15 May 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of Al-Nakba, the ‘catastrophe’ that saw the forced displacement and exile of three-quarters of the Palestinian people as the Zionist settler-colonial project culminated in the establishment of Israel. A catastrophe not only for the Palestinians but for the Arab World at large, a wound that continues to weigh on all Arabs and has prevented the region from achieving true decolonization and political stability.
We will not only commemorate that foundational tragedy, that continues to be central to the Palestinian collective identity but also the fact that forced exile and displacement have been an ongoing feature of the Palestinian people, now in the 5th generation since the Nakba.
After three-quarters of a century, the Zionist project of conquest and elimination of the indigenous population of Palestine continues to persist and has morphed into a complex regime of domination that is implemented through the military as well as political strategies often supported by the faulty silence of the international community. The lived reality of Palestinians reflects a microcosm of abuses permeated by violence, displacement, deportation, fragmentation, exploitation, and mass incarceration, perpetuating the ongoing Nakba.
Most of the Palestinians remain the subject of ‘containment’ and ‘encampment’ in Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestine, and Syria. Prevented to return to their original homes due to the ongoing Zionist settler-colonial policies of the new state of Israel, from the early 1950s onwards, many of the Palestinian refugees left the Arab host countries in search of better economic opportunities, many refugees were also forced to move on again due to oppression, violence, deportation, perpetuating what has become an ongoing Nakba. Today, Palestinian dispersal extends to over 50 countries in all four corners of the globe.
As we commemorate the anniversary of the Nakba, the Palestinian people continue to claim their right to resist the domination and colonization of their homeland. Resistance against the Zionist project has taken on new forms, including grassroots movements, civil disobedience, human rights mechanisms, and calls for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions. This renewed commitment to resistance is a testament to Palestinian steadfastness as well as the failure of past strategies, which relied heavily on humanitarianism, negotiations, and economic development, but ultimately entrenched Zionism’s settler-colonialism and apartheid regime.
These new forms of resistance should serve as a point of reflection to move past outdated and inadequate approaches that have repeatedly failed. We are at a critical juncture in history where political transformations in the region along with ongoing Palestinian popular mobilization are allowing for a re-assessment of previous diplomatic strategies and a reflection on future perspectives through a critical lens. The peace process epitomized by the Oslo accords, and the “land for peace” narrative that has dominated the discourse on Palestine for the past 30 years, should be re-evaluated and critically analyzed within the framework of ongoing colonial oppression in order to fully grasp the limits and failure of the negotiations.
On this 75th anniversary of the Nakba, ARDD organizes several events with the purpose of reflecting on the ongoing Nakba and settler-colonialism subjugating Palestine and its people, the failure of peace initiatives between two inherently asymmetrical parties, and the potential of new forms of resistance for justice and liberation in Palestine.
Program (2nd May – 5th June 2023)
2 May ARDD Senior Advisor on the Question of Palestine, Lex Takkenberg delivers a keynote speech at IFPO in Amman entitled After 75 Years of Ongoing Nakba: Reflections on the UN’s Role in Documenting, Protecting and ‘Containing’ Palestinian refugees, opening a symposium on Migrations in Jordan.
7 May Webinar on Palestinian refugees in and from Syria, moderated by Mariam Abu Samra, with Nayeem Ismail, Aidoun Syria, Wisam Sabaaneh, Jafra Association, and Jaber Suleiman, Aidoun Lebanon.
15 May A solidarity event in partnership with a youth civil society organization and residents of the Palestinian Hateen, Zarqa and Al-Sukhna refugee camps
15 May A Media Day on Radio Al Balad
15 May–5 June Statements, articles, and various media materials to be issued on ARDD, Huna Sotak, and Tamouda´s media platforms
30 May–1 June ARDD workshop on UNRWA, launching a one-year project of engagement on the agency’s strategic direction, inspired by three recent international studies on the agency.
