Today, across the world, Palestinians will be marking Nakba Day, ( the Arabic word for catastrophe or cataclysm ) commemorating the events of 1948 that saw over 750,000 Palestinians forced to flee from their homes, and over 450 Palestinian towns and villages wiped off the map in which Zionist forces used a terror campaign to expel Palestinians from their land. The Nakba was a deliberate and systematic crime of ethnic cleansing,to make room for a racially supremacist settler-colony.
The date was chosen to follow immediately after the Gregorian calendar date of Israeli Independence Day – 14 May 1948 – although, since Israel uses the Hebrew calendar to mark time, the days rarely align. The two anniversaries might be observed weeks apart or coincide on the same day, as they did in 2005. This year Israeli Independence Day occurred on 28 April.
Nakba Day commemorations typically take the form of rallies and speeches in cities around Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, with Palestinian marchers commonly brandishing placards, flags and house keys, the latter symbols of the homes and still-deserted villages their families have not been allowed to return to, mourning their dispossession, expulsion and replacement, which continues unabated. Many still cling to the keys of their homes which they long to return to.
The rupture of 1948 and the ‘ethnic cleansing’ of the Nakba are central to both the Palestinian society of today and Palestinian social history and collective identity. Remember 72 years after the Nabka, Palestinians still have no state and no equality. Refugee camps still exist all over the world and a majority of Palestinians live in the diaspora. Against their will, the Nabka has divided the Palestinian people between Palestine and diaspora, between Gaza and the West Bank, between those who hold a refugee identification card and who don't. The vast majority of Palestinian refugees, both those outside the 1949 armistice lines at the wars' conclusion and those internally displaced, were barred by the newly declared state of Israel from their right to return to their homes or the reclaiming of their property, and in doing so Israel violated international law. The Palestininian diaspora has since become the largest in the world.The injustice continues.
Every Palestinian family is impacted by those events. Every Palestinian lives with the reality of the continuing Nakba, the unresolved injustice that leaves refugees trapped in an ongoing exile, that sees Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem living under siege and military occupation, and Palestinian citizens within the state of Israel treated as second class, subject to a barrage of discriminatory laws and policies. The catastrophes of the Nakba continue through ongoing land theft and expulsion. Israel’s regime of military occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid is more vicious than ever in grabbing as much ancestral land as possible. We are also just weeks away from the likely threat of annexation, which would mean even more deeply entrenched apartheid, more home and village demolitions, and the further loss of Palestinian land, livelihoods, and connections.
We must refuse to be a part of this plan and put pressure on governments, diplomats, and NGOs to use their power to stop annexation, we must also help build a stronger global movement.The message to the Palestinian people today and every day is this: “we have seen the injustice you suffer and you do not stand alone.”
This year amid the coronavirus pandemic, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has officially authorised digital activities to observe the anniversary, with many planning to join virtual reality tours and Zoom video chats.As as part of the Week of Palestinian Struggle, various organizations and campaigns have urged Palestinians and supporters of Palestine to join a twitter storm today and use the hashtags #KeyToJustice and #NakbaDay, in order to focus on Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their original homes and lands throughout historic Palestine.
Tonight at 7pm UK time their is also a global rally with an an amazing line up of speakers and performers where we will reaffirm our commitment to spread solidarity and to campaign for justice. If you have not registered then please do so.
Don't worry though - you can still join by watching the livestream on facebook if you are unable to get into the zoom rally room. The rally will be livestreamed on the facebook pages of all organising partners: Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK / Jewish Voice For Peace / BDS Movement / South African BDS Coalition
With the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people still under unprecedented attack, we must make our collective voice louder in calling for freedom, justice and equality for our Palestinian brothers and sisters.As they fight to halt annexation their struggle continues, with hope and meaningful solidarity we must continue to insist on the Palestinian peoples right to freedom, justice, equality and dignity and right to return. From the rivers to the sea one day they will be free.
