The Washington Report’s Special Nakba Blog
For its upcoming May/June 2008 issue, the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs is planning a special section on the 60th anniversary of the Nakba. We are looking for accounts of up to 350 words of you, or your family’s, most salient memory of the Nakba.
We will need your account by Wednesday, March 19, and would very much appreciate your letting us know if you are interested in writing one for us (send e-mail to <author at wrmea.com>).
If you would like to add your account to this “Blog,” we will read all submissions before making our final selection for the magazine. We will keep this Blog open to record your story for the remainder of 2008. Please include your e-mail address, name and city, state or country where you live.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
We hope Palestinians and Israelis (and others) who were living in this land before the Nakba and the creation of Israel will share their memories. We can also learn from those of you who weren’t there but who have information that will help us understand the Nakba. We can’t monitor every comment and cannot take responsibility for other people’s words. Please use this blog as an educational tool and not as a weapon that will cause more anguish.
March 10th, 2008 at 7:13 am
My dear friend Sophia at Les Politiques sent me the following link to Sands of Sorrow (1950) Palestinian Arab Refugee Camps Video.
I cannot think of a more appropriate place to share it than here with you among friends.
Thank you, Sophia
March 27th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Your “nakba” is our Independence Day. Many happy returns!:)
April 7th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
letter to tikkun magazine
Dear editor:
One of the most valid points in your article about Annapolis was that each side–Palestinians and Israelis–should teach history in their own schools the way their enemies would teach it. So as a first step toward peace, I, a Jewish American, part of the diaspora Jews, will do just that right here in your magazine.
But I will take it one step further: I will teach that mutual history the way it is seen–not by the Palestinians–but as it is seen by fellow Jews and Zionists like Benny Morris and Ami Isseroff. I suspect you are familiar with them although 99% of Americans are not because of the biased and bigoted US corporate media.
I would also include in that teaching, Professor Ian G. Lustik of the University of Pennsylvania. He is an expert on the subject of Israeli-Palestinian history. I think you are also familiar with him since you published one of his articles in your magazine.
Mr. Morris, a renowned Zionist historian, has documented how Zionist terrorists stole the land of the Palestinians between 1947 and 1949, committing at least 24 massacres such as the one at Deir Yassin with the purpose of ethnically cleansing the Palestinians, a necessary element in establishing a majority Jewish state.
Professor Lustik points out how the first secretary of state of Israel called this terrorism the smaller holocaust indirectly caused by the larger holocaust committed by Hitler. The secretary even mentioned taking some of the German-paid reparations to Israel and diverting them to the Palestinian victims of “The Tragedy” as the Palestinians refer to it.
I believe Professor Lustik will also concede that the Israeli government doesn’t even want to allow the refugees caused by The Tragedy and later acts of Israeli terrorism and ethnic cleansing to return to the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, let alone the actual land that was stolen from them within the current borders of Israel.
Ami Isseroff, a Zionist for peace, gets into the nuts and bolts of one of the particular massacres committed by Zionist terrorists, the Irgun and the Stern Gang, at Deir Yassin. He explains how the terrorists shot and killed prisoners, women and children at close range. He also explains how the villagers of Deir Yassin had signed a peace treaty with the Zionists before they were attacked unmercifully.
Oh, and as part of our history lesson for peace I have another source that is not Palestinian or Arab: “The Surrogate Colonization of Palestine” by Scott Atran. Mr. Atran points out the cause behind the riots of the 1920s in which Palestinians killed Jews. Wealthy Zionists who purchased a small portion of the land later to become Israel, purchased the land from those who stole it from the Palestinians, the Ottoman landlords. Only the Ottomans allowed the Palestinians to continue to work the land and make a living without having “legal” ownership to it. After the Zionists purchased this land–bought fenced property–they proceeded to kick the Palestinians off of the land they had worked and lived on for generations. I presume these wealthy Zionist thieves had armed gangs to protect them so the displaced Palestinians took out their anger on less well-armed Jews who may have been illegally immigrating into Palestine.
