BADIL’s Arabic-language magazine, Haq Al-Awda (Right of Return), printed and distributed as a supplement to the Ramallah daily paper Al-Ayyam has been distributed to some 30,000 households in the occupied Palestinian Territories.

This is the third such supplement prepared by BADIL and distributed via the local press. Additional copies are available from BADIL in Bethlehem and an electronic copy is on BADIL’s website.

Begun as a pilot project in 2003, the newspaper supplements have been a success on every level.  Earlier editions have sold out and due to strong demand, additional copies have been reprinted.  More than 70,000 supplements, instead of the 60,000 originally planned, were printed of the first two editions.

The current 24-page issue includes public reaction to the Geneva Accords; a BADIL study of Peace Agreements over the past decade showing how they contain provisions for human rights, refugee rights and a role for public participation in making and enforcing the agreements; and a report on a recent BADIL fact-finding visit to South Africa that studied the process of land restitution and reconciliation in the post-Apartheid era. 

This edition also covers BADIL activities over the past few months including the 4th annual meeting of the Palestinian Right of Return Coalition (London, November 2003), and the BADIL Expert Forum in Gent, Belgium on the role of international law in peacemaking and crafting durable solutions for Palestinian refugees (May 2003).

Haq Al-Awda also carries an interview with Eitan Bronstein, Director of the Israeli Zochrot organization which seeks to raise awareness within Israel of the Palestinian refugee issue and Israel’s role in creating the refugee problem; the conclusions of the Joint British Parliamentary inquiry on Palestinian refugees plus field reports from Kalandia, Rafah and Tulkarem refugee camps.

The BADIL Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights takes a rights-based approach to the Palestinian refugee issue; promotes research into all aspects of Palestinian residency and refugee rights and encourages Palestinian community participation in the peace making process.  The BADIL Arabic-language newspaper supplements are part of BADIL’s efforts to provide information on refugee rights and encourage community participation.

To download the third edition of Haq al-Awda click here.

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BY TOPIC: Refugees