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.
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:
Hundreds of people gathered in Brooklyn, New York, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba and stand with the people of #Gaza. pic.twitter.com/5wGwqUoTTx
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) May 14, 2023
Pro-Palestine activists commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Nakba or catastrophe in Toronto on 13 May 2023.#Palestine #Nakba75 pic.twitter.com/9gfqBhFJku
— DOP News (@NewsDoP) May 15, 2023
Pro-Palestinian activists in Dublin commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, displaying a "Moving Gallery" of photos of Israeli atrocities and a large key as a symbol of Palestinians' right to return to their homeland. pic.twitter.com/hgCKhCti8c
— Palestine Highlights (@PalHighlight) May 14, 2023
People in the Philippines showed their solidarity on 15 May:
Today marks the 75th year since the Nakba, or the systematic expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homeland by Zionist forces. We Indigenous and Muslim minorities from the Philippines are no stranger to the violence of forced displacement. pic.twitter.com/y63mAmiKuM
— Sandugo Mov't of Moro & IP for Self-Determination (@sandugoalliance) May 15, 2023
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:
Thousands of people joined the rally:
Thank you to the over 10,000 people who took the streets to commemorate the ongoing Nakba and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. We showed once again that we will never stop until Palestine is free. 🇵🇸 #FreePalestine #Nakba75 pic.twitter.com/QLyiEpBTxk
— PSC (@PSCupdates) May 13, 2023
In Yorkshire and Lancashire, people marked the Nakba with Ride for Palestine events:
A MASSIVE thank you to all riders who cycled across Yorkshire today for Palestine 🇵🇸 🙌🏾 . Thank you to everyone who donated & who came out to support. This is the first of 3 biking events happening this month to mark #Nakba75.
Check out more pics from today in this thread ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/FMjnIcdiTx
— Friends of Al Aqsa (@FriendsofAlAqsa) May 14, 2023
FOA Chair @Ismailadampatel presenting all the wonderful young riders with a medal for taking part in todays #Nakba75 Ride for Palestine in Preston 🙌🏾
You can sponsor the riders and help raise funds for our campaign work for 🇵🇸 here: https://t.co/vQAPTXlYzx pic.twitter.com/BEQHDeBOzQ
— Friends of Al Aqsa (@FriendsofAlAqsa) May 14, 2023
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:
“It’s time for the British government to support the right of the Palestinian people to live in peace in their own homeland” – thank you @jeremycorbyn for your support at the #Nakba75 protest in London yesterday ✊🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/Q7mW8Ct7Ps
— Friends of Al Aqsa (@FriendsofAlAqsa) May 14, 2023
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
