Tunisia : celebration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

With the collaboration of the Tunisian league for the defense of Human Rights, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network and other independent associations, Tunisia launched on The 7^th of December 2012, a national, regional, Arab, and international campaign titled: “the right of return for refugees and the accession of Palestine as a Member State in the United Nations and specialized agencies”.

 

This initiative came On the occasion of the celebration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 29th 2012, the aim of this event as Madame Essia Belhassen mentioned in her opening words, is to get the maximum of voices to the United Nation demanding two things, the involvement of Palestine as a member state in the United Nations and The right of return for refugees to their homes (Res 194 of the security Council). 

Madame Essia Belhassen

“It is unacceptable, after 65 years of the occupation of the Palestinian land by the Israelian government, the violations of human rights, the killing of innocent children and women, looting of property and deportation of people from their homes, and here their are, the final decision of the United Nations in its sixty-seventh meeting on November 29, announcing it’s  accession of Palestine as an observer, so from non-member entity to a non-member state, it’s not enough for us, it is time to stood up and demand for a real membership in the United Nation and The right of return for refugees to their homes” added Madame Essia Belhassen.

The conference's panel

“We will not give up our dream, to be Palestine a free state, will continue to struggle until we get our freedom, we will take back what the Israeli enemy have been taken from us, some day, Jerusalem will be free , and we will have the honor to invite you for a visit.”  said Mr. Salman Alherfi, the Palestinian Ambassador in Tunis in his opening words. He also expressed his gratitude and happiness of this initiative.

Mr. Salman Alherfi, the Palestinian Ambassador (on the left)

There was a lot of Enthusiasm in the speeches, however, all the audience that came in even with small number (that may be due to what happened recently in Tunisia), was motivated and loved the initiative of the campaign.

In the end of the conference, the Tunisian league for the defense of Human Rights distributed to every one of the attendants a postcard, those will be distributed gradually in the whole country, to be signed as a first step by the largest possible number of people, then those postcards will be taken to the United Nations, hopefully to its president M. Ban ki moon himself, as a second step towards achieving the objectives of this campaign.

The postcard distributed in the conference(face 1)

The postcard distributed in the conference(face 2)

I should also mention, that there were a wonderful  exposition of some pictures taken in Palestine, showing how much the Palestinian people are suffering, but in the same time they are strong, and deeply optimistic and full of hope.