I have written about “Nakba”several times but for the sake of our younger readers who are interested with the Palestinian struggle I will again expatiate on same.
What is Nakbah? Our brothers and sisters refer to it as Nakba or Al Nakba which literally translates as “the catastrophe”. It is about the mass exodus of at least 750,000 Arabs from Palestine. But some historians believe that the Nakbah started well before. It is interesting to note that in 1799 during the French invasion of the Arab world, Napoleon issued a proclamation where it is clearly stated that Palestine is a homeland to Jews under France’s protection. Napoleon did not succeed but the idea did not die.
How did the Nakbah begin?
Zionist terrorist groups or paramilitary groups triggered a vicious well-orchestrated process of ethnic cleansing in the form of large attacks having as objectives the mass expulsion of Palestinians from their home places to build the Jewish State.
Do you know?
- That it is quasi illegal to even mention the word Nakba or Al Nakba in Israel.
- That Israel continues to criminalise marking Nakba day.
When is Nakba Day?
15th May 1948! Never forget that day if you are a militant for the Palestinian struggle. It is a day tattooed in infamy for generations and generations to come. For Palestinians the Nakba does not just represent a historical event but an ongoing process that began more methodically in the 1880s as European Zionist settlers started to lay the foundation for their future State.
Between 1947 and 1949 about 750,000 Palestinians out of a population of 1.9 million were rooted out viciously and without any sympathy from their home places to free space for the new Jewish immigrants.
Only around 150,000 Palestinians chose [because of no means] to remain in Israel which was founded on 78% of the total landmass of Palestine.
What happened to the 22% was later annexed (Oh Yes!) by Jordan. Jordan renamed the West Bank and all Palestinians became to the delight of the Israelis Jordanian citizens. And we know that in June 1967 war West Bank was occupied by Israel together with the Gaza Strip which, prior to the June 1967 war had been under the military control of Egypt.
Do you know?
- About five million Palestinian citizens live in the occupied West Bank and the “Blockhead” Gaza Strip.
- 1.5 million live in Israel as second grade citizens.
- Six million live in many countries around the world.
What is the situation now?
Following the recent hostilities more than 38,000 Palestinians in the Gaza strip have been displaced internally. They had to flee because of the target bombing of the Israelis by air.
Do you remember how many children were killed?
More than 180…..
And the eviction process continues… families in Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood are facing imminent forced eviction. Across East Jerusalem all Palestinians are at risk. Why? Because Israel wish to change the demographical balance in order to “Purify” Jerusalem so that they can proclaim the Eastern part of Jerusalem as part of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.
Israel is continuing its policy of forced eviction (with the stamp of its supreme court) within the “Great Idea” of Israeli settlement construction and expansion (violation of International law) and also of Basic Humanitarian principles.
And one must not forget how the lives of the Palestinians are in the Gaza Strip. The population is quasi resource less in the midst of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. I think you must be shocked when you know the limited access to water, basic food, basic medicines, basic hygiene… and today UNRWA has no resources at all…
What is UNRWA? It is the? United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine. And what is happening with UNRWA?
UNRWA run schools, clinics and food distribution programs for millions of registered Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.
UNRWA is plagued with sexual misconduct, Nepotism and other abuses of authority at the agency?
UNRWA has no money? Yes Philippe Lazzarine is saying as chief of UNRWA that the agency is facing a funding crisis. Do you remember how President Trump excised UNRWA of all American financial support? Biden is financing anew but the budgetary gap is enormous.
- No money to pay the 28,000 employees.
- Staff is on strike and Lazzarine said:
“If UNRWA services are compromised in the middle of a global pandemic, Covid-19 vaccination rollout will come to an end”, meaning…
- Maternal care will stop.
- Child care will cease.
- Half a million boys and girls will be in the dark concerning education.
- Two million of the poorest Palestinian refugees will not get any cash for minimum subsidy.
- No food assistance for 2 million Palestinians.
The whole world is turning a blind and a deaf ear…
Israel is convincing even Arab countries to believe that UNRWA is to be blamed because it is perpetuating the 73 year refugee crisis since it confers refugee status upon millions of descendants of those originally displaced around the time of the creation of the State of Israel rather than restrict the refugee status only to the original refugees…
As if Palestinian refugees should be blamed for what Israel has done to them…
RAMA VALAYDEN
NOTE : Les points de vue exprimés dans cette rubrique ne reflètent pas nécessairement ceux de la rédaction et n’engagent que les auteurs eux-mêmes.
