Press Releases

For Immediate Release

“From the 1948 Nakba to the 1967 Naksa”, Part II of BADIL’s three-part series on the continuing Nakba is now on BADIL”s web site (www.badil.org). Part II covers events from 1948-67 and the occupation of West Bank and Gaza.  Part I, on the origins of the 1948 Nakba, is also on the web site.  

Part III, From the Naksa and Beyond, Palestinian life under occupation and in exile, marking 37 years of Israeli occupation, follows on 20 June, World Refugee Day.

National days, anniversaries and holidays usually celebrate positive events--the end of a war, the signing of a peace treaty, the birth date of a famous historical figure.   Palestine’s Nakba day of commemoration, 15 May, observes the start of an on-going catastrophe, not a fixed, one-time event.

The next important date on the Palestinian calendar is Al-Naksa day, 6 June, another setback marking the expulsion and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians after the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. It is also a demand for the respect of human rights and rule of law, especially the right of refugees and internally displaced Palestinians to return and repossess their homes, lands and properties.

For most Palestinians the Nakba is a continuing catastrophe with daily military attacks, house demolitions, land confiscation, expanding Jewish colonies, broken promises and make believe withdrawals from Palestinian territory.

BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights takes a rights-based approach to the Palestinian refugee issue and encourages an understanding of this by supporting research into refugee rights and international law; advocacy; and promoting community participation.