Rami Khrais
Although the 75th anniversary of Nakba is passing by, the aspirations for freedom and return are still etched in the Palestinians' souls and reflected in their attitudes. Long years went by, yet Palestinians have never forgotten those stories narrated by their grandparents, who were forcibly displaced from their towns and villages as a result of the Zionists' crimes and massacres committed in 1948.
During the many years that have passed since the displacement and refuge, the state of resistance and steadfastness did not cease in any from, starting from the 1st Intifada (Stone Intifada) and the 2nd Intifada (Al-Aqsa Intifada), and reaching the ongoing confrontation with Gaza and its factions, as well as the West Bank and Jerusalem, which barely calm before igniting. This is a result of the sacrifices of thousands of martyrs and prisoners, with more than 5 thousand prisoners and detainees still languishing in Israeli prisons.
Just days before the Nakba's anniversary, a military battle, named as (Revenge of Freemen), with the Israeli occupation came to an end. The resistance took up arms, with fighters on the ground whose rockets reached the town of Zarnouqa, which was displaced by the settlement of Rehovot.
The old stories of Nakba intertwine with the tales of the ongoing confrontations with the Israeli occupation. In the last Israeli aggression on Gaza, the house of 95-year-old Intisar Muhana was bombed, causing her to lose her house for the second time. She was originally expelled from her house in the Musamiya town in 1948 by the Haganah.
Palestinians do not fight their homeland's usurpers with their rifle only, but rather with the continuous awareness of their cause and the preservation of their identity. This is the fundamental message embraced by the Palestinians living in the 1948 occupied lands and holding the Israeli identity card imposed on them by the Israeli occupation. Despite the passing of many years, Palestinians remain steadfast in their cause and linked to their land. The confrontations that took place between Gaza and the Israeli occupation in 2021, known as (Al-Quds Sword Battle), in response to settlers' attempts to attack Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa during what they called "Flag March", is a great testament to their commitment.
Throughout the years that have passed, the Palestinian struggle has not been limited to fighting the Israeli occupation alone. It has rather extended to resisting all factors of defeat, and attempts to impose surrender, normalization and subjugation. Also, a long series of attempts to pass off evasive and partial solutions has forced the Palestinians to accept the reality imposed by Al-Nakba's consequences.
The Palestinians have not forgotten their towns from which they were forcibly expelled. This thus does not only apply to the Palestinians living within the historical borders of Palestine, but also to those in the diaspora, including those who experienced the Nakba or their descendants, who have returned to search of their rights in a close and significant past. The annual conferences organized by Palestinians living in Arab or European countries serve as strong evidence of this. They strive to reclaim their identity or prepare for a different kind of fight to regain their stolen rights. The upcoming "Palestinians in Europe" conference, marking its 20th edition, will be held in the city of Mamlo, southern Sweden, under the slogan "75 years have passed, yet we'll return".
It has been 75 years since the Nakba, yet Palestinians still cling to their land and rights. Despite fluctuations in the intensity of their struggle against the occupation, the spark of resistance has remained persistent and has even intensified in recent years, fueling a growing hope for a near return.