1948’s Nakba to 2021’s Catastrophe

Nakba day, observed on 15 May every year, commemorates the displacement of Palestinians when the Israeli state founded in the aftermath of World War II. It is the 73^rd anniversary of Nakba. If I just talk about one displaced Palestinian village “Lifta” though that is among several many places that faced the catastrophe then in 1948 caused by Israeli soldiers, who came to ethnically cleanse the village of Lifta during the Palestinian Nakba then it will take a huge amount of courage to discuss about it. There are 42 feet approximately 13 meter deep holes in every house roof. They bombed the houses in order to not let its inhabitants able to return to them.

Studying history of Palestine, experiencing their struggle through literature and watching documented videos of fellow Palestinian brothers made me experience ethnic cleansing in a twisted way.1948 mirrors 2021. The ongoing ethnic cleansing of sheikh Jarrah triggers me.  The trauma of Palestinian Nakba has passed over the generations. Palestinian history is not just a history but it is their present too, it’s still being written, unlike theirs, it is fragile and tired. The trauma of Nakba is embodied in their current situation, which revives thier trauma. Land disposition, ethnic cleansing, and colonial expansion, armed Zionist gangs attacking Palestinians and their houses and killing them in the name of their “nationality”. Every Palestinian is going through their own inherited trauma of Nakba. The recent airstrikes on Gaza strip revived the memory of Nakba in every Palestinian’s mind. The houses they made with immense love and dedication are grounded. The life they dreamed of is being taken from them. The screams outburst from every wall of Gaza. The highly dense packed populated area of Palestine get bombed every night when we sleep peacefully. If one building gets strike by a rocket missile then the other adjacent buildings will automatically get affected. I wonder where are the blue eyed pro mental health activists of professionals who seek the mental health of humans. Or they are only for a specific group’s trauma serving their agenda.

Every Palestinian alive is physically and psychologically on the edge of collapse. They bomb, shoot, humiliate, and beat the Palestinians and if they react back and stand up for their rights then this is anti-Semitic for them, isn’t this a propaganda of racism against Arabs?  The digital world, a global village and 57 Muslims countries finally see Palestinians yet there is no action except the lip service or word condolences.  What it would feel to live under the fear of death by being bombed where your skin rips off from your body, and the body burns to the point that your lymphatic system gets visible. What it would feel like if the leaders who are silent lift their children out from a collapsed building, burnt to their bones. I know it’s entirely wrong to iterate the situation through imagining anyone else being hurt but the conscience of the world’s leaders is dead. They don’t put themselves in the situation but it is a domino effect no one will be spare from the catastrophe. Every Muslim leader is living in a cognitive dissonance that only Gaza is a jail for the Palestinians but every Muslim country is in a jail of their dead conscience. I urge you all to see the geographical pattern of Gaza, the road structure that leads to that strip to experience that how they are being caged there.

Being Pakistani, it is nearly impossible for us to go there physically or help them through any organization because Palestine has no airport, Israel has the airports and we are the only country that doesn’t allow to reach out there nor can even our aid be reached there in emergency situations directly and most importantly the adjacent borders of Palestine like Egypt and Jorden blocked the tunnels when they signed there peace accords.  How we all being fooled all our lives? The only way to solve the problem is to put pressure collectively but it takes conscience, empathy, courage and humility that every world leader lacks. I hope everyone is already being addressed of how Israel annexed the East Jerusalem and what was their movement of “Zionism”, if not then there is one credible international  news source “trt world” that is giving unbiased information on Palestinian-Israel history. The most you can do at this time is to follow and share the credible sources who are giving updates on Palestine’s situation non-stop and pray for them in every prayer. And lastly, neutrality and silence in the days of crises is a sin. Speak up and spread the word as much as you can. This is my protest submitted to the atrocity of Israel. May Allah (SWT) ease the hardships of Palestinians and bless the deceived souls. I stand with Palestine.

AUTHOR: HIRA ARSHAD