In many spaces, Nakba is the forbidden word but an unofficial Nakba study kit is proving popular with Israeli children and teachers for answering questions about their own history

Jonathan Cook offers his analysis of what the Palestinian energy and Israeli political inertia and reliance on military force on Nakba Day shows about the regional state of play

A statement by the JfJfP executive adds Israel to the other governments of the region which have met legitimate grievance with deadly violence

Noam Sheizaf looks back on his childhood in Israel where he learned nothing of Palestinian history, but now believes the Nakba is an integral and unforgettable part of Jewish and Arab history. Powerful photos in 972 original.

An Arab ‘mass march’ to Palestine is being planned to mark the Nakba and link the liberation struggles. Egyptian youth movements are marching to Gaza under the slogan of completing Egypt’s revolution with the liberation of Al-Quds

Two weeks of moving memorial days in Israel have been turned into a kitsch denial of the country’s secular and socialist past, and of the Palestinians’ nakba

“When the Knesset approves legislation banning the Nakba commemoration, it seems surreal”, writes Palestinian Israeli Oudeh Basharat. “Yet, there is also something good in this commotion. At least, there’s no denial of the Nakba…”

Jacqueline Rose writes: “Near the beginning of Khirbet Khizeh, the extraordinary 1949 novella by S Yizhar, the narrator describes the dangers, to a soldier, of thinking: “we knew that when the thoughts came, troubles began; better not to start thinking.” Khirbet Khizeh is a tribute to the power of critical thought to register the injustices of history. It is published by Granta this month in its first full English translation, first issued by Adina Hoffman for Ibis editions in Jerusalem in 2008. Khirbet Khizeh tells the story of the expulsion of Palestinian villagers from their home and land during the 1948 war that immediately followed the founding of the Israeli state…”

Eitan Bronstein writes: “Though mainly symbolic, posting signs [at the Sites of Demolished Palestinian Villages] is an act fundamentally connected to the past, as it constitutes recognition of the moral debt that is owed for the injustices committed in the creation of the Jewish state. The catastrophe that occurred to the Palestinians with the destruction of more than 400 of their villages demands some kind of consideration on the part of the historical victors. Simply erecting a sign that tells the story of a demolished village with dignity is recognition of the wrongs committed and the tragedy.”

Tom Segev reviews Benny Morris’s book, “1948: A History of the first Arab-Israeli War”, first published in English in 2008 and now translated and published in Hebrew. Morris focuses on the fate of the Palestinians and presents his readers with a readable, well-edited story… but his attitude toward their tragedy is troublesome in terms of both humaneness and morality.

This posting consists of the article “A Response to the Proposal to Ban Commemoration of the Nakba on Independence Day” by Eitan Bronstein of the Israeli group Zochrot (‘Remembrance’), with an introduction by Tony Karom of Rootless Cosmopolitan, posted way back in May.

Bronstein writes: ‘However, the proposed law to forget the Nakba is in actuality a response to cultural shifts in Jewish-Israeli society to coping with this disaster. The real threat to the colonialist Iron Wall occurs as the majority of its soldiers refuse to obey the commandment not to remember…

Speech bubbles added to existing advertisements on Tel Aviv bus stops remind Israelis that their Independence Day is inextricably linked to the dispossession of the Palestinians.

RAMALLAH, Occupied West Bank: Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s party wants to ban Israeli Arabs from marking the anniversary of the Nakba, or the Catastrophe in 1948, when 700,000 Arabs lost their homes in the war that created Israel. The extremist Yisrael Beitenu party said it would propose legislation next week for a ban on the practice and a jail term of up to three years for violators.

An evocative and authentically Zionist contribution by Uri Avnery, capturing the idealism of the earlier settler days and acknowledging the terrible price paid by the Palestinians.
Avnery asks: ‘HOW CAN one overcome the contradiction between the intentions and emotions of the actors and their many magnificent achievements in building a new nation, and the dark side of their actions and the consequences?’

______________________________________________________________________ 1. Palestine, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A MERIP Primer Joel Beinin and Lisa Hajjar c. 8,500 words 2. The Origin of the Palestine-Israel Conflict c. 20,000 words Published by Jews for Justice in the Middle East Provides quotes from experts on all issues from the Canaanites to the present day. 3. Background to [...]

Contents Much has appeared in recent weeks on Israel at 60 and on the nakba as well as on the overall prospects for peace. Some articles have been included in previous mailings but here is a selection of good recent material. 1. Rethinking Israel after Sixty Years by Jeff Halper 2. Israel is 60, Zionism [...]

Contents We haven’t had a recommended reading mailing for a while. As Israel’s 60th anniversary approaches, here is a catch-up. 1. Gaza a) The United Nations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has issued a GAZA HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT Impact of Fuel Shortages on Gaza Sanitation – Polluting the Sea 29 April 2008 b) [...]