As pro-Israel groups celebrate Israel Independence Week,
pro-Palestinian groups are commemorating the 750,000 displaced
Palestinians who fled or were exiled from their homes in 1948 when
Israel declared its independence.
Demonstrations by pro-Palestinian groups among Israeli
celebrations have become the standard on Israel Independence Day, a
day Palestinians refer to as “Nakba,” which means
“disaster.”
Israel gained its independence under a 1948 United Nations
partition of separate Jewish and Arab states. Israel expanded to
occupy 77 percent of the territory partitioned to Palestine after
Arab states launched a war against it in 1948.
Half the indigenous population of Palestine left their homes
when an Arab state failed to develop and Jordan and Egypt occupied
the rest of the territory assigned to Palestine.
“Many of these Palestinians left because they were
frightened. Many left because they were coerced to leave,”
said James Gelvin, an associate professor of history at UCLA.
This year, Nakba demonstrations have had a special significance
since President Bush rejected the Palestinians’ belief of
their right of return to Israel earlier this month. Bush said
Palestinians should be resettled in a future Palestinian state
instead.
He also recognized Israel’s right to retain settlements in
occupied territories of the West Bank, saying it is unrealistic for
Israel to retreat to the borders of 1967, when it captured the West
Bank and Gaza Strip in the Six-Day War.
Bush’s recent policies toward the Israeli settlements have
been criticized for potentially disturbing peace efforts in the
near east.
Gelvin said by rejecting the Palestinians’ right of
return, Bush has effectively thrown away the “last bargaining
chip that the Palestinians had.”
At UCLA, the Muslim Student Association, together with the
United Arab Society, Students for Justice in Palestine and Al-Awda,
silently demonstrated on Bruin Walk on Wednesday to commemorate the
displacement of Palestinians and to protest Israel’s
establishment of settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.
“It is important to recognize the plight of the
Palestinians. It is easy to forget about the misery of others when
it’s such a joyous day for many people, but the condition of
Palestinians needs to be recognized before we can show the love and
be united,” said Ahmad Hussain, vice president of the Muslim
Student Association.
Hussain added that though MSA is commemorating the
Palestinians’ struggles by its demonstrations, the group does
not associate its struggles with the hate and destruction of
Israel.
Sigalit Noureal, vice president of community affairs for Bruins
for Israel, said Israel Independence Week celebrates the
establishment of Israel, not the misery of Palestinians.
Noureal added that she believes the celebration of the
establishment of Israel as a state is the core of the grievances of
protesters who are unwilling to accept a Jewish state.
Conflicts between Jews and Muslims in Palestine began after the
disintegration of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Palestine, which was
previously contained in the Turkish Ottoman Empire, was placed
under the administration of Great Britain, which supported
establishing Palestine as a Jewish homeland.
But Palestinian demands for independence and resistance to
Jewish immigration led to a rebellion in 1937, which was followed
by continuing violence from both sides.
In 1948, Israel became an independent state, and many
Palestinians fled their homes. The United Nations passed a
resolution allowing refugees willing to live in peace with their
neighbors to return home on the earliest possible day.
In 1967, Israel gained territories in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip from a brief six-day war with Egypt, Syria and Jordan. The
legality of these settlements have been a focal point of Israel and
Palestine conflicts.
Bush is the first U.S. president to recognize these
settlements.