Right to Return Coalition, known by the Arabic name Al-Awda. The march will begin at Freedom Plaza at 11 AM, and proceed along Pennsylvania Avenue. It will be followed by a rally in Lafayette Park where supporters will hear addresses by national and international figures. The march and rally coincide with the deadline set by Israeli and Palestinian negotiators for reaching a final status agreement, and also mark the date of the 1982 massacre of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Israeli-occupied Beirut. The right of refugees to return to their homes is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Law and in UN Resolution 194.
Palestinian refugees represent the largest refugee population in the world at present.
Some 800,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes in 1948, and many more have been forcibly displaced by Israel since that time. Today, there are around 5 million dispossessed Palestinians, a number equivalent to the population of the state of Maryland. The suffering of refugees is magnified by Israel's continued denial of their legal and legitimate right to repatriation and restitution. Invited also are internationally renowned musicians Marcel Khalife and Simone Shaheen. The Palestine Right to Return Coalition is a broad-based grassroots coalition sponsored and endorsed by over sixty Arab, Muslim and solidarity organizations as well as thousands of individuals.