Opinion piece by Tala Al Otaibi, Staff Writer

May 28th, 2020

Dedicated to Mr. Munir Mansour, one of the most inspiring Palestinian men I could have ever come across.

Over 72 years of war. Over 72 years of resistance. Over 72 years of identity loss. This year, the 15th of May, is the 72th Memorial Day years the Palestinian Nakba was marked. The Arabic word Nakba (النكبة) translates to catastrophe. Over the past several decades, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their homes as a product of the aggression inflicted by the Israeli government and military. 

Following the initial expulsion, the Israeli government passed laws that prevented Palestinians from returning home and claiming their properties. For several decades, Palestinians have been robbed from seeing their homeland and breathing its air. Along with their descendants, many of those that were initially expelled during the Nakba remain to be refugees.  Since the Nakba, millions of refugees have been displaced in many regions all over the globe.

Not every Palestinian refugee was lucky enough to make it out alive and many that did were not fortunate enough to arrive somewhere safe. Many have been stuck in refugee camps, deprived of so many basic human rights, the first of which is the right to return home.

Over the years, Israel has continued to take over Palestinian land while simultaneously expelling many of its citizens. Many historians argue that Israel is attempting an ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in order to claim the entirety of its land. For all the years since the Nakba, Palestinians have never stopped fighting for their country. All over the world, they continue to fight.

They continue to pray for the day that they get to return home. For many Palestinians, including myself, this case is close to our hearts. My grandfather fought for Palestine during the 1948 Nakba and like  many Palestinians, he was injured during battle. Left with nothing, he was forced to leave Palestine and start somewhere new. My grandfather never returned home and died in a foreign country 42 years later.

Until today, I am not allowed to visit my home country, as the Israeli government has not allowed Palestinians to visit their homeland unless they have direct family members residing there. Even then, an extensive amount of paperwork must be completed in order to enter the borders.

“You asked me how the Nakba impacted me. All I can say is that I could not marry the girl of my dreams because she is not allowed to enter Palestine. My grandfather, who used to own a large amount of land, started selling vegetables on a stand. As for me, I became known as the camp kid. I cannot even enter my own country without being searched extensively. I lost my brother before I could even meet him. I don’t know what more I can say.”

-Fayiz Juem from the Tulkarm Camp

Munir Mansour was born on the 1st of May in 1950 in the town of Kafr Jammal located in  the West Bank. Munir grew up with grenades being a normal thing to play with on the streets. At only 7 years old, he witnessed the deaths of many of his friends at the hands of those grenades. During his time in Palestine, he explicitly recalls the presence of Israeli soldiers everywhere he went.

For every Palestinian like himself, it was a frightening experience to be walking around town, not knowing when and if they would be killed next. At the time of the war in 1967, he was only 17 years old. During that time, he was expelled to a desert away from his hometown, with no food or water for days. From there, he was sent off to Jordan, along with many other Palestinians like himself. However, following his family, Munir snuck back into the West Bank a month later.

Several years following these events, Munir found himself completing his bachelor’s degree in Kuwait after he was, again, forced to leave Palestine only 2 years after returning. In the 1970s, Munir welcomed his 75-year-old father in Kuwait after the Israeli military had beaten up his father to the point of hospitalization. Today, Munir is 70 years of age and currently lives in the United Arab Emirates, with the  hope that the conflict will be resolved soon.

The story of Munir Mansour is just one out of many that could be told, for this is what thousands of Palestinians live through every single day.

Nakba Day is highly symbolic for the Palestinian people, representing years of  blood, tears, and loss. It stands for home, family, and loyalty. Every year, Palestinians fight for the world to recognize the ongoing genocide that occurs on the streets of Palestine everyday. They fight for the right of recognition and  for the rights their grandparents died trying to maintain. Stories like that of Munir’s need to be told on a regular basis so that the world is  always reminded of the ongoing conflict happening in Palestine. The world needs to be aware of the harsh reality  of  the living conditions of many Palestinians. Palestine will always be a country that encompasses  so much love and culture. So much history and so many stories to tell.

Palestine resembles resistance. To the Palestinians and to the rest of the world, Palestine was and will always be Palestine.