The following is a comment piece from the Peace and Justice Project
Wednesday 15 May marks 76 years since the Nakba – literally meaning ‘the catastrophe’ – when 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from their native land. This period also saw dozens of massacres, including at Deir Yassin in which over 100 villagers were killed by Israeli paramilitaries.
The Nakba made stateless refugees of much of the Palestinian people, with the rest living under occupation. In the words of Edward Said, Palestinians “had their lives broken, their spirits drained, their composure destroyed forever in the context of seemingly unending, serial dislocation.” This is why we must continue fighting for a free Palestine and for the right of return for refugees.
As Israel’s ongoing destruction of Gaza makes painfully clear, the Nakba never ended – and continues to this day.
In Gaza, Israel forces have killed over 36,000 people including 14,500 children. The situation is beyond unbearable, with an Israeli assault on Rafah, which now houses the majority of the Strip’s population, expanding. Watch Jeremy Corbyn’s latest Double Down News video on the situation in Gaza:
Its vital that we continue marching for Palestine: to call on our government to demand an immediate ceasefire and suspend arms export licenses to Israel and demand our cultural institutions cut ties with the financiers of war.
Please join us at the next National Demonstration this Saturday. Here are the details you need:
Date: Saturday 18 May
Time: Assemble 12pm
Location: BBC Portland Place, W1A:
We continue to be inspired by people organising in their communities, by students occupying campuses, by Artists Supporting Palestine, and by protesters shutting down arms factories. Our solidarity lives on – we will never give up on the Palestinian people.
Featured image via Double Down News – YouTube