And thus began the war that continues even now and extended itself into America on 911.
So how’s that for our first history lesson for peace?
April 7th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
that was a great letter from albert einstein.
he was correctly offended by the terrorist attack on deir yassin by the stern gang.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Yom Haatzmaout Sameach
April 13th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Obama says that small town America hates people who are different. They cling to their guns and religion.
Hmmmmm?
Bit of a generalization there. And even if it is true, was it a wise thing for a presidential candidate to say. I don’t think so. I guess we’ll see on April 22.
Also, Wikipedia describes Rashid Khalidi as Obama’s friend. Obama may even have raised money for Khalidi’s charity.
Wikipedia says Khalidi used to work for the Palestine National Authority. So Khalidi may actually have worked for Yassir Arafat.
Khalidi has said a few interesting things too. Like he implied that Ariel Sharon was a terrorist. Or he made both negative and positive comments about Arafat, his supposed former employer.
Khalidi explained that Israel didn’t like to talk to Arafat because he was a terrorist.
“But I could say the same about Sharon,” said Khalidi.
Indeed, I feel Khalidi is correct but I suspect most American voters would not feel that way, especially those “pro-Israel voters from New York and Florida.”
“Pro-Israel voters from New York and Florida” is a quote from Tony McPeek, a foreign policy advisor for Obama. McPeek’s statement was “we don’t have peace in the Middle East because of those pro-Israel voters from New York and Florida.”
I agree with McPeek too but as Mrs. Obama stated, America is basically “ignorant.” So most voters would not agree with McPeek, especially those crucial pro-Israel voters.
I agree with McPeek, Mrs. Obama and Khalidi.
But I’m not running for president.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:50 am
The convening of a Palestinian American National conference that is inclusive of every Palestinian living in America is long overdue.
We are coming together as American Palestinians
to commemorate the 60th anniversary of
Al-Nakba (forced eviction of our people from
our ancient homeland).
We Will never forget. Let the world know that the Palestinians are the Key holders of Peace. For all pro Palestinians, enough talk. Let your ACTIONS be louder than your words. Be pro active. Here how you can get involved:
click on this url http://www.panc2008.com
April 17th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Ariel & clairetterose:
David Ben-Gurion once said, “The old will die and the young will soon forget.” Well, the old are dying and the young are dying too, but nobody is forgetting.
The one thing that is consistent and unwavering is that palestinians do want to return and they will return.
April 19th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
clairetterose
The Nakba began 60 years ago, and it still hasn’t ended. The problem with your comparison of Palestinians to Jews is that the Holocaust ended in 1945 whereas Palestinians were killed by an Israeli air raid this morning and Palestinian homes were demolished this past week. What you are asking Palestinians to do is analogous to asking Jews to forget the Holocaust, while it was being perpetrated, nonetheless. Moreover, Israel’s actions are ignored by the rest of the world while the Holocaust is internationally recognized. Any middle school student can tell you about the Holocaust but the same student most likely wouldn’t know the difference between Palestine and Pakistan, let alone anything about the Nakba.
I also think it is ridiculous that you claim that Palestinians are primarily concerned with the right of return. I don’t know any Palestinians living in the US who would go back to Palestine if it were liberated. As for those in the Middle East, maybe a free Palestine can do for them what Israel did for European Jews after WWII.
I’m sorry that your family members were affected by the atrocities of the Holocaust and I’m glad that their descendants been able to make new lives for themselves. I only wish I could say the same for your Palestinian counterparts.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
yes, claire, jews were victims of pogroms in europe. and the pals were victims of a pogrom in palestine.
israel got reparations from nazi germany. israel itself was a form of reparations.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
on the other hand, it was not the pals who committed those pogroms against the jews in europe.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
that is true. the pogrom against the pals has not ended yet.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Freedom and Democracy
Regarding new elections in Florida and Michigan, Senator Obama said we should play by the rules, I contend. In other words, we should not change the rules in the middle of the game.
