The Nakba ( ’the catastrophe’) is the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people through violent displacement and dispossession of land, property, and belongings, along with the destruction of their society and the suppression of their culture, identity, political rights, and national aspirations.
This May marks 77 years of Nakba. 77 years of dispossession, ethnic cleansing and apartheid.
77 years of displacement and exile.
77 years of catastrophe.
But in the face of brutal oppression and systematic violence, Palestinians continue to resist.
Make Apartheid History is a TPNS project. READ MORE.
We hope this email finds you well as we share our recent news and activities with you. During the COVID times, when TPNS decided to focus on climate related work with specific reference to the global military, we were in different times. We could not have foreseen the Russian invasion of Ukraine nor – no matter how horrendous the Israeli occupation had been up to October 7th 2023 – Israel’s decision to implement a genocidal war designed to utterly destroy Gaza and the elimination, one way or another, of Palestinians from their homeland.
The world is now in an insane arms race – $2.4tr annually and rising – and the climate emergency along with basic international development, global health and public services all in the process of being relegated to second place, behind rearmament and talk of WW3.
In every way, we are in dark times. And the biggest threat to our collective safety – climate chaos – is dropping off the radar.
How on earth can this be?
As ever, it will be down to the tenacity, courage, vision and organising power of civil society where-ever it may be, to push back even harder, despite the deep sadness, despondency and overwhelming scale of the opposition faced – from authoritarian governments locking up climate protesters to genocide-enabling politicians; from amoral and greedy corporate elites to shameless oligarchs.
We have no choice but to resist and to keep hope alive – for the generations to come and for our beautiful blue planet.
The call to Make Apartheid History is more resonant than ever as we mark the 75th anniversary of the start of the NAKBA – the Palestinian Catastrophe – as the state of Israel was founded, along with the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland.
On 15 May MAH shared its short videos in solidarity with NAKBA 75 and BDS including BSC calls for both a cultural boycott and military boycott of Israel until it complies with international law.
NAKBA 75: DISMANTLE ISRAEL’S APARTHEID SYSTEM
Why Make Apartheid History. A short explanatory video with Leila Sansour, Reem Talhami, Iman Aoun, Sliman Mansour, Atef Abu Saif, Issam Aruri, Adjoa Adoh, Juliet Stephenson, Ken Loach, Dave Randall, and our beloved Jeremy Hardy.
Israel was founded 70 years ago today, on 14th May 1948. Palestinians commemorate the next day, 15th May, as their ‘Nakba’ – day of catastrophe.
This Arabic term refers to the mass expulsion of Palestinian Arabs from British Mandate Palestine during Israel’s creation (1947-49) when between 750,000 and one million Palestinians were expelled and made refugees by Zionist paramilitaries, and subsequently Israeli forces, during Israel’s creation in 1947-49.
Brian Eno is a supporter of Palestine . He was born on the same day as the founding of Israel. Here he speaks to MAH of his support for Palestine and in particular, his reasons for backing the BDS campaign.
NAKBA 2018 -CALENDAR EVENTS
Every May, along with so many other organisations and projects around the world, Make Apartheid History commemorates the ‘Nakba’. MAH is recording both ICAHD and @70 cultural events.
The PSC Right of Return conference – @70: Palestinian Refugees and the Right of Return – aims to provide the tools and education necessary for activists in the UK to continue to campaign for the right of return of Palestinian refugees, as enshrined in International law.
ABOUT MAH
Make Apartheid History has an extensive video gallery from a wide range of contributors. MAH connects civil rights, anti-apartheid and Palestinian struggles. This year, 2018, has three momentous anniversaries: 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela, 70 years since the Nakba and 50 years since the murder of Martin Luther King.
This 7th-15th May, an incredible range of activity across the UK organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, will mark the 68th anniversary of the ‘NAKBA’ – Palestinians’ loss of their land when the state of Israel was created in 1948. The programme’s closing evening event (15 May London) includes Maxine Peake reading excerpts from The Shroudmaker, by Ahmed Masoud and first performed by Justin Butcher earlier this year.
Tipping Point North South 