On 9 April 1948, two Zionist terrorist groups, the Stern Gang and Irgun, attacked the village of Deir Yassin, near Jerusalem, butchered about 250 men, women and children and destroyed the village. This massacre was used by Zionists as a warning to other Palestinian villagers, who fled in terror to avoid a similar fate as Deir Yassin had suffered. Thinking that they would come back once the violence had subsided, they only took with them what they could carry, locked their houses, and left. Now, 60 years later, their grand and great-grand children are still waiting to return to their rightful property.

In 1948 as well, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was established, thus turning 60 in 2008. A year-long programme was launched in celebration of the 60^th anniversary of the UDHR under the motto: “Dignity and Justice For All of Us”.

While the illegal Zionist settlers who were pulled out of Gaza in 2005 received compensation of between US$ 200,000 – 500,000 per family, amounting in total to a staggering $870 million, the more than 4.5 million Palestinians outside of Palestine and the “internally displaced” Palestinians are still waiting for any compensation at all. While their right to compensation and other rights have been affirmed umpteenth times in the course of the past 60 years by the international community, nothing concrete has been done. Are they to wait another 60 years for “Dignity and Justice” as promised by the UDHR? Or are the Palestinian people not included in the dignity and justice for ALL OF US?

The state of Israel, which was proclaimed on 15 May 1948, and is celebrating it’s 60 years existence in 2008, did not have to start “from scratch” in 1948. Apart from the approximately 7 percent  of the land of Palestine in Jewish hands that had been acquired by purchase before the partition, the  UN partition proposal dated 29 Nov. 1947 gave 56 percent of Palestine to the Jewish state.

By 1949, Zionist Israel controlled 77 percent of Palestine, and 50 percent of the Palestinian population had become refugees. Olive groves, citrus fruit plantations and other agricultural enterprises, the villages that had not been destroyed were taken over by Zionist settlers. In 1951, Palestinian olive groves represented nearly 95 percent of all of Israel’s olive groves. It was estimated in the late 1950s, that the value of Palestinian property under Israeli jurisdiction, including orchards, trees, movable and immovable property amounted to about 118 to 120 billion Pound Sterling.

Dignity and Justice for all of us?

The Deir Yassin Remembered Malaysia Committee is pleased to announce today that Dr. Salman Abu-Sitta, renowned researcher and founder of the Palestine Land Society, who has worked for decades for the Palestinian Right of Return, will be visiting Malaysia in October 2008 and speak on possibilities of justice for the Palestinian people.

Peace without Justice is not possible!

Hishamudin Ubaidulla

Chairman

Deir Yassin Remembered Malaysia

Lia Syed

Executive Director

Malaysian Social Research Institute

MSRI/Sponsorship of Palestinian Children

DYR Malaysia Secretariat