The +972 Podcast heads to the destroyed village of Khubbeiza to hear what Nakba Day means to different people, including Palestinians internally displaced in Israel.
Palestinian citizens of Israel take part in the Return March, held at the destroyed village of Khubbeiza, to mark Nakba Day, May 9, 2019. (Mati Milstein)
Every year for over two decades, thousands of Palestinian citizens of Israel have marked Nakba Day by marching to the site of a different village that was depopulated and destroyed during the Nakba.
While the story of Palestinian refugees — 700,000 of whom were driven out or fled in 1948 — is relatively well known, we rarely speak of those who were internally displaced during the war. These families remained in what became Israel but were never allowed to return to their original homes.
This year, the Return March marking 71 years since the Nakba was held in one such village, Khubbeiza. +972 Magazine’s Henriette Chacar went to the march to hear from participants of various ages what it means to them.
Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify
Some shared childhood memories from 1948. Other participants emphasized the importance of preserving Palestinian identity and history in the face of growing Israeli oppression. Jewish allies who were there talked about showing solidarity, and recognizing the rights of Palestinians. All the stories people shared had one theme: ‘We are here and we haven’t forgotten.’
“Their Independence Day is our Nakba,” said Rasmieh Khalaileh. “There are hundreds of villages that were displaced, not by choice but by force, which they expelled and are now dispersed across the world. This is what encourages me to come, even if it’s only a symbolic gesture for the people who were expelled, who dream to come back to their land.”
Subscribe to The +972 Podcast: iTunes/Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify
For Palestinian citizens of Israel, the march is an important commemoration of their painful history. It’s a way Palestinians keep the stories of the Nakba alive and pass them on to younger generations. May 9, 2019, Khubbeiza. (Mati Milstein)
A volunteer hands out Palestinian flags and kaffiyehs to participants at the 22nd annual Return March marking Nakba Day, held this year at the site of the destroyed village of Khubbeiza, May 9, 2019. (Mati Milstein)
Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war – the atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel and the massive retaliatory Israeli attacks on Gaza. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing violence.
We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed unleashed by these events has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Hamas’ murderous assault in southern Israel has devastated and shocked the country to its core. Israel’s retaliatory bombing of Gaza is wreaking destruction on the already besieged strip and killing a ballooning number of civilians. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to escalate their attacks on Palestinians.
This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 13 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, the entrenched occupation, and an increasingly normalized siege on Gaza.
We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives.
Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is the leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists and activists can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.