Al Nakba - The Catastrophe, where it started.

[Bugenhagen]

Some more academic here might find this interview from two years ago on Brand's podcast with a holocaust survivor Dr Gabor Mate an eye opener.

Brand does not add much, the man speaks for himself. Just some minor bird noise at the start (not just Russel, a real bird).

I'm not claiming the man as gospel but I remember a bit about the Nakba from readings decades ago now plus memories from an interview on a late night Irish talk show.

I've cobbled together some initial notes, not from the interview above this is from largely Arab academia so I'm sure glosses over some stuff that's embarrassing but I'll find that.

"Referred to as 'Al Nakba' by Palestinians, it signifies the mass exodus of over 750,000 Arabs from Palestine. Contrary to popular belief, its origins trace back decades earlier. In 1799, during the French invasion of the Arab world, Napoleon proposed Palestine as a homeland for Jews under France's protection, with hopes of establishing a French presence in the region. This idea resurfaced in the late 19th century.

Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire post World War I, the British, under the Palestine Mandate, started executing their plan to create a Jewish state on Palestinian land. Simultaneously, the Zionist movement lobbied Western powers for support in mass Jewish migration and land claims. In 1917, the Balfour Declaration pledged British backing for a 'national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine. This declaration was significant for Zionists.

However, Britain's promise of Arab land to another people lacked moral, political, and legal legitimacy. Despite initially supporting Jewish immigration, the British later restricted it to appease Arab concerns. The Zionist response was a series of terrorist attacks to drive out British authorities.

The Zionist strategy for displacing Palestinians was methodical, culminating in a plan finalized from March 1947 to March 1948. A group of Zionist leaders and military commanders met for a year to plan the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. As tensions escalated, the British handed over Palestine to the United Nations.

In November 1947, the UN proposed partitioning Palestine, granting 55% of the land to Jews, despite constituting only one-third of the population. Nearly of the Jews having only arrived in the decade or two before. The Palestinians and their Arab allies rejected this proposal. Nonetheless, Zionist forces captured numerous villages and cities by early 1948, conducting organized massacres. The message was clear: Palestinians must leave or face dire consequences.

The Palestinians' struggle was not lost in 1948, but earlier, in the late 1930s, when the Arab revolt was crushed by Britain. As the British Mandate ended in May 1948, Zionist forces intensified their efforts, culminating in the establishment of the state of Israel.

Overnight, Palestinians became stateless. The US and USSR promptly recognized Israel. War ensued between Arab neighbors and the new state. Mediator Folke Bernadotte, sympathetic to the Palestinians, was assassinated by Zionists in September 1948.

By 1949, 700,000 Palestinians were refugees, with over 13,000 killed by the Israeli military. Ralph Bunche, Bernadotte's successor, negotiated a concession of more Palestinian land to Israel. In May 1949, Israel joined the UN, solidifying control over 78% of historic Palestine.

Yet, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees remained in camps, awaiting their return. The Zionist agenda not only aimed to displace Palestinians but also erase their heritage and culture, seeking to obliterate Palestine from the world map.

The Nakba didn't conclude in 1948. The ethnic cleansing of historic Palestine persists, as does Palestinian resistance."

 

[Bugenhagen]

Several locations were suggested as potential Jewish homelands, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the idea of Jewish return to their ancestral homeland gained momentum.

Apart from Madagascar, which was briefly considered by some groups, other suggested locations included:

1. Cyprus: In the early 20th century, there were discussions about establishing a Jewish homeland in Cyprus. This idea gained traction during British rule over the island.

2. Uganda (East Africa): The British government proposed the idea of establishing a Jewish homeland in Uganda in the late 19th century, during the time of the First Zionist Congress. However, this proposal was ultimately rejected in favor of a homeland in Palestine.

3. Argentina: In the early 20th century, there were discussions about the possibility of establishing a Jewish homeland in Argentina. While some individuals and groups explored this idea, it did not gain widespread support.

4. Siberia (Russia): Some Russian Zionists in the late 19th century considered Siberia as a potential location for a Jewish homeland due to its vast, sparsely populated territories.

5. Kenya (East Africa): In the 1903 British Uganda Program, the British government suggested parts of Kenya as a potential site for a Jewish homeland, but this proposal was ultimately not realized.

