The Palestinian National Council, affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), declared the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital in 1988. While the international community does not even mention the 1948 borders, where the real occupation began and Israel, an illegal gang organization, was established on the Palestinian lands, it ostensibly supports the Palestinians' struggle for statehood in the lands known as the 1967 borders. The United Nations (UN) and the United States are among those who supported this formula, known as the two-state solution, and approved the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.
With the agreement reached between Fatah and HAMAS last month, the political unity of Palestine is expected to strengthen the hands of the Palestinians in their struggle for statehood. Although nearly 140 countries recognize Palestine today, its lands are still under the occupation and blockade of Zionist Israel.
“WE CELEBRATE DESPITE EVERYTHING”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his speech on the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, said that peace and stability would begin with the recognition of Palestinian rights in line with UN resolutions. Stating that the first of these rights is the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with its capital in the east of Jerusalem, Abbas said, “The Palestinian people continue to celebrate the 34th anniversary of their national independence despite all the crimes committed by the occupier.”
Although 34 years have passed since the declaration of independence of the State of Palestine, whose capital is Jerusalem, Palestinians still live under Israeli occupation. PLO made many political attempts for the independent State of Palestine, which is the principle of the political and military struggle of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), but did not yield any results due to regional and international changes. The Palestinian National Council, affiliated to the PLO, announced to the world that the State of Palestine was established in Algeria on November 15, 1988.
The following words of Yasir Arafat are included in the Declaration of Independence given:
“The Palestinian National Council, on behalf of the Arab Palestinian people, declares the independence of the State of Palestine, whose capital is Jerusalem, on our Palestinian lands. This is the historical and legal natural right of the Palestinian people, who have suffered losses for their independent homeland for several generations. The Declaration of Independence is also in line with the international legitimacy of the Arab League summits and the resolutions of the United Nations (UN) in 1947, and the right of the Palestinian people to determine their own destiny.”
In the Declaration of Independence, which includes the continuation of the struggle against the Israeli occupation in order to ensure the independence and sovereignty of the State of Palestine, it was also requested that the Arab countries unite their efforts against the occupation.
Palestinians celebrate the declaration of independence on November 15 each year in refugee camps in the besieged Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. The Palestinian government declared Tuesday, November 15, a public holiday and called on the Palestinians to hold marches.
THE 34TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE “DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE” HAS BEEN CELEBRATED IN GAZA
In the Gaza Strip, events were held to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the "Declaration of Independence" announced on November 15, 1988 by Yasir Arafat, the legendary leader of the resistance. "Palestine Independence Day" was celebrated in sporting events organized with the slogan "our independence is the day we return" on the coast of the Gaza Strip, which is under Israeli blockade. Young people participating in the bicycle and pedestrian marches carried Palestinian flags and banners with various slogans.