Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the most tragic episode in Palestine’s history, Al-Nakba (The Catastrophe). Fifty-two years ago, Israel forcibly and illegally expelled the larger part of the Palestinian population from its land, and from the course of history itself.

Israel is guilty of negating the culture, history, and rights of the Palestinian people. Its expulsion, dispossession, and dispersion of the Palestinians in 1948 has created a large Palestinian refugee population, whose rights, under the provisions of international law, remain disregarded and dismissed by Israel.

After fifty-two years of Israeli occupation and oppression, Palestinian collective memory recalls the crimes committed against the Palestinian people. The international community is called upon to take a stance against Israel’s continuing violations of Palestinian rights, and to acknowledge the legitimate quest of the Palestinians for the return of the refugees and their recognition.

To this day, Israel’s policies continue to violate Palestinian rights, most prominently through its expansion of illegal settlements on Palestinian territory, the demolition of Palestinian homes, and its rejection of the Palestinian refugees’ legitimate right of return. In light of the current final status talks, Israel is clearly expressing no will or intention of putting a just end to the conflict.

Israel still stands guilty of failing to abide by the rules and principles of international law, namely the implementation of UN Resolutions 242, 181, 338, and most prominently 194.

Today, as we painfully mark the 52nd anniversary of this horrific chapter in our history, we are reminded of the inhuman atrocities committed by Israel against the Palestinian people, and, at the same time, of the urgency in achieving a just and comprehensive end to the conflict.

Yet most importantly, we are reminded of the unquestionable obligation of the State of Israel to come to terms with its own history and acknowledge the suffering it has inflicted upon the Palestinian people. Any attempt by Israel to abrogate responsibility and evade its obligation towards the Palestinians contradicts the very spirit and code of the peace process and the achievement of a just and genuine peace in the region. "Historical reconciliation" cannot be achieved without "historical rectification.”