ISRAEL: Two sides to anniversary; Palestinians mark ‘catastrophe’

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Israel celebrated the 60th anniversary of its birth this week with fireworks, skywriting jet planes and numerous blue-and-white Star of David flags.

But for Palestinians, both inside Israel and in the occupied West Bank and blockaded Gaza Strip, it’s a whole different anniversary. Due to differing calenders, Palestinians mark Israel’s creation on May 15 and call it Al Nakba, the catastrophe.

Today, as part of a week of commemorative rallies and vigils leading up to May 15, several hundred Palestinian, Israeli and international activists held a silent march through mostly Jewish West Jerusalem.

There were no slogans, no banners and no Palestinian flags. With participants holding maps and following a bullhorn-holding leader, the march seemed like some sort of architectural tour.

Marchers wearing black T-shirts that read ‘Nakba survivor’ stopped at several homes in the Talbiyeh neighborhood. Elderly Palestinians would emerge from the crowd to recount memories of the home their families fled in 1948, many still holding the house keys and assuming they would return when the Arab-Jewish hostilities died down.

—Ashraf Khalil in Jerusalem

Photos by Ashraf Khalil