Nakba Day (May 15th): Remembering the 76 Years of Palestinian Displacement & Oppression

This blog was originally posted on Nakba Day in 2023 and is now being published with some revisions.
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Nakba Day, meaning "Day of Catastrophe" in Arabic, is a day to remember the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the establishment of Israel in 1948. Nakba Day serves as a reminder of the enduring struggle faced by Palestinians, and the urgent need for a fair resolution to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Broadly, Nakba Day is a call for peaceful action from policymakers and diplomats.
        The Nakba refers to the series of events that occurred between 1947 and 1949 when more than 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes, villages, and towns, and hundreds of Palestinian communities were destroyed or depopulated.  This mass displacement and dispossession occurred as a result of the creation of the State of Israel and the subsequent Arab-Israeli war. 
          In recent months, the region has witnessed a return to violence in Gaza, as 34,000 innocent Palestinians have been killed and 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced. Terribly, the current conflict bears striking resemblances to that which Nabka Day mourns. The growing volume of land grabs and settler violence in the West Bank has led many scholars to characterize the conflict as a genocide. Israeli armed violence is central to displacement, leaving many Palestinians afraid to leave their home—“Most of the time it is forbidden to stand at the window. One day when I was standing at the window, a settler saw me and complained to the soldiers,” says an Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) patient. “The soldiers stormed my house and destroyed everything in it.” Even Palestinians in international refugee camps have trouble accessing emergency healthcare, failing this population (78,827 of whom are wounded) that most desperately needs medical attention. 
         The Nakba had a profound and lasting impact on the Palestinian people. Owing to the Nabka, millions of Palestinians have grown up in refugee camps and been denied their right to return to their ancestral lands. The loss of homes, land, and livelihoods remains a deeply felt injustice, leaving a lasting scar on the Palestinian collective memory. 
          Crucial to the Nakba is the issue of the “Right of Return” for Palestinian refugees. UN General Assembly Resolution 194, passed in 1948, recognized the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and called for their just compensation. However, this directive has not been implemented.  Millions of Palestinian refugees remain in exile, longing for justice and the opportunity to return to their homeland. 
           Furthermore, Nakba Day serves as a global platform for Palestinians and their supporters to express solidarity and raise awareness about the ongoing plight of the Palestinian people. It is a day of protest, remembrance, and resistance, with rallies, marches, cultural events, and educational activities taking place in various parts of the world. 
           In pursuing peace, the Nakba and its ongoing ramifications underscore the urgent need for a comprehensive and equitable resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A just solution must address the rights and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians, ensuring self-determination, security, and dignity for all parties involved. Meaningful dialogue, negotiation, and international involvement are necessary to achieve a lasting peace and a future where Palestinians and Israelis can coexist in harmony. 
        Today, reaching a peaceful solution will require both populations to speak up through political participation and elections, not violence. It will require restructuring the corrupt and deeply unrepresentative leadership driving the vicious war we hear about everyday on the news. Only through shared dialogue, empathy, and a commitment to justice can we hope to create a future where the returning wounds of the Nakba are finally healed and lasting peace is achieved in the region

NOTE: To get a more clear understanding of the current situation in Palestine-Israel, we invite you to watch MPT’s two-part video series, "What is Truly Happening in Palestine/Israel?”, with internationally recognized speakers Huwaida Arraf and Marie Dennis.  Go to:  https://www.metapeaceteam.org/webinars

Listen Huwaida Arraf story on the website Podcast page.
OR Read her story HERE