|
Events
in
Palestine
l
Al-‘Awda
Camp,
Ramallah.
Activities:
The
May
14th
‘Awda
Camp
activities
will
include:
Distribution
of
educational
materials
on
the
Nakba
to
school
students
in
the
camp,
daily
film
screening,
forum
on
popular
defence
of
the
Right
of
Return.
Final
day
of
popular
arts
competitions
(Dabkah,
Zajal,
Poetry,
etc.)
with
participants
representing
Qaddura,
Am'ari,
Silwad,
Jalazon,
Shu'fat,
and
Qalandia
camps
as
well
as
Dar
Al-Mu'alimin
(Teachers'
Academy).
Contact:
Wajih
Atallah,
Union
of
Youth
Activities
Centers
in
the
Refugee
Camps,
tel.:
0599-255584,
mail:
uyac@uyac.org
l
Commemoration
march,
Nablus.
Demonstrators
will
march
from
Balata
refugee
camp
to
Askar
camp,
finishing
by
placing
wreaths
and
flowers
on
the
tombs
of
Iraqi
army
martyrs.
Contact:
uyac@uyac.org
l
Right
of
Return
marathon
run
and
festival,
Bethlehem.
The
Right
of
Return
marathon
run
will
begin
in
Dheisheh
refugee
camp
and
end
in
Aida
camp.
Festival
to
follow
in
Aida
where
refugees
will
share
their
stories.
Contact:
uyac@uyac.org
l
Mass
protest
march,
Tulkarm.
March
will
be
held
in
commemoration
of
the
Nakba.
Contact:
uyac@uyac.org
or
suheilsalman@yahoo.com
l
Lecture
and
discussion,
Jerusalem.
Forum
“the
Arabic-Zoinist
conflict:
historical
comparative”
will
be
held
in
the
Jadal
Center
for
Culture
and
Social
Development
at
4:00
pm.
Contact
the
Alternative
Information
Centre
at
aicafe@alt-info.org
Events
internationally
·
International
Conference:
Freedom
and
the
Right
of
Return,
Palestine
and
60
Years
of
Ethnic
Cleansing
in
Jakarta,
Indonesia.
For
more
information:
www.voiceofpalestine.net
and
www.suarapalestina.net
Report
on
previous
events
-
In the village of Ni’lin, outside Ramallah, residents clashed with Occupation soldiers over plans to confiscate village land for the construction of the Wall. Four Palestinians were injured and one was arrested as villagers protested over the newest confiscation orders that take 2,500 dunums to make way for the Wall. See: http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/1649.shtml
-
On 8 May, Israeli police attacked the Nazareth-Safurrya Return March. Video footage is now available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-P4LI1ceGA
The
Palestinian
Nakba
on
the
ground
On
this
day,
1948
·
In
the
Acre
district,
the
villages
of
al-Sumayriyya,
al-Zib
and
al-Bassa
were
captured
today,
their
inhabitants
expelled.
Al-Zib,
which
was
a
center
of
resistance,
was
shelled
until
the
civilian
population
was
forced
out
and
then
razed.
In
al-Bassa,
many
fled
before
Zionist
forces
arrived,
although
some
stayed.
According
to
Palestinian
eyewitness
accounts,
Zionist
soldiers
forced
those
that
stayed
behind
into
the
local
church.
The
soldiers
proceeded
to
execute
a
few
of
the
younger
people,
than
ordered
those
in
the
church
to
bury
the
bodies.
·
Abu
Shusha,
located
near
al-Ramla,
was
occupied
today.
Zionist
troops
occupying
the
town
carried
out
a
massacre
of
the
inhabitants.
60-70
people
were
murdered
before
the
21st
of
May,
when
the
remaining
villagers
were
expelled.
·
Today,
Yaffa
fell
to
Zionist
forces.
Of
the
70,000-80,000
Arabs
that
had
called
the
city
home,
only
3,600-4,100
remained.
The
majority
of
Jaffa's
inhabitants
were
pushed
into
the
sea,
forced
to
flee
using
boats
and
ending
up
in
other
Palestinian
coastal
cities
like
Gaza,
or
further
in
Egypt
and
Lebanon.
Nakba
Today
Qassa,
District
of
Al-Khalil
(Hebron).
On
29
October
2007,
the
Israeli
army
forcibly
displaced
the
community
of
Qassa,
a
hamlet
located
between
the
Wall
and
the
armnistice
line
(Green
Line)
in
the
southern
Hebron
district.
