Commemorating the Nakba: Will Europe fix what it broke?

On Nakba Day this year, I was invited to attend several events in Europe to speak about the Nakba and the genocidal war waged by Israel against the Palestinian people. Although this was not my first time visiting Europe, it was my first time participating in Nakba Day events outside of Palestine. It was truly a unique experience, one that stirred up conflicting feelings and thoughts within me.

To begin with, this is the first time I have participated in Nakba commemoration event in a peaceful and free atmosphere, without fear of the brutality of the Israeli occupation army, its bullets, tear gas bombs, and arrests. It felt ironic speaking about the genocide, oppression, and starvation of my people in a completely opposite environment, and with an audience that enjoys freedom, security, and prosperity. In these peaceful places and with these people, I would love to talk about the beauty of Palestine and its diverse environment, about literature, culture, art, folklore, and farming—things we are proud of and would love to share with the world. Unfortunately, no voice is louder than the sound of Israeli bombs and the groans of the hungry and suffering in Gaza and the West Bank.

I, a Palestinian coming from the occupied territories, was amazed by the unlimited freedom of movement. I was also inspired by Europeans’ conversations about the tragedies their countries experienced, particularly during the two world wars. These tragedies have become part of the past, preserved in photo archives and museums, while my people continue to live through these tragedies.

Freedom of movement

Freedom of movement within Europe is the first thing that astonishes us, especially Palestinians. The fact that you can travel anywhere within Europe without inspection or hindrance is in stark contrast to our lives in the occupied territories.

We, Palestinians, the indigenous people, are not allowed by the Israeli occupation authorities to travel to and from the Green Line, nor are we able to visit Jerusalem, which lies at the heart of historic Palestine. We are also unable to travel within the West Bank, from one city to another or even from one village to the other, without passing through checkpoints, barriers, walls and gates that are often closed. The Mediterranean Sea, visible from the hills of the West Bank just a few kilometers away, is an unattainable dream for Palestinians.

Since last November, I haven’t been able to visit my farm, which lies 50 kilometers from where I live in Ramallah. Dozens of checkpoints separate me from my hometown, Qira. Crossing them can take hours, and sometimes I don’t even make it. At the same time, Jewish settlers are allowed to move freely within the occupied territories, virtually unhindered, on separate traffic lanes from the roads designated for Palestinians.

Traveling from Palestine to other countries is not possible for Palestinians via the nearby Tel Aviv Airport. Instead, it requires traveling to Jordan and crossing the land border, which is under Israeli control. This process is time-consuming and involves difficult and cumbersome procedures, and the use of personal vehicles is prohibited.

Walls from the Past

During my visit to Slovenia and Italy, I visited the city of Gorizia, located on the Slovenian-Italian border. It consists of two parts: the old Italian city of Gorizia, and the adjacent Slovenian city of Nova Gorica (New Gorizia). Following World War II, the authorities built a wall separating the two parts of the city, one part under the control of Italy and the other under the control of the former Yugoslavia.

The wall is now part of the past, having been demolished in 2004, with parts of it remaining as a testament to Europe’s painful past. It is now a tourist attraction, visited by tourists and children from both countries, who listen to explanations of how the city experienced this dark period in its history I listened to an explanation of this dark past in Europe while I live it today under the Israeli occupation. The apartheid wall stretches as far as the eye can see, separating the city of Jerusalem and its people from the adjacent city of Ramallah, where I live.The massive, ugly concrete wall Israel built on Palestinian land separates families from each other. As a Palestinian, I cannot travel to Jerusalem, which is adjacent to Ramallah, but the Israeli can do so without any problem.

My visit to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, coincided with the annual event in which Slovenians walk a path replicating the site of the wall built by Germany and Italy around Ljubljana during the Nazi-fascist occupation of the city. I saw Slovenian families walking quietly and peacefully along a beautiful path that commemorates the ugly memory of an ugly racist wall.

My people, including my children, continue to live with this painful reality. My daughter needs a military permit from the Israeli occupation authorities every time she needs to visit the hospital in Jerusalem. Sometimes the permit is denied, and in most cases, I am prevented from accompanying her to the hospital because I am prohibited from crossing the wall for “security reasons.”

Partisan- Yugoslavian resistance movement

During my visit, I listened to many folk songs sung during World War II, which glorify the revolutionary Partisan movement that resisted the Italian and German occupiers. The Slovenian people now view the songs and stories of Partisan with pride and admiration, for its resistance to occupation, and its quest for liberation and salvation, and consider its members heroes, martyrs, and freedom fighters.

When I heard these revolutionary songs, I remembered the songs of the Palestinian revolution, and I remembered how the story of the “Fedayeen” or martyrs entered Palestinian folklore, and how stories of revolution and uprising became part of our popular heritage. The Palestinian liberation movement is viewed as a terrorist movement; it is demonized and outlawed not only in Israel but also in Europe and many other Western countries.

Even social media platforms ban the publication of any song, photo, or post that glorifies or praises the resistance, considering it incitement to terrorism. Israel often arrests Palestinian citizens simply because of a post on Facebook or Instagram, and those with Telegram and TikTok are persecuted and sometimes arrested at checkpoints.

Europe: Public Solidarity and Official Complicity

During my visit, I felt the extent of European public solidarity with Palestine and the sympathy for our just cause among students, teachers, workers, and artists. Wherever I went, I saw Palestinian flyers, slogans, and flags.

This popular sympathy and demonstrations have not yet risen to the level of pressure necessary for governments to radically change their policies supporting the Israeli occupation. Some European countries, such as Austria and Germany, continue to provide unlimited support for the Israeli occupation and prevent or suppress any pro-Palestinian demonstrations under the pretext of fighting anti-Semitism.

However, these demonstrations and movements have begun to have an impact in countries such as Slovenia, Spain and Ireland.

Back home reality

After spending a few days in Europe, I returned home, passing through Israeli checkpoints and barriers once again, and driving near the settlements that are increasing rapidly, and settlers becoming extremely violent. Recent days have witnessed a marked increase in barbaric settler attacks on the West Bank, particularly in neighboring villages such as Bruqin, Kafr ad-Dik, Sinjil, and Turmusayya.

The policy of starvation and genocide in Gaza has reached its peak; people die from either hunger, missiles or lack of medicine. Many European countries declared that they would not remain silent in the face of a real famine in Gaza, and threaten to halt the partnership and cooperation with Israel. Europe played a major role in the creation of the State of Israel, supporting it, providing it with weapons, and political cover. It is time to stop this, correct its mistakes, and be on the right side of history.

I believe the global protests against Israel is reaching a critical point, and we will witness a radical shift in the policies of many countries toward further boycotts, divestments, and sanctions against Israel. This will help stop the genocide and end the occupation. It will enable my children to live in a better reality than I did, so that genocide and oppression become part of the past, and my children experience freedom and peace that I never had.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.