On May 15 every year, many Palestinians commemorate the displacement of their families from their homes and villages in Palestine that preceded and followed the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. The term that many Palestinians use to describe these events is “Nakba,” meaning “the catastrophe.” In years right after 1948, euphemistic terms such “al-’ahdath” (“the events”) or “al-hijra” (“the exodus”) were used. Starting with the 1990s, or ever since it became obvious that there is very little hope for the Palestinian diaspora (including refugees) to return, the term “Nakba” has been in use. May 15 is now much more significant.
With the most recent peace talks in tatters and the anniversary of the Palestinian exodus coming up, many Palestinians, Arabs and pro-Palestinian organizations are planning a commemoration.
A retrospective look at the history of the Palestinian people is in order. In 1948, the Palestinians were driven out of their homes to make way for incoming Israelis. And over the years, that has resulted in widespread conflict and over 20,000 deaths. And while the exploits of Hamas and the militant Palestinians are often reported in the media, the measures taken against Palestinians are frequently left out.
The first four decades of the conflict saw the exile of millions of Palestinians and the deaths of thousands of others, with the casualties much lighter on the Israeli military side. Even as hope was starting to be restored after the Oslo Peace Accords, the dreams of coexistence were hastily dashed as Yasser Arafat, the former head of the Palestinian Liberation organization and a key actor in the peace negotiations, was confined to live in a compound in 2002 for the last two years of his life.
This act, of course, occurred during the Second Intifada, at a time when former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon spearheaded the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Settlement building is a violation of international law and was almost universally condemned, as the expansion of settlements results in even more refugees and more tension between Israelis and Palestinians.
The issue of Israeli settlements is still of prime importance today with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu resuming control of the project. Harassment and the demolition of Palestinian houses are at an all-time high. The peace process has failed countless times, and there is constant warfare in Gaza, the most prominent example of which is the Gaza massacre of 2008-09, during which more than a thousand Palestinians were killed in less than a month.
For the past three years at least, Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as refugees from Lebanon and Syria, have marched toward the cease-fire lines on May 15 to symbolize the “Nakba.” At least a dozen have been killed in open fire from Israelis. Israelis are not supposed to mark this event either. In 2011, the Israeli government approved a reduction in government funding to NGOs within Israel that support the commemoration of the event.
Our opinion is that these measures, taken against those who wish to recognize the “Nakba,” are wrong and unethical. As long as these groups of people do not violate security — as unarmed men and women from various parts of the Middle East, community organizers and civil activists, they are not — they should be free to express their grief over the history of their home. They have either a collective memory or a sense of sympathy for the plight of the Palestinian people, and they should be treated democratically and respectfully on May 15. The “Nakba” is of extreme significance to the identity of many and to the work of some. There is no justification as to why the term needs to be met with aggression or violence.
Feras Abdulla '17 and Reem Chamseddine '17 are guest columnists.
