The Israeli government’s closure of six UNRWA schools in Jerusalem has left over 800 Palestinian students without school, and has thrown an entire community into limbo. Residents say it’s all part of a larger attack on Palestinian refugees.
The New York Times’ Tom Friedman has warned readers that the current Israeli government “is not an ally,” but on the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, we must recognize that all Israeli governments have participated in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
They surrounded us with walls so that we thought the Nakba was forever. Instead, we forgot that the walls existed, so we could see the Palestine we’ve always dreamed of.
I am a survivor of the 1948 Nakba who lived to witness the 2024 genocide. I may not live to see justice be made, but I am certain our long struggle will be rewarded. Our grandchildren will live at home once again.
The unfolding genocide in Gaza is the latest chapter in Israel’s attempt to remove Palestinians from their land. All those calling for a ceasefire should join in the longer-term efforts to dismantle Israeli apartheid.
As a journalist I have listened to countless stories of Nakba survivors. They would always say, “we thought we would return.” I never imagined that in my lifetime I would be witnessing another Nakba, and saying the same thing.
76 years later, Palestinian return to the homes and lands we were expelled from in 1948 is feasible and, of course, legal. To Palestinians, it is also sacred and inevitable.
Mohammed El Kurd on the ongoing Nakba, and the present revolution.
On the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, “Returning to Zarnouqa” tells a story of generational displacement, genocide, and the inevitability of Return.
The kibbutz has long been celebrated by liberals as an example of Israel’s socialist pedigree, but movement head Nir Meir says the “first mission” of kibbutzim was “to conquer the land,” and today it stands ready to “maintain outposts” by Gaza.