More than fifty years after the holocaust, Jews around the world continue to fight for and receive restitution for material and non-material losses inflicted by the Nazi regime throughout Europe. More than fifty years after the Palestinian people were displaced and dispossessed by an exclusive Jewish state established in Palestine in the aftermath of Nazi atrocities in Europe, Palestinians are still being dispossessed, dispersed, and denied any kind of restitution. Restitution is a universal human right.
Persons now fighting for restitution are therefore to be supported.
Resolution 194, which recognizes the right of refugees to restitution, has been reaffirmed one hundred and ten times by the United Nations. Regardless of the final status of Palestinian refugees, effective restitution and resolution of the refugee issue will be dependent on several factors. This is by no means an exhaustive list. First, the right to restitution and the return of property must be recognized as a universal human right as defined in article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and acknowledged by individuals and organizations, including those of Jewish and Israeli orientation, which seek restitution. On the basis of this right, all refugee assets currently held by Israel should be frozen while government and institutional archives of relevance to Palestinian refugees and their properties should be open for assessment and research of Palestinian refugee losses.