The Palestinian National Council (PNC) affirmed today that the 1988 declaration of the State of Palestine in Algiers represented the culmination of a long struggle and the sacrifices of the Palestinian people.
In a statement, the PNC highlighted the severe challenges currently facing Palestinians, stating that they are enduring one of the most difficult periods in their history. This comes as the Gaza Strip enters its third year under a devastating and aggressive war, which has escalated into a systematic campaign of annihilation and ethnic cleansing. The conflict has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians, primarily women and children, with homes destroyed and the sick, hungry, and hospitals under siege.
The PNC also drew attention to the escalating settlement policies, land confiscations, and settler violence in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem. The statement condemned the ongoing efforts by the Israeli occupation to Judaize the holy city, desecrate the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and raid it daily, in an attempt to erase Jerusalem’s identity and its Arab and Islamic history.
The PNC emphasized that the path to independence, which began with the launch of the Palestinian revolution, can only be completed through Palestinian unity, a renewed commitment to unwavering national principles, and continued resistance against the occupation project that seeks to eliminate our national existence and displace the Palestinian people from their land.
Furthermore, the council called on the guarantor states to take immediate action to establish a ceasefire and exert serious pressure on the occupation to halt its violations and crimes. They also urged the states sponsoring the ceasefire agreement to respect it and open all commercial crossings and the Rafah crossing permanently to ensure the flow of humanitarian and medical aid.
The PNC praised the positions of over 160 countries that have recognized the State of Palestine, including influential nations at the international level. This reflects a growing global will to end the occupation and enable the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
