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Palestinians remain rooted in the land

Far from ‘forgetting’ the Nakba, many Palestinians hold regular events inside their original villages.

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Although forced into exile in 1948, the community of Iqrit remained largely intact in the surrounding area of Galilee. Displaced residents have held summer camps inside the village for several years, and in 2012, a group of internally displaced people refused to leave their village after the summer camp, establishing a 'return camp' where they remain today. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
By Rich Wiles
Published On 15 May 2015

In 1949, Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, reportedly said: “We must do everything to ensure they [the Palestinians] never do return… The old will die and the young will forget.”

Today, it is estimated that there are about 7.8 million Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world. The majority are refugees from the Nakba period (1947-49). For most of these refugees, even visiting their places of origin remains impossible.

IDPs, however, are considered residents of the state of Israel, and while they have been denied their right to return to live in their villages, many can still visit the areas.

Far from “forgetting”, displaced Palestinians have successfully maintained their deep connections to their homes. For those who are able, regular visits and community events are held inside the original Palestinian villages, many of which remain largely uninhabited today.

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In the 1970s, Iqrit's community-in-exile renovated the village church and cemetery. Since then, the community has held weddings, baptisms and funerals in their village, although the state of Israel has always denied their right to return to live in the village. Prior to the establishment of the return camp, it was said that 'only the dead can return' to Iqrit. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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Many of Lifta's refugees fled only a kilometre or so in 1948, and today remain in occupied East Jerusalem, west of Israel's separation wall. In March 2013, refugees from Lifta held one of their regular return activities in their home village, cleaning the village cemetery and rebuilding ancient graves. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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Through grassroots community work, oral history and access to their village, even the youngest of Lifta's East Jerusalem refugees shares the deep knowledge of their home and history, and have taken up the struggle for return that was started by their ancestors. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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Displaced residents of Kufr Birim held their annual summer camp in August 2013. Many have lived in the nearby village of Jish since their displacement. Like Iqrit's displaced community, the villagers of Kufr Birim have implemented various strategies in their struggle for return over many decades, including legal cases, sit-ins, renovation of the church, and popular protests. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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After their 2013 summer camp, Kufr Birim's IDPs followed Iqrit's example by establishing a 'return camp' and remaining in their village. This community-wide action involved the establishment of groups that took charge of various roles, including online advocacy work, cooking, cleaning, establishment of water and power supplies, and media liaisons. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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During Easter 2014, Nakba survivor Fuad Abu Wardi celebrated his 77th birthday in Kufr Birm - the village from which he had been forcibly displaced in 1948. Abu Wardi's birthday was celebrated by hundreds of internally displaced Palestinians, who came to the village to join those living in the 'return camp' for an Easter celebration and cultural festival. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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In Iqrit, Easter 2014 was also marked, as it had been for many years, by a large community-in-exile event, including church services and cultural events organised by youth activists. Internally displaced Palestinians from across the 1948 occupied lands travelled to Galilee to join the event and network with activists about the possibilities of spreading Iqrit's model across other displaced communities. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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The annual March of Return is the largest event held collectively by internally displaced Palestinian citizens of Israel. Coming on the back of a surge of activism for return among Palestinian citizens of Israel, the 2014 march, which was held in the village of Lubya in the southern Galilee, drew more than 10,000 participants. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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The village of al-Walaja near Bethlehem was one of several in the area that was bisected by the 1949 Armistice Line ('Green Line'). Villagers were forced from their original homes and moved across the valley to the village's eastern lands. Refugees from al-Walaja and Bethlehem's refugee camps dismantled barbed wire sections of Israel's wall to reach parts of the village that were occupied on Nakba Day 2014. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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Israeli forces arrived en masse in al-Walaja on Nakba Day 2014 and forced the majority of refugees back with barrages of tear gas, although a handful managed to slip past the soldiers and spent the rest of the day in the occupied areas of the village, before returning to their homes-in-exile later in the day. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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In April 2015, internally displaced Palestinians and refugees in East Jerusalem, along with Israeli activists, toured the Palestinian village of Deir Yassin to commemorate the massacre of its Palestinian residents in 1948. Palestinian author and playwright Salmun Natur joined the event. As with other renowned Palestinian literary figures, issues of home and identity are central to Natur's work. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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Lifta's refugees staged another collective event in their original village in March 2015. Much of the displaced community's work is organised by Sons of Lifta - a grassroots group that was formed by the refugees in defence of their village and in demand of their right to return. Sons of Lifta led a successful legal challenge against Israeli development plans to turn Lifta into an upmarket Israeli housing project in 2012. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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Severe traffic congestion blocked roads leading to the depopulated village of Hadatha for the 2015 March of Return, staged by internally displaced Palestinians. Many people abandoned their cars and made their way across surrounding fields on foot to the village. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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Several thousand displaced Palestinians joined the 2015 March of Return in Hadatha. While many IDPs regularly visit their original villages, the vast majority of Palestinian refugees cannot get Israeli permission to enter the modern state of Israel. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]