People
were
violently
and
physically
removed
and
dumped
on
the
other
side
of
the
Wall.
In
total,
close
to
200
persons
were
displaced
as
well
as
3,000
animals.
According
to
the
Israeli
army,
Qassa
residents
were
displaced
because
they
were
illegally
present
on
the
land.
However,
after
being
present
in
the
area
for
some
40
years,
residents,
most
of
whom
are
1948
refugees
from
Beit
Jibrin,
only
received
demolition
and
eviction
orders
after
the
Wall
had
constructed
(May
2007).
A
second
evacuation
order
was
issued
on
24
October,
days
before
the
opening
of
the
new
Tarqumiya
checkpoint
(terminal).
The
demolition
and
eviction
occurred
the
day
after
the
checkpoint
became
operational.
During
the
eviction,
Israeli
officials
said
that
the
people
of
Qassa
“live
inside
Israel”and
“have
to
leave
the
Seam
Zone.”
The
Qassa
community
has
thus
been
displaced
by
the
Wall
and
its
associated
regime,
which
was
found
illegal
by
the
International
Court
of
Justice
because
it
affects
the
demographic
composition
of
the
OPT
and
violates
the
right
to
self-determination
of
the
Palestinian
people.
Moreover,
the
land
from
which
the
inhabitants
were
displaced
will
likely
be
used
to
build
an
industrial
park
for
Palestinians.
Indeed,
as
part
of
the
economic
development
plans
announced
by
the
international
Quartet's
Special
Envoy
Tony
Blair
construction
is
planned
of
an
industrial
park
at
the
Tarqumiya
checkpoint
in
the
southern
Hebron
district.
The
construction
of
this
industrial
park,
insofar
as
it
enables
Israel
to
maintain
the
restrictions
on
movement
and
access
created
by
the
construction
of
the
Wall
and
it
associated
regime
and
annex
land,
would
contravene
the
international
court's
ruling
calling
upon
states
to
refrain
from
rendering
aid
or
assistance
that
maintains
the
illegal
situation
created
by
the
construction
of
the
Wall
and
its
associated
regime.
Background
Resources:
l
For
resources
on
the
history
of
the
Nakba,
information
about
Palestinian
refugees,
and
their
right
of
return
under
international
law,
see
the
Nakba-60
Resources
Info-Packet
at:
http://www.badil.org/Publications/badil-nakba-60-info-packet/index.html
l
For
information
about
selected
cases
of
ongoing
diaplacement,
please
visit:
http://www.stopthewall.org/activistresources/1583.shtml
l
For
information,
resources
and
links
to
organizations
working
on
the
growing
campaign
for
Boycotts,
Divestment
and
Sanctions
on
Israel
until
it
dismantles
its
military
occupation's
colonial
apartheid
system
in
the
West
Bank,
Gaza
and
Golan
Heights;
ends
systematic
discrimination
against
its
Palestinian
citizens;
and
implements
the
Palestinian
refugees'
right
to
return
to
their
homes
and
properties,
please
visit
the
website
of
the
Boycott
Divestment
Sanctions
Campaign
National
Committee
(BNC):
http://www.bdsmovement.net
-------------------------------------
For
more
information,
please
contact:
Palestinian
Grassroots
Anti-Apartheid
Wall
Campaign
Email:
global@stopthewall.org,
Tel.:
+972-2-297-1505
Badil
Centre
for
Palestinian
Refugee
&
Residency
Rights:
Email:
mediaenglish@badil.org,
Tel.:
+972-2-277-7086
*The
week’s
events
coordinated
by
the
National
Committee
to
Commemorate
the
Nakba.
The
National
Committee
represents
national
movements
and
networks,
including
the
Council
of
National
and
Islamic
forces,
the
Global
Palestine
Right-of-Return
Coalition,
the
Popular
Committees
and
youth
centers
of
the
refugee
camps
all
over
Palestine,
the
Anti-Apartheid
Wall
Campaign,
Badil
Center
for
Palestinian
Residency
and
Refugee
Rights,
Palestinian
NGO
Network
(PNGO),
the
Civic
Coalition
for
the
Defense
of
Palestinian
Rights
in
Jerusalem
and
the
PLO
Department
for
Refugee
Affairs
(DORA). |
