75 Years After the Nakba: Voices of Displacement, Imprisonment, Apartheid, and Hope
This year marks the 75th year since the start of the Nakba – the catastrophe, where 750,000 Palestinians were displaced to different parts of Palestine and neighboring countries, and thousands were killed. From Jordan to Syria, to Lebanon, and further, thousands of Palestinians faced the hard decision of whether to stay in their lands, risking displacement, harm, and living under apartheid, or immigrating to another place with the hopes of one day returning. However, it became apparent to those Palestinians in 1948, that the day of return would not be so soon, and now, generations have passed, and the people of Palestine have yet to regain full control over the lands of their ancestors.
The story map below represents the different people interviewed, their stories, their location, and their will and hopes to return to their homeland or see it as it has once been. From Gaza to the West Bank to Türkiye, and to Jordan, the people I included in this news story are some of the few stories of the millions of Palestinians who have gone through similar experiences. The map showcases the interconnectedness of the different Palestinians who have ended up displaced all over the world, and though they may not have had the same experiences, they all hope for liberation.
Exploring the Diverse Lives of Palestinians Amidst the Ongoing Strife
Anas S. from Gaza, Dier al-Balah is currently fighting for survival in the aggression on Gaza, and he sleeps at night with the hopes of waking up for another day. Previous to the current war, Anas was a 3rd-year university student studying IT in Gaza, who is known to love the beach and his little sister. However, a couple of weeks after the beginning of the current aggression, Anas woke up to a huge metal rod right between the sleeping mats of his and his brothers’; half of his house was in ruins due to an Israeli strike. “I try to spend most of my time with my family because I don’t know when my last day with them will be,” Anas explains, noting the high death toll in Gaza which has reached 11,180 people, 4609 of which are children according to the Gaza administration. Though this is not the first war Anas has lived through, it might be the worst. Gaza is one of the most targeted regions in Palestine and is considered an ‘open-air prison’ by many. Palestinian Journalists who are currently documenting the aggression in Gaza, describe the situation as the 2023 Nakba, and many photos they’ve published depict the same scenes of Palestinians fleeing from the North of Gaza to the south as the photos from 1948.
All those people you see who were forcibly displaced… some of them are elders who couldn’t walk, and have already witnessed the ethnic cleansing during the 1948 Nakba… This is a genocide. This is ethnic cleansing.
Motaz Azaiza, X
“The stories I tell you, are normal to me, but bizarre to you” – Daria M.
Shifting to another perspective is Daria M. from the West Bank, Bethlehem. Daria has lived all her life in Bethlehem, from visiting the beautiful churches of her city as a child to spending her high school years in local coffee shops with her friends to constantly driving in the crowded and bustling roads of Palestine, and finally to Türkiye to complete her bachelor’s degree before returning to Bethlehem once again. And despite the beauties of her city, Daria was confined in the West Bank with rare trips to other regions of Palestine which are infested with checkpoint to checkpoint to checkpoint. Her closest encounter with the Israeli Forces was during her family trip to Jenin, on that day a Palestinian was killed in the region so the Forces were even tougher than usual. During one of the checkpoints, 3 soldiers surrounded their car with guns pointed through the windows. This is one of many encounters she has had with the Israeli forces, such as the time tear gas bombs were thrown at them because a couple of boys were making fun of the soldiers, with no weapon or stone in hand. Although the West Bank is considered safer than other regions, as of November 12, 185 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli forces since October 7th according to Palestinian authorities, and violence by Israeli settlers has considerably increased.