Senator Bradley and Senator Daschle–both Obamanites–said the same thing as Obama. Play by the rules.
Play by the rules even though the voters of Florida and Michigan have been disenfranchised.
Ok.
Well, the rules also say that superdelegates can vote for Hillary even though most pledged delegates are for Obama.
Those are the rules. And we should not change the rules in the middle of the game, says Senator Obama, Senator Bradley and Senator Daschle.
I wonder if the corporate media will remind them that they are sticklers for the rules and for not changing the rules in the middle of the game.
I would imagine if the senators forget their rulesmanship it will look to the public as if they will say whatever they have to say in order to win. In other words, it will look as if they are practicing that old style politics they say they are so adamantly against.
For example, you might hear them say that superdelegates should be punished by the voters if they choose the rules over freedom and democracy.
Hmmmmm?
Then I suppose Obama, Bradley and Daschle should also be punished by the voters because they defended the rules against freedom and democracy for Florida and Michigan voters.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
http://scott-freedomanddemocracy.blogspot.com/
it looks as if the washington report on the middle east does believe in freedom and democracy based on the undeleted comments i see here in this nakba blog.
but i do have a question: where can i get more info on that photo of einstein’s letter regarding al nakba. one other website where i found that photo said it could not confirm it’s accuracy.
April 25th, 2008 at 4:07 am
The palestinians are fighting the battle of justice for Mankind against the emargination and indifference of the others…
They are poor , they are suffering heavy human losses everyday due to israeli air bombardments and incursions…
I belive they are fighting for everybody the battle of justice…
definitely they are paying a heavy price…but one day they will one.. and then remember those committed the the genocide against palestinians and the the poor palestinians who were annihilated or deported both now are dead , they are both under the mercy of the lord…He will make justice…
May 13th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Is Israel really independent?
It depends on the United States for $3-5 billion a year. It depends on the vast majority of Jewish voters in New York and Florida to keep getting that money.
Israel’s economy depends on it’s security and it’s security depends on the Palestinians and how angry they feel about the pogrom committed against them in 1948, and the more gradual pogrom against them over the last 60 years.
And the Israelis are dependent upon the hatred exhibited by the Jewish settlers. Polls show that most Israelis want to abandon the settlements if it will bring peace and security. But the settlers are intransigent and apparently they have a lot of influence on the Israeli government since the settlements are not only not decreasing, they are still increasing.
The settlers also are the force behind various Israeli terrorist groups that you don’t hear much or anything about in the US corporate media; groups such as Kahane Chai, the Jewish Defense League, Kach and the Committee for Safe Streets.
Israel is very much dependent on our corporate media to keep the American taxpayers ignorant about these terrorist groups, and ignorant about the terrorist groups that were instrumental in the formation of Israel in 1948; terrorist groups such as the Stern Gang and the Irgun. Some would also include the Haganah which was a much larger militia than the Stern and Irgun gangsters.
I believe it was Haganah that planned the bombing and sinking of a boat full of Jewish civilians who were trying to leave Palestine. I guess the terrorists wanted to make the point that ALL Jews need to stick together in Palestine, IN ISRAEL. At that time it was called Palestine.
Apparently there were some leaders in Haganah who were against the bombing of this civilian vessel. But there are also some Muslim terrorists who are against targeting Iraqi civilian collaborators.
In those pre-Israel days, Zionists were dependent on terrorists like these because they did not have US tanks and F-15s as they do now. In fact, to this day, Israel must face the reality that their creation could not have happened without Zionist terrorists. Israel would not be a Jewish state without these terrorists ethnically cleansing the Palestinians from Palestine.
The Israelis are dependent on this negative legacy. They have to cover it up and deny it and rationalize it.
An abuser cannot be trully emotionally independent until he or she makes amends to their victim. The abuser must do this in order to forgive themselves. Until repentence this ugly mark hangs around the neck of the abuser. It creates an inner, self-directed, subconscious hostility that the abuser cannot get free from.
