Background
Farha Trailer
Action required
Model Template
Recipient contact information
Background
The Nakba or “Catastrophe” in English occurred in 1948 with an ethnic cleansing operation. It involved a combination of mass murder, and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of native Palestinians by Zionist militias, to replace them with Jewish immigrants and create what is known today as “The State of Israel”.
This ethnic cleansing, however, has continued for 75 years, never-ending. Especially as the Israeli Knesset gets more and more extreme in its views. Therefore, it is important to remember where all this began, and why millions of refugees are still waiting in refugee camps for their chance to return to the land stolen from them.
Two events have taken place within the space of a week, which have brought the Nakba to the forefront: first, the General Assembly of the United Nations has passed a motion saying that they will commemorate the 75th Anniversary of this terrible crime, making it an official international day of importance. The vote was won by 90 votes to 30, with 47 abstentions, after which the Israeli ambassador said that the Palestinians’ ethnic cleansing had been “brought upon themselves”. The day will be commemorated on May 15th 2023.
Second, has been the release on Netflix of the movie Farha. Farha is an award winning Jordanian film, following a young woman whose family is murdered during the Nakba. It has gained high ratings across movie sites, and a smear campaign done by Zionists has not only failed, but helped to promote the movie. Zionists have started a campaign to give it negative ratings on movie websites, which has been countered by Palestinian activists who have been doing the opposite. Many people who have very little idea about the events of the Nakba, are now starting to understand it better.
Now is the time for us to begin the push to have the Nakba officially recognised and commemorated on its 75th anniversary in different areas of society. We must make all efforts to make awareness of this catastrophe, and push different institutions and figures to commemorate it.
Farha Trailer
Action required
- Please write to your local council asking that they commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Nakba with events. (Template letter below).
- Also try to persuade any organisations, schools, or individuals to take action on this day, also to do so yourself and share information about the Nakba on all social media platforms.
- Watch and rate the movie, Farha and encourage your network to do the same.
- Please ensure you share verified stories and information. Please check for sources on anything you share and ensure they are genuine.
- Keep checking the IHRC’s website: https://www.ihrc.org.uk/to see any updates on this campaign or others involving Palestine.
- I would also highlight our donation appeal for Gaza – https://donations.ihrc.org.uk/Gaza-Emergency-Appeal
Model Template
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
Re. 75th Nakba Anniversary
Dear Councillor [insert name]
The United Nations General Assembly declared that the world should unite in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Nakba. It refers to the catastrophe that occurred on May 15th 1948, Native Palestinians were systematically ethnically cleansed from their homelands to build the state of Israel. Not only are Palestinians still subject to killing and enforced displacement, but millions of survivors and descendants of Nakba survivors still live in refugee camps surrounding Israel, waiting for the right to go home. A right that the United Nations and most countries across the World demand be allowed to take place. As we come to the 75th anniversary, the United Nations General Assembly voted to mark this day officially in their calendar, and for people around the World to commemorate this great crime against humanity.
It is, therefore, important that we all play our part. Palestinian Muslims and Christians in Britain have been discriminated against for too long, and attempts have been made, by both institutional and independent groups to alienate them from society and make them feel unwelcome. It is now time to show them that their issues are just as important as other communities’ issues. Therefore, it is important that you commemorate this day with events led by Palestinian and Arab commentators, activists and analysts themselves, and show the community that we are united, that all its citizens count and that we will never forget and we will never allow crimes of this magnitude to take place again.
Yours Sincerely
[Your signature]
[Your name]
Recipient contact information
You can find the contact details for your local councillor at this link: https://www.gov.uk/find-your-local-councillors