Born Into Displacement: The Reality of Many
Mousa S., a 75-year-old man in Amman, Jordan, was exiled from Palestine. Mousa is what could be referred to as a ‘nakba baby’, as he was born in the year of the nakba in 1948 when his family was displaced from location to location before getting exiled from Palestine completely. Mousa described the situation, “my mother was still carrying me in her stomach when she and the rest of my family were displaced from our home in Yaffa. She then gave birth to me in a little village called Ajjul in September before we all had to leave for Jordan. They left everything behind.” Mousa’s uncle was killed during the first war, and most of his distant family had to escape to neighboring countries. Further in his life, Mousa lived in multiple areas of Jordan where he built his life and had three children with his wife, Manal el-D., before settling in Amman. Mousa faced countless trials in his lifetime, such as being exiled from his country at birth. Consequently, he had to live in a new country where his parents had nothing, and together, they had to build a new life from scratch again. And his family wasn’t one of the few that had to go through such life-altering agony, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians share the same story, yet the majority remain certain, and have the hope to return to Palestine one day as a free citizen.
The Challenges of Connecting with Families in Gaza
Shahed Z., is a Gazan Palestinian who is currently residing in Türkiye with her family. Most of Shahed’s relatives live in Gaza, and the last time she and her family has seen any of them – for the most part, was around 12 years ago due to the complications of the situation in Gaza. During that time, Shahed and her family visited Gaza for the summer break. However, they were trapped in Gaza as an aggression started while they were there. Shahed wasn’t fully aware of the situation she was in due to her young age, and now the idea of going back to Gaza, even for a visit, somehow feels like a punishment rather than enjoyment. Because even though Palestine is very close to Türkiye the trip could take them days to get into Gaza, not including the months of preparation and paper work they have to do to even get a permit to enter there. Shahed has lost 2 family members from her family in the current aggression on Gaza. “You don’t really know how it feels to have a family member get martyred until someone actually does” she says. Shahed is one of the many Palestinians from Gaza whose family members they can barely get in contact with. At any moment, one of their loved ones may be killed without them knowing for days.
Unveiling the Inequalities Inflicted on Palestinians
While listening to the stories of the interviewees, it is apparent that every Palestinian has been subjected to forms of inequalities in some way. Whether due to being exiled from their homeland, imprisoned in it with no escape, or living under constant bombardment while witnessing the infliction of genocide on their people. The apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes inflicted on Palestinians has affected them in many ways. And the crimes that are currently being committed in Gaza by the Israeli Forces following the attack by Hamas on October 7th, have violated international law. Some human rights organizations even claim that it could lead to a genocide.
we are seeing a genocide unfolding before our eyes, and the Organization that we serve appears powerless to stop it.
Departing senior U.N. human rights official, Craig Mokhiber
Palestinian Narratives: Controversial, Biased, or Reality?
Palestinians from different regions gave their opinions and thoughts on their situation, whether in Gaza, the West Bank, or as a displaced Palestinian. Daria for example, talked about her experiences while living in her hometown Bethlehem, ranging from topics such as the control Israel has over their food, water, and electricity, and to how the children in the West Bank get randomly taken as hostages from their schools.
Shahed, a Gazan who currently has family in Gaza and has lost two of her relatives in this war, mostly focused on the current situation in Gaza. Such as the war crimes being committed, like mass civilian killings, and the occuring humanitarian crisis. She also discussed the issue of fake news and how people shouldn’t believe everything they see on the internet, noting the Joe Biden statement about the 40 beheaded babies, which was rebutted.
Mousa, a displaced Palestinian, referred back to how the state of Israel was formed, and how the U.K. and U.S. had a hand in building the state. This interview encapsulates the different narratives about the occupation of Palestine, and it ends with hope as the world is slowly seeing reality.
Media Narratives, Propaganda, and Its Impact
Having the ability to decipher when and how certain narratives and propaganda are pushed on the public by the media is very important, and this podcast shows how Israeli propaganda is used to shape public opinion. Also, it discusses how it negatively impacts society. I discussed three narratives in this podcast, the first was the claim that there are Hamas tunnels under Al-Shifa hospital, the second was regarding why Palestine has declined the many peace deals they were offered, and lastly, I talked about the ‘pallywood’ narrative.
Tala Sharaan 