Middle East/North African Lit discussion

In a previous thread our friend Marieke mantioned that May 14ht is the anniversary of "Israel creation", and we thought that many probably know about the creation of the state of Israeil on May 14th.. But not so many are aware of what happened next.. on May 15th.. What Palestinians call "Nakba"..

"Nakba", is one of the major events in the history of the region, it shaped its geo-politics, borders and demography, hence we thought it might deserve to have a seperate discussion over it..
Creation of Israel and Nakba have a very strong relation.. although some may argue that creation of Israel did not cause it, but illegal practices of Israeli army did..

Let us go through this historic event together, and think.. What happened? And what can be done to put an end to 60 years of Palestinian refugees sufference?
To find an answer to these questions we must go back in history to know what is "Nakba"..

To start, here is a vedio about occupation previously posted by our friend Marieke..

The Institute for Palestine Studies has a lot of resources, including books and chronologies.

I've been coming across some things showing how Palestinians have been marking the 63rd anniversary of the Nakba. The New York Times has a photo slide show of some of the protests at Israeli borders that have led to death and injuries. Maan News Agency has a short article about Christians in Bethlehem.

the way forward is looking scary.

Commemorating Nakba Day in Israel is illegal, but some Jewish Israelis did it anyway.

Thank you for all these posts !

Marieke , concerning your last post , I heard in the video , for Israel Nakba is a taboo , in here Israel pulls textbook with chapter on Nakba , but that was in 2009 , I do not know if the sitiuation has changed .

I don't think it changed for the government and it will not change any time soon, but I think that more and more of the Israeli pro-peace movements are starting to talk about it..

Marieke wrote: "The Institute for Palestine Studies has a lot of resources, including books and chronologies."

Aaahhh...a great solution to my lack of library access! Shokran, Marieke!!

'afwan, Bernadette! i may be able to locate some more resources for you. i'm not sure if those links provide complete access.

Nile Daughter, i think it's understandable that Nakba is taboo in Israel. Unfortunately i don't think any sort of reconciliation is possible until the majority of Israelis acknowledge the profound losses that Palestinians suffered and continue to suffer. So i always feel a little more optimistic when i see people like the man in the video.

Reading Halper's book, An Israeli in Palestine: Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel, i'm gaining a better understanding of why and how few Israelis see or understand just what is happening to Palestinians.

The links are just for intros or excerpts, but it's a good start, either way.

I am going to be in a meeting all day and yesterday was grueling as well but I wanted to check the website for an organization called Foundation for Middle East Peace. I'm not at a computer and won't have access until tonight but maybe try googling that name? It's been awhile since I checked but I recall it had a lot of stuff.

Marieke wrote: "I am going to be in a meeting all day and yesterday was grueling as well but I wanted to check the website for an organization called Foundation for Middle East Peace. I'm not at a computer and won..."

Thanks for the recommendation!

http://www.fmep.org/

"The Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) is a nonprofit organization that promotes peace between Israel and Palestine, via two states, that meets the fundamental needs of both peoples. FMEP offers speakers, sponsors programs, makes small grants, and publishes the Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories containing analysis, commentary, maps, and other data on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

An almost 4-hour feature on Naqba, broadcast on Al-Jazeera channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm7dM...

and the second part https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYvim...