2011 Nakba Day: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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Attempts by march organizers in Egypt and Jordan to reach their countries' borders with [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] and Israel, respectively, were largely thwarted by domestic security forces. At a mass demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy in [[Cairo]], the [[Egyptian Army]] used tear gas and live fire to disperse the crowd, wounding 353. In other events in Tel Aviv, an Israeli man was killed and others wounded by an Arab truck driver who claimed he lost control of his vehicle, but is suspected by Israeli police of having purposefully carried out a "terrorist attack".
Organized by calls put out by Palestinians on Facebook, the border marches were given impetus by the [[Arab Spring|revolutions and uprisings]] taking place in the [[Arab world]].<ref name=Daragmeh>[http://www.heraldextra.com/news/world/article_10865d67-e7a6-57cf-af4b-dd705e5a19b5.html Palestinians test tactic of unarmed mass marches].</ref><ref name="BBC"/> The American and Israeli governments said the marches were coordinated by the [[Iran]]ian and the [[Syria]]n governments to shift public attention from domestic unrest.<ref name="HAARETZ">[http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/1228099.html]. ''[[Ha'aretz]]''. 2011-05-15.]</ref>
==Background==
''Al-Nakba'' is the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] word for "the catastrophe" or "the disaster" and is used by Palestinians to refer to the loss of Palestine, the displacement and dispersal that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948.<ref name=Kamrava>{{cite book|title=The modern Middle East: a political history since the First World War|author=Mehran Kamrava|page=125|edition=Illustrated|publisher=University of California Press|year=2005|ISBN=978-0-520-24150-3|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=SKSwpfLUYDEC&pg=PA125&dq=nakba+%22loss+of+palestine%22&hl=en&ei=x-DQTZjVEIX3sgbE5OjFCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=nakba%20%22loss%20of%20palestine%22&f=false}}</ref><ref name = Farsoun>{{cite book| url = http://books.google.ca/books?id=3ntlybo9BEQC&pg=PA14&dq=nakba+refugees+return&hl=en&ei=7EzNTYKhOYvasgal_9WxCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=nakba%20refugees%20return&f=false|page=14|title=Culture and customs of the Palestinians|author=Samih K. Farsoun|edition=Illustrated|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2004|ISBN=978-0-313-32051-4}}</ref><ref name=Gregory>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=yo6VyhJKKb8C&pg=PA86&dq=nakba+past+present&hl=en&ei=OHbNTZ_dFcWKswaE9JS4Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBDgU#v=onepage&q&f=false|page=86|title=The colonial present: Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq|author=Derek Gregory|edition=Illustrated, reprint|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2004|isbn=978-1-57718-090-6}}</ref> More than 700,000 Palestinians were [[1948 Palestinian exodus|expelled or fled]] over the course of the [[1948 Palestine War]] and they and their descendants number several million today, divided between Jordan (2 million), Lebanon (427,057), Syria (477,700), the West Bank (788,108) and the Gaza Strip (1.1 million), with another quarter of a million internally displaced Palestinians in Israel.<ref name=Telegraph19/><ref name=reuters>Figures given here for the number of Palestinian refugees includes only those registered with [[UNRWA]] as June 2010. [[Internally displaced Palestinians]] were not registered, among others. [http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/15/us-palestinians-israel-refugees-idUSTRE74E2BP20110515 Factbox: Palestinian refugee statistics]</ref>
Nakba Day is commemorated annually, generally on May 15. Commemorations among Palestinian [[Arab citizens of Israel]] are often held on [[Israeli Independence Day]] which falls on the [[Hebrew calendar]] date of [[Iyar|5 Iyar]] (in 2011, May 10). On that day, several thousand [[internally displaced Palestinians]] and their supporters held their 14th annual "March of Return" between [[al-Damun]] and [[al-Ruways]], two [[List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Palestinian exodus|Palestinian villages depopulated]] during the [[1948 Palestinian exodus]].<ref name=AIC>{{cite web|url=http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/israeli-society/3587-thousands-mark-palestinian-nakba-in-galilee- |title=Thousands Mark Palestinian Nakba in Galilee |publisher=Alternativenews.org |date=2011-05-12 |accessdate=2013-10-02}}</ref> At least 1,000 Arabs and Jews held the first public commemoration of the Nakba in [[Jaffa]] on May 14 to protest the "Nakba Law" passed by the Israeli [[Knesset]] in March. Organized by members of youth movements in Jaffa and [[Lod]], Arab Members of [[Knesset]] did not attend the protest, where demonstrators chanted pro-Palestinian, [[pan-Arabism|pan-Arab]], and anti-Israel slogans, and blocked traffic along Jaffa's main street.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068464,00.html |title=Hundreds mark 'Nakba Day' in Jaffa - Israel News, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref><ref name="Hartman">Hartman, Ben. [{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=220514 |title=Hundreds hold first-ever Nakba Day march in Jaffa]|publisher=jpost. ''JPost''. com|date=2011-05-15.}}</ref>
In anticipation of Nakba Day events, the Israeli military sealed off the [[West Bank]] for 24 hours and deployed [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]] regiments and Border Police gendarmes. Inside Israel, police prepared for Arab protests and possible violence, and security forces were deployed in the predominantly Arab [[Wadi Ara]] region. A heavy police presence was reported in many of [[Jerusalem]]'s Arab neighborhoods, and included both regular police officers and Border Police gendarmes.<ref name="Maan1"/>
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===Palestinian territories===
[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Qalandiya Rioters Use Ambulance for Cover While Hurling Rocks.jpg|thumb|250px|Palestinians throwing rocks while taking cover behind an ambulance at [[Qalandiya]]]]
On 13 May, protests took place throughout the West Bank, primarily at the weekly Friday protests against the [[Israeli West Bank barrier|separation fence]]. Near [[Nabi Salih]], dozens of Palestinians, Israeli leftists, and foreign activists clashed with IDF forces who said they were dispersed for throwing stones. Protestors reported 10 injuries. Similar protests took place in [[Na'alin]] and [[Umm Salamuna]], south of [[Bethlehem]], where six were arrested and the area sealed off by the IDF. A protest was also held near [[Bil'in]].<ref name=Efraim>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068181,00 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068181,00.html]</ref>
Palestinian demonstrators marched on the [[Qalandia]] checkpoint on May 15. Organizers had previously convened seminars on strategies for non-violent resistance to prepare for a march on the [[Qalandia]] checkpoint on May 15. Several of them were arrested by [[Palestinian National Authority|Palestinian Authority]] police in the month before the protest date. Representatives from Bi'lin, Nil'in and Nabi Salih, villages known for their grassroots weekly protests against the separation barrier, attended the protest which began at around 10:30am on May 15. More than 1,000 protestors marched through the Qalandia refugee camp until they reached within 100 meters of the checkpoint, where Israeli forces used tear gas to disperse them.<ref name=JQ>{{cite web|author=Kieron Monks |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/05/201151611522564602.html |title=Green shoots emerge at Qalandia checkpoint |publisher=English.aljazeera.net |date= |accessdate=2013-10-02}}</ref><ref name=Donnison>{{cite news|last=Donnison |first=Jon |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13417788 |title=Palestinians emboldened by Arab Spring |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=2011-05-16 |accessdate=2013-10-02}}</ref> A standoff ensued that lasted more than seven hours between Israeli soldiers and around 100 Palestinian protesters who threw stones as Israeli troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets.<ref name=JQ/><ref name=Donnison/> Israeli undercover officers in plain clothes carrying pistols ran into the crowd from time to time and made arrests.<ref name=Donnison/> In several incidents, Palestinians took cover behind ambulances while throwing rocks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144186 |title=Camera Doesn’t Lie: Attackers Hide Behind Ambulances|publisher=Israel National News |date= |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref> More than 80 Palestinians, including three paramedics, were injured, and 20 were hospitalized. Dr. Sami Dar Nakhla said the IDF was using a new form of toxic tear gas that caused seizures and unconsciousness, and remarked that the last time he saw so many casualties in one day was during the [[Second Intifada]].<ref name=JQ/>
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In Syria, the demonstrations were organized by phone and Internet by Palestinian refugees, most of them university students independent of any political faction, in response to the call for a "Third Palestinian Intifada" on Facebook.<ref name=Golan>{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hORDwISozjMd3J4mnoJRPRbpY9vA?docId=CNG.24720c3e4e4b36a7a28281c90f818eda.281 |title=Shot Palestinian youth proud of Golan protest |publisher=Google.com |date=2011-05-18 |accessdate=2013-10-02}}</ref><ref name=Nabulsi/> Demonstrators gathered near the Israeli-Syrian [[Purple Line (ceasefire line)|ceasefire line]] waving Palestinian flags. The first wave of demonstrators was stopped by Syrian police, who were later overtaken when a second group arrived.<ref name=MEO/> About 1,000 demonstrators approached the fence, and some 300 children among them, rushed toward the fence.<ref name="BBC"/><ref name=YNETG/> Some managed to breach the border and enter the Israeli side of the ceasefire line. The sole Israeli military patrol present was overwhelmed and opened fire on the demonstrators, who threw stones at Israeli troops.<ref name=MEO>{{cite web|url=http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46168 |title='They crossed minefields,' Golan residents marvel |publisher=Middle-east-online.com |date=2011-05-17 |accessdate=2013-10-02}}</ref> Four demonstrators were killed and dozens injured.<ref name="AJE"/> The dead were Palestinian refugees: Qais Abu Alheija from Houd, Bashar Ali Shahabi from [[Lubya]], Samer Khartabeel from [[Tiberias]], and Abadah Zaghmout from [[Safsaf]].<ref name=Nabulsi>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/19/nakba-day-palestinian-summer |title=Nakba day: we waited 63 years for this |publisher=Guardian |date= 2011-05-19|accessdate=2013-10-02 |location=London |first=Karma |last=Nabulsi}}</ref> Two demonstrators were arrested and detained, but were returned to Syria.<ref name=YNETr/> About a dozen Israeli soldiers injured by stone-throwing during the clashes, and suffered mild-to-moderate injuries. Among the injured was the Israeli commander, Colonel Eshkol Shukrun, who was hit in the face.<ref name=YNETG/>
More than a hundred demonstrators managed to bypass the fence and enter the Arab [[Druze]] town of [[Majdal Shams]].<ref name=YNETG>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4069033,00.html IDF says handled border breach well].</ref><ref name=HaaretzP>{{cite web|last=Arens |first=Moshe |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/idf-unprepared-for-syria-border-breach-despite-intelligence-tips-1.362173 |title=IDF unprepared for Syria border breach, despite intelligence tips |publisher=Haaretz.com |date=2011-05-17 |accessdate=2013-10-02}}</ref> Arab residents of the [[Golan Heights]], many of whom still hold Syrian citizenship, had gathered near the fence when they heard shots, and welcomed those who entered Majdal Shams, offering them food and drink.<ref name=MEO/> The demonstrators eventually headed back to Syria after negotiations, and police combed the area for any additional infiltrators. At least one demonstrator, Hassan Hijazi, a 28-year-old Palestinian refugee, managed to hitch a ride to central Israel with Israeli and French Arab peace activists, and reached [[Tel Aviv]] by bus, even sitting alongside Israeli soldiers.<ref name=YNETr/> After finding his old family home in [[Jaffa]], he turned himself in at a police station, saying he had fulfilled a lifelong ambition.<ref name=Telegraph19>{{cite news|last=Blomfield |first=Adrian |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8524356/Israel-braced-for-further-Palestinian-protests.html |title=Israel braced for further Palestinian protests |publisher=Telegraph.co.uk |date= 2011-05-19|accessdate=2013-10-02 |location=London}}</ref>
==Other Nakba Day events==
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On 14 May, a funeral procession for Milad Sayyid Ayyash passed through Silwan, where some participants threw stones at Jewish homes. Palestinians also threw stones at police and vehicles sporting Israeli flags for independence day throughout east Jerusalem. Five police officers were injured by stone-throwing, and one was hospitalized. Security forces arrested 13 Palestinians. In the Arab-Israeli city of [[Qalansawe]], residents also threw stones at police.<ref name="Hartman"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068533,00.html |title='Nakba Day' rioters throw stones at police - Israel News, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2013-10-02}}</ref> At least 1,000 Arabs and Jews from across Israel attended a procession in [[Jaffa]], marching down Jaffa's main street to a park in the [[Ajami]] neighborhood, where a rally and concert by Arab-Israeli hip-hop group [[DAM (band)|DAM]] was held. The demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and signs, and loudly chanted pro-Palestinian, Arab nationalist, and anti-Israel slogans. There was a very small police presence, and no counter-protests. Police blocked traffic from reaching the demonstration. However, a minor incident took place prior to the demonstration when a group of protesters arrived at the promenade in [[Tel Aviv]] and left their bus while waving Palestinian flags, prompting passerby to spit on and curse them. The protesters responded with slurs and returned to the bus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068464,00.html |title=Hundreds mark 'Nakba Day' in Jaffa - Israel News, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2013-10-02}}</ref>
[[File:Nakba Day 2011 Arroub.jpg|thumb|250px|Israeli soldiers and Palestinian demonstrators in [[Al-Arroub (camp)|Al-Arroub]]]]
On May 15, hundreds of Palestinians clashed with IDF and police forces at the Qalandiya checkpoint and throughout [[Jerusalem]], with dozens hurling stones. Four police officers were lightly injured in several incidents. Three molotov cocktails were also thrown at the back gate of [[Hadassah Medical Center|Hadassah Hospital]] at [[Mount Scopus]]. Security forces responded with crowd-control measures, and arrested 36 protesters. Several were arrested by undercover officers. Israeli authorities closed off the [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City]] in Jerusalem to prevent large rallies. Shop owners in the [[Muslim Quarter|Muslim]] and [[Christian Quarter]]s closed down their shops in observance of a strike to commemorate Nakba Day. Three Palestinians were arrested in the Old City after they threatened local business owners to participate in the strike.<ref name="Maan1"/><ref name=YNETP>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068783,00.html |title=Palestinian mark 'Nakba Day' |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2013-10-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068874,00.html |title=IDF, Palestinians clash near Jerusalem - Israel News, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2013-10-02}}</ref>
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==External links==
{{Commonscatinline}}
{{Commons category|2011 Nakba Day}}
*[http://www.nakba.co.uk "Nakba - Everything you need to know about Nakba Day - [http://www.nakba.co.uk nakba.co.uk]".▼
▲"Nakba - Everything you need to know about Nakba Day - [http://www.nakba.co.uk nakba.co.uk]".
[[Category:2011 in Israel|Nakba Day]]