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REGISTER to join our upcoming webinar:
17th DECEMBER 2022
APARTHEID ISRAEL: THE NEW REALITY
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FOR FREEDOM FROM NAKBA
By Hassanal Noor Rashid
The 1948
Nakba resonates deeply with those who are familiar with the Palestinian
Struggle and those who share a history of what it was like living under
oppression.
Historically it symbolizes a great catastrophe
endured by the Palestinian people, with the destruction of their
homeland, and the displacement of many of their people.
It
symbolizes the slow erosion of Palestine, territorially, historically,
and culturally. The illegal settlements, the cruel and oppressive
measures that were used to chase away Palestinian families from their
homes, and the narrative manipulation to rewrite the history of
Palestine itself. All of these were also part of the Nakba, and
its effects continue to be felt for generations to come.
But through this catastrophe, the most shining example of what the human
spirit is capable of in the face of injustice and overwhelming
suffering.
The Nakba happened in 1948. And yet the Palestinian people remain, strong and resilient as ever.
Not only have they not given in to the
subjugations of their occupiers, but they also fought back against the
might of the Israelis oppressors, coordinating their efforts
internally and externally to support each other, survive and push back
against the Apartheid state and system in various social-political
spheres.
Throughout the history of their struggle, and its ever-changing
dynamics, the goals still remain the same ultimately, and that is to
liberate themselves from the catastrophe that was placed unto them, and
have their voices heard. This voice is shared by many now, especially
those who share an understanding of the history of colonialism, and its’
many ills that continue to plague the world till this day.
We all share this voice, as we all want to see a world liberated from that which is an afront to the human conscience.
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Watch our latest webinar on Palestinian Youth Speak: Perspectives on struggle and liberation
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PALESTINIAN YOUTH SPEAK OUT
Report of the Webinar held on 10th September 2022
By John Minto
The future of the Palestinian struggle is assured in the hands of emerging generations of young Palestinians.
This was the main takeaway from the MLN webinar on 10th September which
featured younger Palestinians speaking out about their struggle for
liberation.
It will be a deeply depressing message for the leaders of Israel’s
apartheid state who have been relying on cynical, racist views of
Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion who thought the
“Palestinian problem” would resolve itself because “the old will die and
the young will forget”.
Think again. Seventy-four years on from the Nakba Palestinians are as
determined as ever to achieve the return of their land and homes and the
young generation are leading the way despite their lack of
representation in the traditional leadership structures of the
Palestinian people.
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Areej Jafari, the moderator of the webinar, was born in a Lebanese refugee
camp as part of the third generation after the Palestinian Nakba. She
has been undertaking a quantitative and qualitative analysis of
Palestinian views of the future and her initial findings are very
interesting.
Overall
87% of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza strip
say they want to return to the land they were expelled from in 1948. A
higher percentage of men than women want to return (possible due to
ownership of assets in traditional Palestinian society) but there is no
difference with age – ie young Palestinians are as determined as their
parents and grandparents to return.
When she surveyed people on the various options for the future such as
two-state solution, one bi-national state, a confederal state or a
secular democratic state the clear majority response was for a single
democratic state.
Palestinians remained realistic however about the short-term likelihood
of achieving this goal. 58% for example through the current apartheid
system would continue and get worse over the next five years. 25%
however thought a single democratic state from the river to the sea
could be achieved over the next five years.
And in terms of achieving their rights, the single most important
strategy identified by young Palestinians was armed struggle and
resistence.
In general most Palestinian refugees reject the current leadership
options involving the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and even United
Nations bodies. Young Palestinians do not see traditional Palestinian
leadership as reflecting their aspirations.
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Rami Rmeileh spoke about the 200,000 Palestinian refugees
living in refugee camps in Lebanon. These are places of dire poverty
and extremely high unemployment. These camps have been the scenes of
many Israel-orchestrated massacres such as the Sabra and Shatila
massacres in 1982.
Young people here feel they are left out in the sense they have no
access to resources and when these are available they come with “strings
attached” which they reject. They also feel they have no representation
in traditional Palestinian structures – they are denied representation
on the Palestinian National Council or the Palestinian Authority.
However
youth here are engaged in many different modes of struggle focused on
the politics of resistance. They are translating news and writing tweets
– small acts of liberation.
More widely Rami spoke about the leadership of youth in the ongoing
battle to save Sheik Jarrah, a Palestinian neighbourhood in Occupied
East Jerusalem. Their actions have been an inspiration to Palestinian
youth generally in resisting the ongoing theft of Palestinian land
In terms of liberation Rami felt that talk of one-state or two-state
solutions focused too much on the land when the human situation as need
needs to be prioritised.
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Ahmed Abu Artema spoke from
Gaza and despite being 38 years old has never been to the Occupied West
Bank or had the opportunity to pray in Al Aqsa mosque.
Ahmed was a key organiser of the 2018 Great March of Return protests at
the Gaza border fence. The majority of people in Gaza are refugees and
the descendants of refugees expelled from their land in the 1948 Nakba.
These refugees can often see their villages they were expelled from 74
years ago but Israel refuses to allow them to return to their land and
homes.
Like other sites for Palestinian refugees, there is dire poverty and high unemployment.
