Your pressure forced an apology; continue demands for Andrew Whitley's dismissal

The American Muslims for Palestine is outraged at comments made by Andrew Whitley, head of the New York Office for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East regarding the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland.

We are pleased to announce that pressure from people of conscience like you have forced Whitley to apologize. However, it is imperative that we keep the pressure on until UNRWA removes Whitley from his position as head of its New York office.

UNRWA was established as a result of the massive ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948 by Zionist Jews who established the state of Israel. Its mission is to work with the refugee population until it is repatriated to the homeland from which millions of Palestinians today are exiled.

Your pressure forced an apology; continue demands for Andrew Whitley's dismissal

(CHICAGO 11.03.2010) – The American Muslims for Palestine is outraged at comments made by Andrew Whitley, head of the New York Office for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East regarding the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland.

We are pleased to announce that pressure from people of conscience like you have forced Whitley to apologize. However, it is imperative that we keep the pressure on until UNRWA removes Whitley from his position as head of its New York office.

UNRWA was established as a result of the massive ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948 by Zionist Jews who established the state of Israel. Its mission is to work with the refugee population until it is repatriated to the homeland from which millions of Palestinians today are exiled.

On Oct. 22, Whitley made a statement to the National Council of US-Arab Relations that the Palestinian refugees should not entertain the "cruel illusion" that they will ever exercise their inalienable Right of Return and that they should start considering "their own role in the societies where they are", or elsewhere.

While UNRWA has officially distanced itself from Whitley’s comments in an Oct. 25 statement, AMP nonetheless joins with other Palestinian and human rights groups calling for his immediate dismissal from his UNRWA post. 

Your efforts are paying off! News reports on Nov. 11 say the Whitley has issued an apology for his comments.

However, it is too little and too late. Whitley’s statement is a grave breach of duty and betrayal of the trust vested in UNRWA by the world community and, particularly, by the refugees themselves. As a UN official, Mr. Whitley undermined the integrity and the credibility of UNRWA and exposed himself as the enemy of the very people he is supposed to serve. In 1948, The UN General Assembly passed Resolution 194, which calls for the return of the Palestinian refugees to their homes, and affirmed this resolution 110 times so far. This same resolution created UNCCP to repatriate the refugees.

TAKE ACTION

AMP urges its supporters and people of conscience to call upon UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and ask for Mr. Andrew Whitley’s immediate dismissal.

SAMPLE LETTER

His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon
The Secretary General of the United Nations

Your Excellency,

As the only international organization dedicated solely to the welfare and repatriation of Palestinian refugees, the UN Relief and Works Agency has been dedicated to Palestinian refugees for more than 60 years. That is why I am so shocked and saddened by comments made by UNRWA official Mr. Andrew Whitley, in which he called the dreams of 9 million exiled Palestinians to return to their homes a “cruel illusion,” saying the Right of Return is “politically unpalatable.”

As you know, Mr. Whitley made his comments on Oct. 22 before the National Council of the U.S.-Arab Relations. He told the assembly that Palestinian refugees should stop entertaining the goal of inalienable Right of Return, guaranteed under the Fourth Geneva Convention and upheld by UN Resolution 194, and look to settle elsewhere.

The United Nations has upheld Resolution 194 more than 100 times and every year renews its call for the Palestinian Right of Return. Yet, Mr. Whitley’s position unequivocally supports the internationally unacceptable and illegal practice of ethnic cleansing and the continued transfer of Palestinians from Palestine.

Therefore, I call upon your Excellency

1. To dismiss Andrew Whitley from his UN position immediately
2. To censor him for his breach of duties as UNRWA official and disavow his statements.

I feel that such measures are necessary to maintain the integrity of the UN's main agency, UNRWA, and the confidence of all people, especially the Palestinian refugees, in this unique agency.

Sincerely,

Your name
Address
Telephone number

Please address messages to: [email protected] and cc
[email protected]; [email protected]
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[email protected]

AMP also kindly requests that you send a blind carbon copy (Bcc) to [email protected].

Thank you for your time and effort in this matter. It is imperative that we not let these comments go unchallenged.

AMP also encourages you to attend our regional conferences in New Jersey and Chicago. For more information on these events, go conference.ampalestine.org.

The American Muslims for Palestine is a national, grassroots organization whose mission is to educate the American public about issues pertaining to Palestine and its rich, cultural heritage. For more information, call us at 888.404.4267 or email us at [email protected].