May 15 is Nakba Day, when Palestinians commemorate the creation of Israel and subsequent Palestinian displacement and dispossession. Shortly after the day this year, a controversial piece of legislation was proposed in the Knesset banning commemoration of the Nakba. Two other bills were recently proposed, one introducing a pledge of allegiance to Israel as a Jewish state, and another criminalising public denial of Israel as a Jewish state. While the “loyalty law” has been rejected, and the Nakba bill has been amended, the fact that the bills were introduced at all has prompted debate and protest.
It’s me has been contemplating the annual Nakba commemorations:
ولكن دوماً لا أدع الØرو٠تقتلني بالداخل .. Ùلتخرج ويقتلني Ø£Øدهم
النكبة ..
خيمة .. وكرت أزرق .. ومÙØªØ§Ø .. وآمال كاذبة
ومصطلØات كـ ( باقون – عائدون – لاجئون … الخ )
ومادة دسمة للمتØذلقين أشكالي .. هذه المرة لم أكن أريد ولكن Øوار ØµØ¨Ø§Ø ÙŠÙˆÙ… مع
أمي أو أي أم .. كان
” أنا : يمّه اليوم ذكرى النكبة
الأم : تنهيدة .. كل يوم ÙÙŠ نكبة وكل يوم ÙÙŠ ذكرى وكل يوم ÙÙŠ اØتÙال “
وصمت مطبق..
However, as long as I don’t put the words down they kill me from inside. So let them come out…and one of them will kill me.
The Nakba.
A tent… a blue card [given to refugees]…and a key…and deluded hopes.
And expressions such as “holding on”, “we will return”, “refugees”…and so on.
A substantial subject for pedants such as I…This time I didn’t want to [write], but a discussion this morning with my mother – or with any mother – was as follows:
Me: Mother, today is the commemoration of the Nakba.
Mother: [sighing] Every day there is a nakba, every day there is an commemoration, every day there is a celebration.
Total silence.
Reacting to the “loyalty law”, The Other Door has written a sarcastic post in the personae of various Palestinian citizens of Israel:
انا سليمة الجبيلي, ÙˆØياة رØمة ابوي بترابه Ø±Ø Ø£ÙƒÙˆÙ† مخلصة لإسرائيل ÙˆØ±Ø Ø£Ø·Ø¨Ø® بس خبيزة كشير.
انا سليمان لدواي, اقسم بالله العظيم اني كنت عار٠وسميت بنتي الكبيرة ولاء تيمناً بالولاء لدولة ليبرمان, وانا وكل العيلة Ø±Ø Ù†ÙƒÙˆÙ† مخلصين للدولة , منشوÙكو ÙÙŠ بارك هيركون يوم عيد الاستقلال , Ù…Ø³Ù…ÙˆØ ÙŠÙوتوا عرب صØØŸ
انا Ù…Øمود ابو دقة سموني Ù…Øمود على أسم سيدي اللي استشهد مع الÙدائية بال 71 سيدي استشهد من اجل الوطن وانا Ø±Ø Ø£ÙƒÙ…Ù„ طريقه واقسم يمين الولاء لدولة اسرئيل .
I am Salima Al Jebaili. On the soul of my dead father, I swear I will be loyal to Israel and bake only kosher bread.
I am Sulaiman Ladwai. I swear by Almighty God that I knew and named my eldest daughter Walaa’ [loyalty] as a premonition of allegiance to the state of Lieberman. My whole family and I will be loyal to the state. We will see you at Yarkon Park on Independence Day. Arabs are allowed to enter, right?
I am Mahmoud Abu Daqa. I was called Mahmoud after my grandfather who was martyred with the resistance fighters in ’71. My grandfather was martyred for the sake of the nation, and I will continue on his path, and swear an oath of allegiance to the State of Israel.
[…]
أنا نورة مجدلاوي , اصØابي بينادوني نوريت , وانتو كمان كئيلو بتغدروا…انا متخايÙت إني أكون نئمانة لمدينة وكمان مكيغا با كمدينة يوديت ديموكغاتيت, وبتمنى السلام ÙŠØÙ„ ÙÙŠ كل دول العالم زي ما ØÙ„ علينا. وبدي ابعث تØية لأصØابي من الخدمة المدنية ÙÙŠ مستشÙÙ‰ نهاريا.
انا مراد العبد, ÙˆØياة الله ÙˆØياة الجامع والانبيا ÙˆØياة Øبي ÙˆØبك ÙˆØياة عيوني اللي انشاللة يوكلها الدود إذا بكزب ÙˆØياة السما ÙˆØياة امي ÙˆØياة بيضات ابوي ÙˆØياة الشرميط , ÙˆØياة نجلاء ÙتØÙŠ اني بØب اسرئيل وانه اØنا ضد الارهاب …
[…]
I am Nora Majdalawi and my friends call me Nurit [a Jewish name].You too all seem to betray… I am committed to be loyal to the state and also recognise it as a democratic Jewish state. I hope peace will manifest itself every country of the world, just has as it has for us. I would like to send greetings to my friends in the civil defence at Nahariya Hospital.
I am Murad Al Abed. I swear by God, by the mosque and by the prophets, by my love and your love, by my eyes (which I hope will be eaten by worms if I lie), by heaven, by my mother, by my father’s testicles, by prostitutes, and by the life of Najla Fathi, that I love Israel, and that we are against terrorism.
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