat meanwhile said that Palestinians are enduring a continuing "catastrophe," 62 years after the May 1948 creation of Israel.
In a message to mark Naqba Day, he insisted that the refugees, who together with their descendants now number 4.7 million, have the right to return.
"In other conflicts, refugee rights have been honoured and respected, including the right of return, restitution and compensation. In stark contrast, however, Israel refuses to even recognise the Palestinian right of return, thus continuing to deny the refugees' basic rights.
"No state is above the law," Erakat said, calling on the international community to end Israeli "belligerence and disregard for international law."
He also insisted that the creation of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital "is a must."
Naqba Day marks the anniversary of the "catastrophe" Palestinians say unfolded with the May 1948 creation of the state of Israel, when an estimated 700,000 Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes.
Some 6,000 people took part in two demonstrations, one at Jabaliya refugee camp organised by the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip and another in the Nuseirat camp staged by the Islamic Jihad faction.
"We will never give up the right of return" of refugees to their towns and villages, a Hamas leader, Muin Mderes told the crowd in Jabaliya.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat meanwhile said that Palestinians are enduring a continuing "catastrophe," 62 years after the May 1948 creation of Israel.
In a message to mark Naqba Day, he insisted that the refugees, who together with their descendants now number 4.7 million, have the right to return.
"In other conflicts, refugee rights have been honoured and respected, including the right of return, restitution and compensation. In stark contrast, however, Israel refuses to even recognise the Palestinian right of return, thus continuing to deny the refugees' basic rights.
"No state is above the law," Erakat said, calling on the international community to end Israeli "belligerence and disregard for international law."
He also insisted that the creation of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital "is a must."
Naqba Day marks the anniversary of the "catastrophe" Palestinians say unfolded with the May 1948 creation of the state of Israel, when an estimated 700,000 Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes.
