As the world marks 75 years of the Nakba, people come out in support of Palestinians

People march in London to mark the Nakba Israel Palestinians


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In 2023, Israel‘s meting-out of the Nakba against Palestinians has been ongoing for 75 years. Even in recent days, Israeli forces have killed dozens of people in the Occupied Territories. So, across the world, Palestinians and their supporters marked the continuing “catastrophe” with a show of resistance.

The Nakba: 75 years and counting

As Al Jazeera wrote, Palestinians and their allies mark the Nakba (“catastrophe”) every year on 15 May. It noted that the event refers to:

the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the near-total destruction of Palestinian society in 1948.

Al Jazeera continued:

On that day, the State of Israel came into being. The creation of Israel was a violent process that entailed the forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland to establish a Jewish-majority state, as per the aspirations of the Zionist movement.

Between 1947 and 1949, at least 750,000 Palestinians from a 1.9 million population were made refugees beyond the borders of the state. Zionist forces had taken more than 78 percent of historic Palestine, ethnically cleansed and destroyed about 530 villages and cities, and killed about 15,000 Palestinians in a series of mass atrocities, including more than 70 massacres.

To this day, the Nakba continues. As the Canary reported on Thursday 11 May, Israeli forces had killed 25 Palestinians in a recent wave of attacks. This also came on the one-year anniversary of Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. However, after 11 May Israeli forces killed eight more Palestinians – taking the total deaths that week to 33.

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As of 15 May, Israeli forces have killed at least 112 Palestinians. So, around the world, Palestine‘s diaspora and their allies have been marking the Nakba.

Palestine will be free

People in some countries marked the Nakba on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 May – like in New York, Toronto, and Dublin:

People in the Philippines showed their solidarity on 15 May:

Meanwhile, in London groups like Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA) and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) marked the Nakba on 13 May. They held a march from the BBC‘s headquarters to Downing Street:

Palestinians and their supporters marking Nakba day in London

Thousands of people joined the rally:

Palestinians and their supporters marking Nakba day in London

In Yorkshire and Lancashire, people marked the Nakba with Ride for Palestine events:

Of course, one of the main points of the UK Nakba actions was to highlight the British government’s ongoing support for Israel and its apartheid. For example, it allows UK-based arms manufacturers like Elbit to export weapons to Israel. The state’s security forces then use these weapons to repress, injure, and kill Palestinians.

So people took to Downing Street to demand the British government holds Israel to account – and stops supplying it with weapons and other support:

Israel: Crimes against humanity

The PSC said in a statement:

At a moment when Israel’s new far-right Government has faced unprecedented demonstrations protesting its attacks on the democratic rights of Jewish citizens of Israel – this march will reinforce the truth that for Palestinians, Israel has never been a democracy. Palestinians across historic Palestine whether living as citizens of the state denied equality, under siege in Gaza or under ongoing military rule in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, are subject to a system of oppression which meets the legal definition of apartheid – a crime against humanity

Chair and founder of FOA Ismail Patel said in a press release:

Ethnic cleansing, apartheid, war crimes, human rights abuse and violations of international law – this is what 75 years of Israeli Nakba looks like.

Enough is enough. For 75 years Israel has abused human rights, violated international law and imposed apartheid on Palestinians. Israel has destroyed over 130,000 Palestinian homes and has more than 65 discriminatory laws against Palestinians. Israeli impunity must end now. The British government must stop its complicity and impose political and economic sanctions on Israel without delay.

Moreover, head of public affairs at FOA Shamiul Joarder commented that:

It’s no coincidence that in the same week that we are marking 75 years of Nakba, Israel is targeting family homes and killing Palestinian children in Gaza …

This is exactly what the ongoing Nakba looks like. Today we’re calling for Israel to stop bombing Gaza and end its illegal occupation, apartheid policies, war crimes and ongoing violations of international law. The Nakba must end for Palestinians to achieve justice, freedom and peace.

An unending nakba for Palestinians

For Palestinians, both in the occupied territories and across the world, the Nakba has never ended. Israel continues to mete out its ongoing apartheid against them to this day. Under the tenure of the most right-wing government in recent years, this will likely only get worse. So, solidarity from across the world is all the more important.

Featured image and additional images via Friends of Al-Aqsa 

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  • Show Comments

    1. We should all support the Palestinian cause in every possible way. There seems to be a reluctance on the Left to consider what a free Palestine would be, and what the aims of resistance groups – which all seem to be Islamic – are. I have met fierce resistance whenever I raise this with Palestinian activists who are, naturally, concerned that any objections to those aims would be to ally with Zionists. Not so. Are Palestinians all one homogenous ‘people’ with identical wishes and needs? Are there non-religious, socialist, LGBT+ and many other kinds of Palestinian people whose lives are being made very hard by the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad?

      I suspect that most supporters of the Palestinian cause do not know that the PA passed a law in 2004 effectively outlawing abortion in the Occupied Territories, forcing women in need to travel to apartheid Israel to pay for the procedure, if they have the funds. Is that what a free Palestine/Israel would impose?

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    2. In 1948 the combined Armies of the Arab world tried to wipe out the Jews in Palestine.Despite all the odds in their favour they lost.In retaliation about 1 million Jews were expelled from their homes in Arab countries.Most of them went to Israel .Before ww2 about a quarter of the population of Baghdad for example was Jewish.Now its 0%..Funny how facts like these never get mentioned by Palestinian supporters.

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