On the 38th Anniversary of the Declaration of Palestinian Independence – Palestinian Independence Is an Inalienable National and Legal Right That Does Not Expire with Time

Date:November 15, 2026

Press Release

On the 38th Anniversary of the Declaration of Palestinian Independence
November 15, 1988 – November 15, 2026

Palestinian Independence Is an Inalienable National and Legal Right That Does Not Expire with Time

On the 38th anniversary of the Declaration of Palestinian Independence, proclaimed by the Palestinian National Council during its session held in Algiers on November 15, 1988, the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) affirms that the Declaration marked a pivotal historical milestone, embodying the will of the Palestinian people and their inherent right to freedom, self-determination, independence, and the establishment of a fully sovereign independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. It also represented a political and legal expression of the aspirations of a people struggling to end the occupation and restore their national rights, a position further reinforced by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 43/177.

This anniversary comes as the Palestinian people continue to be denied their right to independence and sovereignty due to the ongoing Israeli occupation and its policies of aggression, ethnic cleansing, genocide, settlement expansion, land confiscation, annexation, displacement, blockade, and racial discrimination, as well as the fragmentation of Palestinian geography and the targeting of the Palestinian people, their land, and national identity.

ICSPR emphasizes that international recognition of the State of Palestine, despite its political and legal significance, remains incomplete unless accompanied by an end to the occupation and the empowerment of the Palestinian people to exercise their actual sovereignty over their land. Independence is neither a concession granted by the occupying power nor merely a matter of political recognition; rather, it is an inherent right that is inalienable, non-expiring, and non-negotiable.

The Commission further stresses that the ongoing Palestinian tragedy is manifested in its most catastrophic form in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli genocidal war, launched on October 7, 2023, has resulted in widespread killings, mass casualties, and extensive destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, and infrastructure, while displacing the majority of the population and undermining the basic conditions necessary for life. Recent rainfall and flooding have exposed the scale of the catastrophe facing displaced people amid severe shortages of shelter, food, medicine, and fuel, alongside continued restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, shelter supplies, rubble removal equipment, and rehabilitation materials.

In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, military operations, settler attacks, home demolitions, land confiscation, settlement expansion, and annexation and displacement plans continue to escalate, seeking to alter the geographic and demographic reality and undermine the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state. Meanwhile, Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons continue to suffer torture, starvation, ill-treatment, medical neglect, and arbitrary detention, while millions of Palestinian refugees remain deprived of their right to return to their homes and properties.

On the legal front, ICSPR affirms that the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, independence, and sovereignty is firmly established under the Charter of the United Nations and the rules of international law. The International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion issued on July 19, 2024, confirmed the illegality of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the necessity of ending it, halting settlement activities, evacuating settlers, and providing reparations for the damage resulting from Israeli violations and crimes.

Consequently, states have legal obligations not to recognize the unlawful situation arising from the occupation, not to render aid or assistance in maintaining it, and to work towards ensuring respect for international law and the implementation of its requirements.

The Commission believes that honoring the Declaration of Independence requires restoring national unity and ending the division, reforming the Palestine Liberation Organization and the institutions of the political system on democratic and participatory foundations, holding free, fair, and inclusive general elections without exclusion, and reaching consensus on a unified national strategy to confront occupation, settlement expansion, annexation, and displacement. It also requires safeguarding independent national decision-making and rejecting projects of trusteeship, external administration, and imposed alternatives that override the will of the Palestinian people or separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Accordingly, the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) calls upon the international community, the United Nations, and States Parties to fulfill their legal and political responsibilities and take practical and binding measures, foremost among them:

1. Ending the Israeli occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination, independence, and sovereignty, and to establish their independent state along the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, while halting settlement expansion, annexation, land confiscation, and forced displacement.
2. Providing effective international protection for Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, halting killings, targeted attacks, military assaults, and settler violence, ensuring the protection of civilians and their property, and preventing forced displacement.
3. Lifting the blockade on the Gaza Strip and opening the crossings, ensuring the immediate, safe, and sustained flow of humanitarian assistance, food, medicine, fuel, and shelter supplies, removing restrictions on humanitarian organizations, and launching an urgent international program for reconstruction and the rehabilitation of infrastructure, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions, in a manner that ensures the population can remain on their land and safeguards their national rights.
4. Protecting Palestinian prisoners and detainees, ending torture, starvation, medical neglect, and arbitrary detention, releasing those held arbitrarily, enabling the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit detention facilities without restrictions, and investigating violations and holding those responsible accountable.
5. Guaranteeing the rights of Palestinian refugees to return, compensation, and the restitution of their properties in accordance with United Nations resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 194, protecting the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), ensuring the continuation of its services, and rejecting attempts to liquidate the refugee issue.
6. Activating international justice and accountability mechanisms and holding those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of genocide accountable; supporting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court; respecting the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice; ensuring that perpetrators do not enjoy impunity; and refraining from providing any support or cooperation that contributes to the continuation of the occupation and violations.

As the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) commemorates this national anniversary, it reaffirms that the Declaration of Independence represents a renewed national commitment to the sacrifices and steadfastness of the Palestinian people. The passage of thirty-eight years without the realization of independence on the ground does not diminish its legitimacy; rather, it exposes the extent of international responsibility for the continued denial of the Palestinian people’s rights.

Justice cannot be achieved through managing the conflict, coexisting with occupation, or political recognition alone. It can only be realized by ending the occupation, delivering justice to victims, and guaranteeing freedom, the right of return, self-determination, and national sovereignty.

The Palestinian people will remain steadfast in their commitment to their right to life, freedom, dignity, return, and the establishment of their fully sovereign independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, as an inherent national and legal entitlement that does not expire with time and cannot be compromised.

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR)