Nakba (Catastrophe) commemoration – 18 May, Liverpool
Liverpool Friends of Palestine will this Saturday (18 May) hold a demonstration in Central Liverpool to mark ‘Nakba Day’ in Palestine.
For Palestinians the day of Al Nakba (The Catastrophe) is 15 May. It is the date in 1948 when Britain withdrew forces from Palestine and Israel declared its independence.
Forced expulsions of Palestinians from their towns and villages by armed Jewish militias (many trained by the British) had already started in November 1947. Within 18 months over 400 villages were completely destroyed and 750,000 Palestinians were expelled. They have never been allowed to return.
Palestinians are still being evicted from their homes and lands in Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Settlements, illegal under international law, continue to eat into West Bank territory while settlers burn Palestinian olive groves.
Many regard Israel as an apartheid state and call for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions. A growing number of artists and scientists, from Elvis Costello to Stephen Hawking, have pulled out of engagements in Israel as a way of showing their disapproval.
Liverpool Friends of Palestine is affiliated to the national Palestine Solidarity Campaign. They call for support for the Palestinian people, for an end to the siege of Gaza, the right of return for refugees and for the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli state from East Jerusalem and the occupied territories. Without these essentials there can be no lasting peace.
Saturday’s static demonstration will be at the bottom of Bold Street or top of Church Street.