44 years after Al Naksa, let's renew and double our efforts for Palestine

(CHICAGO 06/05/2011) -- Sunday, June 5, marks the 44th year since Israel waged the Six Day War against several Arab countries in the Middle East and seized the remaining 22 percent of historic Palestine, the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights.

For Palestinians, the war – referred to as ‘Al Naksa, or the setback’ -- marked the next phase in Israel’s policy of ethnically cleansing Palestine of its indigenous Palestinian population. For six deadly days in June 1967, Israeli military forces expanded their occupation to what was left of historic Palestine, after the United Nations’ partition in 1947 gave 54 percent of the land to Zionist Jews. The Jews, however, actually ended up with nearly 80 percent of Palestine after the 1948 creation of the state of Israel and the subsequent Zionist war.

During the Naksa, another 350,000 Palestinians were dispossessed of their homeland to become permanent refugees. Today, 74 percent of the Palestinian population is refugees. They make up the largest and longest-standing refugee group in the world. 

In direct contravention of international laws and several United Nations resolutions, including UN resolutions 242 and 194, Israel continues to occupy the land it acquired through war, refuses to allow refugees their guaranteed right to return to their homeland, and continues to deprive Palestinians of their basic human and civil rights. Then as now, it commits these crimes with impunity because of the unconditional financial, military and diplomatic support it receives from the United States.

Since the Six Day War, Israel has demolished about 25,000 homes in the West Bank and Gaza; demolished about 2,000 homes in East Jerusalem; closed 26 percent of the West Bank as military zones or nature areas; detained roughly 20 percent of the total population – more than 700,000 people; begun the construction of the Apartheid Wall which, when complete, will annex another 12 percent of Palestinian land; and moved more than 500,000 colonizers into more than 200 colonial settlements and outposts in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Israel’s human rights abuses and ethnic cleansing strategies have only gotten worse in the last 44 years in spite of numerous peace initiatives that have taken place. Currently, there are 20,000 outstanding home demolition orders in Jerusalem today. Israel has had Gaza under a total blockade since June 2007. Since then, nearly 400 Palestinians in Gaza have died for lack of access to adequate medical treatment. Though Egypt has opened the Rafah border crossing, it is open for travelers’ passage only. Commercial goods still are required to go through boarder crossings with Israel and most items still are banned. Many of the Palestinians affected by the Apartheid Wall must obtain permits to continue living in their own homes.

Yet, despite these grim statistics, Palestinians and their supporters worldwide have much reason for hope this year. The democratic changes that came to Egypt and Tunisia, and the continued struggle for self-determination and liberty elsewhere in the Middle East, show that a major paradigm shift is taking place throughout the Arab world, where popular and peaceful resistance is proving to be the path to freedom. And as Palestinians have peacefully resisted their occupation for decades, there is now tangible hope that freedom finally is on the horizon.

With this in mind, the American Muslims for Palestine encourages its supporters and all people of conscience to renew and double their efforts on behalf of the cause for Palestine. AMP encourages you all to sign up for our email list so you can receive action alerts and other calls to action; educate yourselves with AMP’s suggested reading list; and to join our Media Team. 

AMP also asks you to donate so it can continue its mission of educating the American public.