The Marxist-Leninist Daily

1948: Al Nakba (the catastrophe), the forcible expulsion of the Palestinians from their land
in order to create the state of Israel.

60 Years of Al Nakba

Organizations in Ontario made up of people of Palestinian and Arab origin and others have taken the initiative to form the Ontario Committee to Commemorate 60 Years of Al Nakba ('the Catastrophe') with the aim of involving all the democratic and progressive forces of Ontario in standing with them in their struggle for the right to be. Through this initiative they are reaffirming that their strength lies in their fight for their rights and in strengthening their unity with all the fighting forces in Ontario and the world. Through the Committee they are planning to carry actions throughout the year against the occupation of their homeland and for the right to return. They are calling on all democratic organizations and individuals to join with them through out 2008 to mark this occasion. Their starting point is that Al Nakba is not some event that occurred 60 years ago but an ongoing historical problem demanding a just solution. Their initiative springs from this necessity.

The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) salutes the Ontario Committee to Commemorate 60 Years of Al Nakba for this bold initiative and pledges to provide every assistance for the success of its work.

A Year of Activities to Commemorate
60 Years of Al Nakba

A press conference at Palestine House in Mississauga on January 15 launched the year long commemoration of 60 Years of Al Nakba ('the Catastrophe'). The Ontario Committee to Commemorate 60 Years of Al Nakba, of which Palestine House is an active member, was formed in 2007 with the aim of involving everyone province wide in standing with the Palestinian people in their just struggle for an end to occupation, full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands from which they were expelled.

Dr. Farid Ayad, president of Palestine House, chaired the press conference and introduced the speakers. He pointed out that Al Nakba refers to the fact that in 1947-48 over 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes and lands with the formation of the state of Israel. This represented more than 60 percent of the Palestinians who, as a people, had lived on the land for thousands of years. The General Assembly of the United Nations has passed over 400 resolutions on the issue of Palestine but the occupation and displacements continue. Al Nakba, he said, continues.

Rafeef Ziadah, a third generation refugee and member of the board of directors at Palestine House, presented an overview of events scheduled throughout 2008 to mark the occasion. (See attached)

Khalid Mouammar, the National President of the Canadian Arab Federation, made the point that Al Nakba is not a Palestinian or Arab issue but an issue facing humanity, an issue of "justice, legality, international law and morality". He said the occupation of Palestinian lands and dispossession of its people constitute the worst violation of human rights in the twentieth century to which the Canadian government has turned a blind eye. He said the issue in Canada and internationally is one of justice and equality for all which necessitates the Canadian government start with its own role right here at home towards the indigenous peoples of Canada.

Wafaa Hasan, also a third generation refugee and a Ph.D. student at McMaster in Cultural Studies, began by saying Al Nakba is not over. The disenfranchisement, displacement, humiliation and denial of the right to return is a part of the life of the Palestinians every day. While Al Nakba is in fact a catastrophe for Palestinians, it also means we have a role to play, "we have a way of steering history. It is in our hands,"she said with conviction. She spoke of keeping the history alive through narratives to assist the people in their on-going fight against the current displacement, arbitrary rules within the occupied territories and against the Bantustan structure Israel is attempting to impose on the Palestinians.

The last speaker, Naji Farah, is a refugee who lived through Al Nakba and reiterated that the Nakba continues. He spoke with passion about how Al Nakba unfolded. One village after another was occupied, people driven from their ancestral homes, families separated. His father recounted the bewilderment of hearing of the Balfour Declaration promising the Jews a homeland in 1917 when he was 27 years old and losing his homeland by the time he was 55. In his lifetime, he and the Palestinian people became people with no rights, no roots, no entity, no identity. They were referred to simply as minorities. But the Palestinian people did not accept this, he said. They fought for their rights, against the occupation and confiscation of their lands and for their right to return. It was in this resistance that their identity was affirmed, he stressed. No one today can refer to Palestinians simply as a minority. No one can deny the identity of the Palestinian people and that they are a force to be reckoned with, he said. The illegal confiscation of their land continues today. The aim is the same, to destroy the Palestinians as a people. The same forces which facilitate the Zionists in Al Nakba 60 years ago, the Zionist movement, the British and the U.S., are continuing today by presenting Israel as a democratic state and by falsifying history. Palestine belongs to the Palestinians and no one has the power to repudiate the right to return, he said.

The press conference ended with a commitment to heighten the consciousness of the people that the struggle continues and to take the call to all sections of the people of Ontario for the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands, to end Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and other Arab lands occupied since 1967, and to demand full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Declaration in Support of the Palestinian People

Whereas 2008 marks 60 years since the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from their land and property;

Whereas the Palestinian people continue to suffer under siege, military occupation, and apartheid;

Whereas in 2005, over 170 Palestinian civil society organizations urged the world to adopt a program of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel in the manner of the global campaign against South African apartheid;

1) Affirm the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands. This is an individual and collective right that is recognized under international law.

2) call for an immediate end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and other Arab lands occupied since 1967.

3) Demand full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel who continue to suffer under Israeli apartheid.

To endorse this statement, e-mail the name of your organization to info@palestinehouse.com.

4th Annual Israeli Apartheid Week --
February 3-10, 2008

Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) is proud to announce the 4th annual Israeli Apartheid Week under the banner 60 Years of Nakba: End Israeli Apartheid. It will be a week-long series of events held concurrently in Canada, the U.S, U.K, South Africa, and Palestine. In Toronto events will take place on three campuses: University of Toronto, Ryerson University and York University.

The 2008 Israeli Apartheid Week takes place on the 60th Anniversary of Al Nakba; 60 years of ethnic cleansing and exile for Palestinians. For the first time IAW will also be occurring at universities in the West Bank. Activities vary from campus to campus, consisting of guest lectures, demonstrations, cultural events and film nights.

The aim of Israeli Apartheid Week is to push forward the analysis of Israel as an apartheid state and o bolster support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign in accordance with the demands outlined in the July 2005 Statement: full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel, an end to the occupation and colonization of the West Bank and Gaza, and the implementation of the right of return and compensation for Palestinian refugees pursuant to UN resolution 194.

Topics for the week in Toronto include: Al-Nakba and Right of Return, Israeli Apartheid policies in the West Bank, Israeli Apartheid policies against

Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. The week concludes with a founding conference of High schools Against Israeli Apartheid (HAIA) and a demonstration to protest the siege of the Gaza strip and the silencing of Palestinian activism on campuses.

Break the Silence: End the Siege on Gaza Rally
(Part of the 4th annual Israeli Apartheid Week)
Saturday, February 9 -- 2:00 pm
Israeli Consulate, 180 Bloor St. W. Toronto, ON
March east along Bloor and south on Yonge up to Dundas Square

60 Years of Al Nakba

60 Years of Al Nakba

A Year of Activities to Commemorate 60 Years of Al Nakba

Declaration in Support of the Palestinian People

4th Annual Israeli Apartheid Week -- February 3-10, 2008

Commemorating 60 Years of Al Nakba: The Refugees Will Return!

A Year of Activities to Commemorate
60 Years of Al Nakba

4th Annual Israeli Apartheid Week --
February 3-10, 2008

Commemorating 60 Years of Al Nakba:
The Refugees Will Return!