On Wednesday 15 May we’ll meet at 6.30pm in Independence Gardens, Sliema, to remember the Nakba and denounce the genocide in Gaza. We’ll walk to Exiles bay (under the St. Julian’s Tower) where, starting from 7.30pm, there will be a symbolic event and open mic in solidarity with Palestine.
In the years and months leading to the 15th May of 1948 — the day the state of Israel was established — Zionist militias designed a plan for killing and expelling hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their lands so that they could declare a state of Israel with the maximum amount of land and the minimum amount of Palestinians in it.
More than 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their cities, villages and fields. Thousands of Palestinians were murdered and buried in mass graves, while the terrorized others were forced to flee to Arab countries, the West Bank and Gaza.
Israeli cities rose on the ruins of the Palestinian cities and villages, while millions of Palestinians were born in refugee camps, denied their right to return to their lands and homes.
To Palestinians, this is known as the Nakba — the Catastrophe.
A catastrophe that has been ongoing since then. Palestinians continued experiencing the occupation of the little land they had left, imprisonment, apartheid, theft of their resources, illegal blockades and, now, genocide.
With the full support of many Western countries, Israel has butchered over 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, for the most part women and children, and razed to the ground Gaza’s infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and refugee camps.
However, in the face of all adversity, Palestinians continue to resist.
We will not forget the Nakba, we will not forget Gaza and we will not forget the Palestinians.
In these deeply painful times, solidarity is needed more than ever. Join us!
*****
Infakkru n-Nakba, Nikkundannaw il-Ġenoċidju
Nhar l-Erbgħa 15 ta’ Mejju ser niltaqgħu fis-6.30pm ġewwa Ġnien l-Indipendenza, f’Tas-Sliema, sabiex infakkru n-Nakba u nikkundannaw il-ġenoċidju f’Gaża. Minn hemm ser nimxu mixja qasira sal-bajja tal-Exiles (taħt it-Torri ta’ San Ġiljan) fejn, mis-7.30pm ’il quddiem, ser ikun hemm attività simbolika u palk ħieles b’solidarjetà mal-Palestina.
Fis-snin u x-xhur qabel il-15 ta’ Mejju tal-1948 — il-jum li fih twaqqaf l-istat Iżraeljan — il-milizzji Żionisti ħejjew pjan sabiex ikeċċu u joqtlu mijiet t’eluf ta’ Palestinjani minn arthom u b’hekk jiddikjaraw stat Iżraeljan bl-ikbar art u bl-inqas Palestinjani fiha possibbli.
Iktar minn 750,000 Palestinjan tkeċċew mill-bliet, l-irħula u l-għelieqi tagħhom. Eluf ta’ Palestinjani nqatlu u ndifnu f’oqbra tal-massa, filwaqt li ħafna oħrajn, itterrorizzati, ġew imġiegħla jaħarbu f’pajjiżi Għarab, fix-Xatt tal-Punent u f’Gaża.
Fuq it-tiġrif tal-bliet u l-irħula misruqa mill-Palestinjani, telgħu l-ibliet Iżraeljani. Miljuni ta’ Palestinjani twieldu f’kampjiet tar-refuġjati, imċaħħda mir-ritorn lejn djarhom.
Għall-Palestinjani din il-ġrajja hija magħrufa bħala n-Nakba — il-Katastrofi.
Katastrofi li minn dak iż-żmien ’l hawn ma waqfitx. Il-Palestinjani komplew iġarrbu l-okkupazzjoni tal-ftit art li fadlilhom, priġunerija, politika t’apartheid, serq tar-riżorsi, assedji illegali u, issa, ġenoċidju.
Bl-appoġġ sħiħ ta’ ħafna pajjiżi tal-Punent, l-Iżrael immassakra iktar minn 35,000 Palestinjan f’Gaża fi ftit xhur, fil-biċċa l-kbira tagħhom nisa u tfal, u farrak kollox, inkluż sptarijiet, skejjel u kampijiet tar-refuġjati.
Iżda, minkejja kollox, il-Palestinjani jibqgħu jirreżistu.
Aħna mhux ser ninsew in-Nakba, mhux ser ninsew lil Gaża u mhux ser ninsew lill-Palestinjani.
F’dan iż-żmien ta’ wġigħ, tinħtieġ is-solidarjetà iktar minn qatt qabel. Ingħaqdu magħna!