On Saturday, May 13, Israel’s attack on Gaza entered its fifth day. On Sunday, a fragile ceasefire was struck between Israel and Palestine. In this latest round of attacks, over 30 Palestinians have been killed and more than 90 wounded.
This is the context in which 75 years of Nakba, the ‘catastrophe’, is being commemorated. The day marks the forced exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes during the formation of Israel in 1948.
The Indian Cultural Forum looks back at the continued resistance by the Palestinians and those that believe in the Palestinian cause over the years on Nakba Day.
May 15 marks the forced exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes during the formation of Israel in 1948. Despite the Israeli government’s apartheid policies, the resistance of the people of Palestine continues.
As the Palestinian people commemorate Nakba i.e. ‘Catastrophe’ that coincides with the establishment of the state of Israel, we have to acknowledge that we have neither succeeded in comprehensively refuting the Israeli version nor have we presented ours as it happened. Accordingly, there are two versions of the Nakba: First, the Israeli one, which was built on lies and distortion of facts. The second is the Palestinian one which was neglected and missed by the world public opinion due to several considerations, one of which was that the world had just emerged from World War II and the crimes and horrors that were perpetrated by Nazism.
