Council for Palestinian Restitution and Reparation (CPRR) was an organization that advocated for restitution and reparation for Palestinian Arabs who had been displaced from Israel between 1948 and 1967. The group also advocated for giving Palestinians the right to return to the disputed Palestinian territories in accordance with the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. 1
Based in Washington, D.C., 2 CPRR claimed that a deliberate campaign took place to “drive Palestinians from their homes and land” and stated that Israel has “continued this campaign to the present day.” 3 CPRR organized a petition in support of what it called a right of return for Palestinians under the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights 4 5 that received 40,000 individual signatures and 200 institutional signatures. 6
As of 2022, GuideStar reports that CPRR is not registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). 7
History and Leadership
Council for Palestinian Restitution and Reparation (CPRR) was founded in December 1999. 8 9 10 CPRR lost its public charity status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 2005 and was put on the IRS’s auto-revocation list in 2011 for failing to file Form 990 documents for three consecutive years. 11 12 As of 2022, GuideStar reports that CPRR is not registered with the IRS. 13
Georgetown University professor Maysam al Faruqi was the principal organizer of CPRR. 14 15 16 17 Left-wing academic Noam Chomsky was a member of CPRR’s advisory board. 18
Activities and Funding
Council for Palestinian Restitution and Reparation (CPRR) was an organization that was established to advocate for restitution and reparation for Palestinians who had been displaced from Israel following the creation of the State of Israel and the Israeli War of Independence in 1948 and the Six-Day War in 1967. 19 20 CPRR supports Palestinians in their efforts to return to the disputed Palestinian territories in line with the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights. 21 CPRR claimed that a deliberate campaign took place to “drive Palestinians from their homes and land” and stated that it believed Israel “continued this campaign to the present day.” 22 23
CPRR organized a petition in support of what it called a right of return for Palestinians that read, “I affirm that every Palestinian has a legitimate, individual right to return to his or her original home and to absolute restitution of his or her property.” 24 25
This petition received 40,000 individual and 200 institutional signatures, 26 including former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Dennis Halliday, foreign government officials, Khalid Abdalla of the Arab League, and others. 27 CPRR also circulated a Catholic-specific petition featuring an image and quote of Pope John Paul II to gain Catholic support. 28
In 2009, CPRR hosted a press conference that included Hanan Ashrawi, University of Chicago professor Francis Boyle, and CPRR principal organizer Maysam Faruqi. At the event, Ashrawi said Palestinians “need an admission of guilt and culpability by Israel and for the real authentic narrative of the Palestinians to come out.” 29
CPRR was affiliated with at least 249 different organizations including the America-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Arab American Action Network, left-wing Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), International Action Center, Middle East Cultural and Information Center, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Southern California, MADRE, Grassroots International, International Socialist Organization, Peace Action, New Abolitionist Society, United Muslims of America, the radical-left National Lawyers Guild, and others. 30
Funding
Council for Palestinian Restitution and Reparation (CPRR) received its funding from its one-time $10 registration fee and from donations. These donations were used to fund an endowment to support CPRR’s objectives, support educational purposes, and to distribute to Palestinian charitable organizations. 31 32
References
- “Newly Established Council for Palestinian Reparation Launches World-Wide Petition Drive.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. July 2000. Pg. 20. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-july/newly-established-council-for-palestinian-repatriation-launches-world-wide-petition-drive.html.
- “Sign the petition online for the right of return. “June 11, 2017. Accessed via Web Archive September 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20170611085023/http://rightofreturn.org/be-active/petition/.
- “About CPRR.” February 7, 2022. Accessed via Web Archive September 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20020207060159/http://www.rightofreturn.org/be-informed/briefintroduction.shtml.
- “Sign the petition online for the right of return. “June 11, 2017. Accessed via Web Archive September 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20170611085023/http://rightofreturn.org/be-active/petition/.
- “Links.” Al-Awda.org. Accessed September 16, 2022. http://all.net/books/iw/mid-east/www.al-awda.org/www.al-awda.org/links.htm.
- Killgore, Andrew I. “First DC Rally in Support of Women in Afghanistan.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. June 2000. Pages 97-100. Accessed September 16, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-june/human-rights.html.
- “Counsel for Palestinian Restitution and Reparation Inc.” Candid GuideStar. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/52-2208092.
- Curtiss, Richard H. “Council for Palestinian Reparation holds Inaugural Press Conference.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. April 2000, Pg. 90-94. Accessed September 28, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-april/arab-american-activism.html.