It also creates a negative karma that haunts the abuser. When things go wrong, deep inside the abuser wonders if the negative happening is a result of their negative actions. This self-doubt can cause the abuser to make poor decisions, like Israel’s decision to bomb civilians in Lebanon.
Unrepentence inhibits the spiritual growth of an individual and a nation.
But from a less abstract perspective, there are hawks in Israel I suspect who would like to be less dependent on money from America. They realize this money inhibits Israeli policy. For example, if Israel kills too many Palestinian children the money from America might be cut off. Although America does not often tell Israel what to do there have been times when American presidents have stood up to the Israeli lobby. Like when the first and wiser President Bush told Israel to slow down the building of settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. And I think Israel had to comply with his wishes, at least to a certain extent.
And now the current, not wise President Bush realizes finally that he needs to make a peace deal between Israel and Palestine if he wants to save his legacy and his failed occupation of Iraq. This puts further contraints on Israel whether they admit it or not.
The Israeli hawks hate this predicament they are in. A state at war has to have a lot of money. And Israel has always been a state in a state of war. And it always will be until it practices the art of repentence, something which does not look very likely at this point.
Which means it will probably never be independent of American taxpayers. It will always be a welfare state. Are welfare recipients independent?
The early Zionists helped bring about the Balfour Declaration which led to the eventual creation of Israel and the theft of Palestinian land. But the intentions of the Zionists were good. They believed Israel would become an independent state, a lighthouse that would show the world that Jews are not evil and in this way end anti-semitism. There was one very wealthy Zionist (whose name I don’t recall at this time) who demanded that they put some wording in the declaration that respected the rights of the Palestinians. They did put somethinglike that in there and then the Zionists ignored it once they set foot on Palestinian soil. This one wealthy and righteous Zionist was prophetic. For the terrible way the Zionists have treated the Palestinians has worked against the stated and positive goal of the early Zionists.
Instead of decreasing anti-semitism, the state of Israel–the welfare state of Israel–has actually increased anti-semitism, in my opinion. The one thing that decreased anti-semitism was the Holocaust unfortunately.
A mature and independent people, a grown-up nation, would have used that empathy created by the Holocaust to do good and positive things, to bring good out of evil.
It is my hope that Israel will some day grow up and do just that. I am not holding my breath though.
May 25th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Addendum to Commandment 2
The oppressed also include blacks, minorities, people of color, gays, the disabled and people of different religions. Give them all equal rights.
Posted by scott at 12:58 PM 0 comments
New Commandments
New Commandments
Here are some more commandments that we can ignore:
1. Heal the sick. All over the world. Not just America.
2. Free the oppressed. In Tibet, Burma, Palestine, America and all over the world. Free women too. Give them equal rights.
3. Help the poor. All over the world and in America too.
4. Protect the unborn.
5. Take care of the earth. All of God’s art.
6. Have mercy on all. Including prisoners and criminals. No more torture or inhumane treatment of any kind. No capital punishment. We are all murderers and criminals. For example, most Americans killed 600,000 Iraqis over a lie.
7. Do justice to all. Including the weak and powerless. Including the victims of crime.
8. Try to be fair. Find the correct balance between mercy and justice.
9. Try to find the correct balance. In all things.
10. Be nonviolent. Violence should be the very last resort. Currently it is not and never has been. Maybe it was a last resort in World War II. But it was the harsh reparations after World War I that eventually led to World War II. Follow the examples of Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Aung Sung Su Chi and Corozone Aquino.
June 1st, 2008 at 12:17 pm
http://journals.aol.com/scottsoperson/Capiche/
A Piece for Peace
June 11th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Just remember that no empire has lasted forever. The current conditions favor the zionists and the american empire that backs them. But nothing lasts forever.
The important thing for us, living under the present conditions of zionist/american imperialist material supremacy, is not to sell out the future of Palestine but to remain steadfast in the resistance against occupation and american hegemony. There will surely come a different day, so keep the faith.