Ultimately, the focus and efforts of the Zionist movement shifted towards the realization of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

Many Jews opposed Zionism for a variety of reasons, reflecting a diversity of political, religious, and ideological perspectives within the Jewish community. Some of the key reasons for opposition to Zionism include:

1. Religious Beliefs: Some Orthodox Jews believed that the return to the Land of Israel and the establishment of a Jewish state should be a messianic event and not the result of human political efforts. They saw the Zionist movement as secular and potentially at odds with religious teachings.

2. Integration and Assimilation: Some Jews, particularly in Western Europe and North America, were committed to assimilating into the societies in which they lived. They viewed Zionism as potentially divisive and were concerned that it might undermine their efforts to be accepted as equal citizens in their respective countries.

3. Alternative Political Solutions: Some Jews believed in alternative political solutions, such as socialism or internationalism, as a means of achieving social justice and equality. They felt that focusing exclusively on the establishment of a Jewish state was not the best way to address the challenges facing Jewish communities.

4. Concerns about Palestinian Rights: Some Jews, particularly after the Zionist movement gained momentum, were concerned about the potential impact on the existing Arab population in the region. They worried about issues related to displacement, conflict, and the rights of non-Jewish residents.

5. Diverse Political Beliefs: Just as with any other political movement, there were Jews with a wide range of political beliefs. Some were more aligned with left-wing or right-wing ideologies and didn't necessarily see eye-to-eye with the goals and methods of the Zionist movement.

6. Practical Skepticism: Some Jews were skeptical about the practicality of establishing a Jewish state, especially in the face of political, economic, and logistical challenges.

It's important to note that opposition to Zionism did not mean opposition to Jewish identity or cultural heritage. Jewish communities around the world have diverse views and perspectives, and many individuals who opposed Zionism still maintained strong connections to their Jewish identity and heritage.

 

[Bugenhagen]

This girl has uncommon sense and humanity. The cycle must be broken.

 

[ipatent]

Quick Facts: The Palestinian Nakba (“Catastrophe”)

The Nakba by the numbers

• Between 750,000 and one million: The number of Palestinians expelled from their homeland and made refugees by Zionist militias and the new Israeli army during Israel’s establishment (1947-49), amounting to approximately 75% of all Palestinians.
• Between 250,000 and 350,000: The number of Palestinians driven from their homes by Zionist militias between the passage of the UN partition plan on November 29, 1947 and the establishment of Israel on May 15, 1948, prior to the outbreak of war with neighboring Arab states.
• Several dozen: The number of massacres of Palestinians carried out by Zionist militias and the Israeli army, which played a critical role in prompting the flight of many Palestinians for their homes.
• More than 100: The number of Palestinians, including dozens of children, women, and elderly people, massacred in the Palestinian town of Deir Yassin near Jerusalem on April 9, 1948, by Zionist militias led by future Israeli prime ministers Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir. The massacre at Deir Yassin was one of the worst atrocities committed during the Nakba and a pivotal moment in Israel’s establishment as a Jewish majority state, triggering the flight of Palestinians from their homes in and around Jerusalem and beyond. The Deir Yassin massacre is commemorated annually by Palestinians around the world.
• Approximately 150,000: The number of Palestinians who remained inside what became Israel's borders in 1948, a quarter of them internally displaced. These Palestinians (sometimes called “Israeli Arabs”) were granted Israeli citizenship but stripped of most of their land and governed by violent, undemocratic military rule until 1966. As of 2023, there are more than two million Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, comprising more than 20% of Israel’s population, who are forced to live as second-class citizens in their own homeland, subject to dozens of laws that discriminate against them in almost every aspect of life because they’re not Jewish.
• More than 400: The number of Palestinian cities and towns systematically destroyed by Zionist militias and the new Israeli army or repopulated with Jews between 1948 and 1950. Most Palestinian communities, including homes, businesses, houses of worship, and vibrant urban centers, were destroyed to prevent the return of their Palestinian owners, now refugees outside of Israel's borders or internally displaced inside of them. (See here for an interactive map of Palestinian cities and towns destroyed during Israel's establishment.)
• More than 7.2 million: The number of Palestinian refugees today, including Nakba survivors and their descendants. They’re located mostly in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, and neighboring Arab countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, denied their internationally-recognized legal right to return to their homeland.
• Approximately 4,244,776 : The number of acres of Palestinian land stolen by Israel during and immediately after the establishment of the state in 1948.
• Between 100 and 200 billion: The total estimated monetary loss of Palestinians dispossessed during Israel's establishment, in current US dollars.