Nakba Day: Ramallah

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/15/israelandthepalestinians

The organizers are estimating that the demonstration today to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Nakba was around 30 000 - 50 000 people in Ramallah alone. Buses from the north (Qalqilya and Jayous districts) were able to make it through the checkpoints to come. The demonstration started at the Al-Awda (Return) camp that was set up in central Ramallah and marched through the city to the central square called Al-Manar. There were a few drumming bands of young students, tons of banners, a sea of Palestinian flags, tons of music and chanting, dancing and speeches.

At 2pm the people gathered at Qalandia camp where thousands of black balloons were released (similtaneously with Bethlehem and Jerusalem) - 21 915 black balloons to represent every day that has passed since the Nakba of 1948 - they carried messages of from the kids of the camp
talking about their wish to return to their homes and lands.

At 3pm, around 3 IDF army vehicles approached some of the youth who were on the road down from the Qalandia checkpoint (a super militarized IDF area - where the wall circles around with a high watch tower). A clash broke out between the youth who began throwing stones at the soldiers in the vehicles. One would think that the soldiers should just get back in to their vehicle and drive back to the checkpoint - but no, they instead respond with driving up the road and
started to shoot tear gas, sound grenades, and rubber bullets. And then this is where north America (or at least the part of activist north america that i am associated with) differentiates - the Palestinian youth responded to the provocation of the IDF by proceeding to gather MORE people and MORE rocks, to pull out slingshots, to build barricades, to wrap their faces with scarves dipped in onion juice (to take away the sting of the tear gas), to light tires on fire and roll them towards the soldiers, and to run closer towards where the soldiers are in order to have better aim for their rocks to hit against the armoured vehicles. This went on for a long time. The IDF jeeps eventually backed off - but continued to fire towards the youth from the watch-tower and behind the concrete wall of the checkpoint. One person was hurt from a rubber bullet where it hit his chest but he was brought to the hospital and he is ok.

I'm holding two of these things - rubber bullets (found them on the ground)- they come in two different kinds as far as I can tell today. One is plain thick rubber, and the other is metal coated in rubber. They cause different kinds of damage it seems.

So this is Nakba day in occupied Palestine - the day to commemorate and protest: those who died in 1948 and those who were forced from their homes, the destruction of over 500 villages, and the on-going system of apartheid. It is not enough that most Palestinian people have lived as refugees for 60 years...apparently Israel also had to flex its muscles behind high-tech weaponry, concrete walls, and the president of the U.S on the anniversary...

George W is in town too. Visiting Israel to make sure that the world knows that the war-on-terror is still alive and kicking, 'Happy Birthday Israel', and 'Don't worry Israel, the U.S is behind
you'. In case anyone forgot.
(http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/983716.html)

To be honest it is hard not to be overwhelmed, and sad. It is sad to see grandmothers marching and still carrying the key to their house that they left 60 years ago thinking that they would go back in a few weeks. And it is hard to see the grandchildren armed only with rocks against one of the world's largest military regimes. And it is harder still to see your friends growing up in these conditions in camps and to know that I was able to be here today - while some are kept
out by a racist state.

But, 50 000 people marched today under the banner of 'No Peace without Return' (more people than anyone expected), and everyone speaks of a growing movement for the Right of Return for refugees and against all of Israel's policies.

It is more than inspiring, it is very very humbling. And it is good to be humbled.