Remembering Palestine

By Dana Olwan

On May 15, Israel will celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Palestinians around the world will commemorate the
60th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba or the
"Catastrophe." Among other things, Al-Nakba
marks the forced expulsion and destitution of 750,000
Palestinians from their indigenous homeland and the
destruction of 418 villages in 1948. Its aftermath effectively
decimated Palestinian identity, culture and life.

While Israelis are exhorted to remember this day and
mark the sixth decade of Israel's creation and
independence as a celebratory occasion, Palestinians are
encouraged to forget their past and their
historic link with their homeland.

We're instructed to concede to traditional Zionist myths that have
depicted the land of Palestine as empty prior to the arrival of
Zionist settlers. We're expected to accept that Israel's creation did
not alter or disrupt the lives of the land's indigenous Palestinian
inhabitants.

Today, we're reminded Israel is the only country anxious for peace
with its Palestinian and Arab neighbors. We're told the building of
the apartheid wall upon Palestinian territories, the repeated military
incursions into the West Bank and Gaza, the expansion of illegal
settlements in the occupied territories in contravention of
international law, the displacement of Palestinians through the
confiscation of ID cards and the targeting and collective punishment
of Palestinian civilians—including the latest massacre on Gaza, which
resulted in the death of at least 106 Palestinian civilians—are all
justifiable and "measured" acts. We're pressured to ignore the current
state of colonization and occupation and focus instead on unbalanced
attempts at peace and reconciliation that privilege Israeli security
over Palestinian sovereignty and human rights, including their
UN-sanctioned right of return.

Ironically, in the U.S., it's no longer possible to celebrate Columbus
Day without acknowledging the considerable toll of European
settlement. Likewise, 1948 shouldn't be celebrated as a realization of
a dream without recognizing its catastrophic consequences for
Palestinians. Yet Israel continually refuses to acknowledge any
culpability for Palestinians' plight.

One can only celebrate the creation of the Israeli state through the
deliberate burying of the following historical facts: that the
creation of the Israeli state was made possible at the expense of the
indigenous population; that its creation was legitimized through
racist Zionist narratives that depicted Palestinians in the words of
Zionist leader Moshe Smilansky as "semi-savage" and incapable of
self-governance; that it actively engages in the ethnic cleansing of
Palestinians from Palestine through expulsion, massacre and state
terrorism; that Israeli "democracy" privileges its Jewish citizens and
actively discriminates against Palestinians; that it has left
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza cut off economically and
politically; and finally that Israel continues to employ racist and
exclusionary legislative policies that prevent the seven million
Palestinians living in the diaspora from returning to their homeland.

Palestinians will mark the 60th anniversary of Israel's creation by
remembering these painful historic facts. They will remember the names
of the villages that were destroyed, record the names of those who
were killed and lament the loss of their inherent right to a dignified
life in their homeland. They will challenge efforts to deny Israeli
abuses of Palestinian human rights and oppose attempts to silence
Israel's critics by deliberately conflating anti-Zionism with
anti-Semitism. They will recognize the contributions and sacrifices of
those Palestinians who live under Israeli occupation and languish in
refugee camps. They will speak against Israel's present and continuing
crimes in the West Bank and Gaza. When 1.4 million Palestinian women,
men and children living in Gaza are deprived of water, electricity and
medical care and are subject to brutal military attacks, how can we
ignore the pain and suffering the formation of the state of Israel has
wrought on Palestinians?

Palestinians everywhere will mark May 15 by celebrating the enduring
spirit of Palestinian resistance. They will remember by engaging their
communities, by educating others about their plight and by working in
solidarity with other marginalized indigenous groups in Canada and
elsewhere. They will remember Al Nakba by asserting their right to
remember Palestine.

Acts of remembrance involve a conscious effort to resist erasures or
commit them.

How will you choose to remember Palestine?

Dana Olwan is national chair of Students for Palestinian Human Rights.