The Nakba

Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian “Nakba,” or “catastrophe,” which led to the displacement of more than half of historic Palestine in 1948. Yet, last week, just miles away, there was a 60th anniversary of a different sort—the celebration of 60 years of independence in Israel. In that one year, 1948, two very different stories emerged, and I got a chance to witness them these last two weeks.

The Israeli celebrations were filled with fire works and barbeques, much of what you would see in America on the 4th of July, while the Palestinians held demonstrations focused on the right to return as stated in UN resolution 194 (which is what you see on the boy’s shirts).

The demonstration started with one minute of silence in the city center of Ramallah, one of the biggest cities in the West Bank located just north of Jerusalem. There was music, marching bands, UN and Palestinian flags everywhere, and even an Arafat look alike. We then proceeded to a soccer field near the Qalandiya checkpoint, the main checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah. At that point, the crowds let loose thousands of black balloons to represent their hope for a better future.

Unfortunately, the day ended with a standoff between a group of kids from the nearby refugee camp and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from the Qalandiya checkpoint. The boys hid behind trash cans in the middle of the road and threw rocks at the soldiers, although they fell far short from hitting anyone. The soldiers then responded with rubber bullets and sound grenades. It was a very jarring experience, but what shocked me the most wasn’t the sound of gunfire and the sight of burning tires, rather the fact that Palestinians went about their daily routine in the midst of all this: the cars continued down the road that was clogged with garbage dumpsters, and the builders across the street kept laying bricks for the shop on the corner. Fortunately, there were ambulances around and I didn’t see anyone get injured. At one point, I was really concerned for the boy who climbed a latter to place a Palestinian flag atop the “security fence” because soldiers have the authority to shoot people who attempt to climb over. To me, it seemed liked the boys were playing a game, like the make believe games I would play with cap/water guns when I was a boy, but this was not make believe; it was real.


Most of the day was peaceful, filled with nonviolent demonstrations. But, as what seems to happen all too often, the emotions involved in this conflict spill over.

If you want to learn more about the Nakba and the right of return, you can check out the Palestinian NGO Al-Haq's position paper here