Members' Business: Nakba 70th Anniversary

That the Parliament acknowledges the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, known by Palestinian people as the "day of catastrophe", in which the state of Israel was formed after what its understands was the mass eviction of over 750,000 people from historic Palestine land, which included the destruction of over 500 towns and villages; believes that this led to generations of pain for the Palestinian people, who continue to live under a state of occupation; understands that it led to a major crisis in which over four million displaced people were registered by the UN as refugees and unable to return home; condemns what it sees as the deepening of the crisis in the form of illegal settlements, which are unrecognised by the international community; understands that these continue to be built in the occupied territories at a rate of five times that prior to the implementation of the Oslo Accords; believes that, on 15 May 2018, millions of people across Palestine and around the world will mark the anniversary of the Nakba with marches, rallies and vigils; supports Palestinian people, including those in the Glasgow Kelvin constituency, in the commemoration of the Nakba, and notes the calls for a resolution to be sought to what it considers the Palestinian humanitarian crisis and occupation.