A brand new ‘nakba’
The word “nakba” means “tragedy” for Palestinian nationals. It tells the story of the Palestinians who were forced to leave their homes or were killed after the Arab-Israeli War following Israel’s declaration of independence on May 14, 1948.
Each year on May 15, this “tragedy” is commemorated by Palestinians with marches and protests.
On May 13, one million people were preparing to march in demonstrations in Gaza.
Then, all of a sudden, United States President Donald Trump unexpectedly pressed the start button to move their embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in a much disputed step after declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel back in December 2017.
It was when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “This is a glorious day” as songs by Leonard Cohen played in the background and Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner applauded as the word “nakba” had taken on a different meaning.
On the other side of things, the Israeli army fire opened fire on Palestinian nationals. At least 60 people lost their lives and this number includes children. More than 2,000 persons were wounded in the incidents.
Looking at the picture, the pain of Palestine remains—and the word “nakba” now has a heavier feel to it on the 70th anniversary of original events.
And despite the trending topics on social media, saying “Palestine is not alone,” I do believe Palestine is very much on its own.
Arab nations especially become experts when it comes to turning the other cheek in such situations. Even the condemnations coming from Western leaders are more effective, I’d say.
And despite all the protests by young Jewish citizens in front of the White House in D.C. and even demonstrations made in Jerusalem by Israelis, Trump pressed the button and took a step into a world in which it is now even easier for an aggressive Arab and an aggressive Israeli to come head-to-head. This was perhaps done at the sake of winking at lobbying powers in the American capital and to gain a stronger hand in Middle East politics.
Hopefully, he has not yet set the planet on fire.
The times we live in stand as an especially absurd episode during which the most irresponsible and individualistic leaders are in charge of their countries.
Talking about our planet
Back in the day, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were getting ready to head to the moon in a western American desert in 1969.
One Native American approached them and asked what they were doing.
After learning that the men were preparing for their mission to the moon, he asked for a great gesture.
“We have a message for the souls we believe live on the moon. Could you please pass on our message?” the Native American asked.
However, to Aldrin and Armstrong’s disappointment, the Native American did not tell them what the message meant.
“This is a tribal secret and we cannot tell you what it is,” the local of the land said.
The astronauts, however, were very curious about what it could mean and after finding someone who spoke the tribe’s language, they found out what the message they had memorized meant in English:
“Do not believe these men, they are here to steal your land!”
In the end, Native Americans have gone through the worst “nakba,” haven’t they?