- Curtiss, Richard H. “Council for Palestinian Reparation holds Inaugural Press Conference.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. April 2000, Pg. 90-94. Accessed September 28, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-april/arab-american-activism.html.
- “Newly Established Council for Palestinian Reparation Launches World-Wide Petition Drive.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. July 2000. Pg. 20. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-july/newly-established-council-for-palestinian-repatriation-launches-world-wide-petition-drive.html.
- “Internal Revenue Bulletin: 2005-15.” Internal Revenue Service. April 11, 2005. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.irs.gov/irb/2005-15_IRB.
- “Counsel For Palestinian Restitution.” Internal Revenue Service. July 13, 2011. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/detailsPage?ein=522208092&name=COUNSEL%20FOR%20PALESTINIAN%20RESTITUTION&city=WASHINGTON&state=DC&countryAbbr=US&dba=&type=REVOCATION&orgTags=REVOCATION
- “Counsel for Palestinian Restitution and Reparation Inc.” Candid GuideStar. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/52-2208092.
- Curtiss, Richard H. “Council for Palestinian Reparation holds Inaugural Press Conference.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. April 2000, Pg. 90-94. Accessed September 28, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-april/arab-american-activism.html.
- Curtiss, Richard H. “Council for Palestinian Reparation holds Inaugural Press Conference.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. April 2000, Pg. 90-94. Accessed September 28, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-april/arab-american-activism.html.
- “Can Three Ancient Religions Peacefully Coexist?” Transcript from Larry King Weekend. CNN. Aired December 1, 2001. Accessed September 18, 2022. http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0112/01/lklw.00.html.
- “Inaugural Jewish Studies Conference To Look At World Religion’s Future.” Baylor University Media and Public Relations. October 30, 2000. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=3084.
- “Newly Established Council for Palestinian Reparation Launches World-Wide Petition Drive.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. July 2000. Pg. 20. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-july/newly-established-council-for-palestinian-repatriation-launches-world-wide-petition-drive.html.
- “About CPRR.” CPRR. February 7, 2002. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20020207060159/http://www.rightofreturn.org/be-informed/briefintroduction.shtml.
- “Newly Established Council for Palestinian Reparation Launches World-Wide Petition Drive.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. July 2000. Pg. 20. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-july/newly-established-council-for-palestinian-repatriation-launches-world-wide-petition-drive.html.
- [1] “Newly Established Council for Palestinian Reparation Launches World-Wide Petition Drive.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. July 2000. Pg. 20. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-july/newly-established-council-for-palestinian-repatriation-launches-world-wide-petition-drive.html.
- “About CPRR.” CPRR. February 7, 2002. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20020207060159/http://www.rightofreturn.org/be-informed/briefintroduction.shtml.
- “Newly Established Council for Palestinian Reparation Launches World-Wide Petition Drive.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. July 2000. Pg. 20. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-july/newly-established-council-for-palestinian-repatriation-launches-world-wide-petition-drive.html.
- “Sign the petition online for the right of return. “June 11, 2017. Accessed via Web Archive September 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20170611085023/http://rightofreturn.org/be-active/petition/.
- “Links.” Al-Awda.org. Accessed September 16, 2022. http://all.net/books/iw/mid-east/www.al-awda.org/www.al-awda.org/links.htm.
- Killgore, Andrew I. “First DC Rally in Support of Women in Afghanistan.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. June 2000. Pages 97-100. Accessed September 16, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-june/human-rights.html.
- “Some prominent signatories of the petition.” CPRR. August 6, 2022. Accessed via Web Archive September 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20020806181507/http://www.rightofreturn.org/be-active/signatories.shtml.
- “Sign the petition for the right of return.” CPRR. December 23, 2001. Accessed via Web Archive September 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20011223155154/http://rightofreturn.org/tell-others/materials/petition-pope.html
- Curtiss, Richard H. “Council for Palestinian Reparation holds Inaugural Press Conference.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. April 2000, Pg. 90-94. Accessed September 28, 2022. https://www.wrmea.org/000-april/arab-american-activism.html.
- “Organizations affiliated with CPRR’s right of return campaign.” CPRR. June 6, 2002. Accessed via Web Archive September 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20020606043411/http://www.rightofreturn.org/affiliates.html.
- “Join CPRR/Donate to CPRR.” CPRR. April 3, 2002. Accessed via Web Archive September 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20020403073655/http://rightofreturn.org/tell-others/materials/joincprrform.html.
- “About CPRR.” CPRR. February 7, 2002. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20020207060159/http://www.rightofreturn.org/be-informed/briefintroduction.shtml.