The aim of the GMR protests was to have their voices heard around the
world and this certainly happened (but at huge cost to life and limb as
Israeli soldiers delighted in shooting unarmed Palestinian civilians
through the Gaza security fence)
Over 100,000 took part in these protests to demand the right of return.
Ahmed says they absolutely believe the right of return is realistic – in
fact it’s the only possibility. It is unacceptable to stay in an open
air prison – a common description of Gaza. Ahmed say “we can see our
stolen land beyond the fence and can see our land being used – we have
no choice but to continue the struggle”
Young people in Gaza took heart from the protests in Sheikh Jarrah in
Occupied East Jerusalem in 2021 from where it spread to the Occupied
West Bank and Gaza. It showed new hope and reflected the Palestinian
people’s “deep desire for liberation and freedom”
Like young Palestinians elsewhere, those in Gaza feel marginalised and
want to see new leadership. They want to take part in political life and
are searching for opportunities to do so.
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Aalya Zoabi
is PhD student at the University of Exeter who has the vision of a
decolonised Palestine. She is in the third generation from the Nakba.
She sees an upsurge in activism among Palestinian youth who led the
struggle at Sheikh Jarrah. She says the new generation are talking
freely about a decolonised Palestine. They are unafraid and unapologetic
in expressing their Palestinian identity.
Protests, marches, information, education, local social issues,
“volunteerism” and helping local NGOs are all part of the resistance and
gave the example of the Haifa Youth movement.
Aalya says the two-state solution is a joke when more than half a
million Israelis live in the area set aside for a Palestinian state and
when the US gives $4 billion per year to keep the colonial state of
Israel viable.
There are more than 12 million Palestinians around the world, 8 million
of whom are refugees. However only Palestinians living in the Occupied
West Bank and Gaza are able to take part in Palestinian elections.
If the current leadership allowed youth to take their place the struggle would be re-energised.
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MOVEMENT FOR LIBERATION FROM NAKBA
By Hassanal Noor Rashid
With
this spirit in mind, this became the premise and principle upon which
the Movement for Liberation from Nakba (MLN) was founded upon.
Beginning as a small coalition of individuals and organizational
representatives, our founding members spanned many nationalities such as
Australia, India, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palestine,
South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom.
We each have spoken out in our own capacities, against the insidious,
and racist foundations of Zionism, against Oppressive Apartheid, and
against the unjust cruelty of the Israeli regime. It is through this
shared moral consciousness, that we had formed this group.
MLN is a platform which at its’ heart, is dedicated to education of the
realities of Palestine, and our commitment to countering narrative
fallacies brought by oppressors in the seats of power. We must confront
the many prevailing questions, seeking practical solutions based on
realities.
What are their struggles like now as compared to the ones face by the
previous generations? What are the new challenges that need to be
addressed in this political-social climate? What are their views of the
One-State Solution and the approach to interfaith harmony? Is
sustainable peace achievable? What will it look like?
This is especially important in this contemporary period of
disinformation we find ourselves in. If lies and false narratives
are allowed to prevail without a response, the truth becomes buried and
the ramifications can be disastrous with little to no remedy.
International societies and action groups now more than ever need to
support each other when facing this struggle together, and a platform
such as MLN can empower this shared solidarity.
We also seek to inform and highlight contemporary issues across
generations, of what Palestinian youth have to say, as the struggle has
now become a generational one, with those being born into the realities
of facing the Apartheid regime.
We also aim to discuss and highlight about the contemporary political
realities of Palestine itself, for a discussion about the Palestinian
condition cannot be done without considering the internal dynamics of
Palestinian society.
While we are ultimately premised around the Palestinian Struggle, we
also seek to be a platform for those who would speak out on wider issues
such as Islamophobia, and its manifestation across different societies.
Why?
These issues are not distinct from the Palestinian struggle.
In fact, it can be said that challenging this discourse is equally
important if we are to legitimately pursue greater social justice.
Many of these issues are not just intrinsically tied to the narrative
discourse that is used to delegitimize the Palestinian issues and those
that speak out, it is actively weaponized.
At their root, many social ills such as these stem from the
foundations of our post-colonial inheritance. Israel continues to
perpetuate the narrative to its’ own benefit, and its ramifications on
society are equally perpetuated, and in various instances, even
encouraged. The Israeli Apartheid state’s reckless pursuit for total
control and subjugation has been a source of pollution for the moral
spirit of humanity.
MLN represents our stand against this, and our goal is to unravel the false narratives.
MLN: THE JOURNEY THUS FAR AND GOING FORWARD
Since our initial inception, MLN has hosted a series of Webinars with
the main premise to promote and archive discussions about contemporary
issues related to the Palestinian Struggle
From
topics such as the practicalities of the Right of Return, Freedom of
Speech, co-existence, and many more, MLN has featured an array of
discussions, and we have plans to do many more in the future, engaging
on contemporary issues, while drawing lessons from history, in the hope
of finding a way forward.
We seek to confront all aspects of the Zionist movement and the hegemonic engine that drives it.
Our efforts have been humble, but it is a struggle that resonates with
many so far and it is clear that we are reaching many, and we, and the
Palestinians, are not alone in this struggle.Our principled commitment
to the virtues of justice, is what gives strength to our struggle, and
we welcome those who would join their strength with ours in meeting one
of the greatest injustices of our time.
We welcome everyone who shares our vision to join us in our movement.
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