The PROMISE TO RETURN
On the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, the Palestinian Youth Movement in partnership with Writers Against the War on Gaza, launched the Nakba Day edition of The New York War Crimes. Over 50,000 copies of the newspaper were distributed across over 20 cities in North America and Europe.
In it are texts that articulate clearly the antagonistic contradiction between Palestinian liberation and Zionism, between imperialism and Arab sovereignty, demonstrating unequivocally that the two can never co-exist. The horrors of this moment then, are not only reflections of Zionism’s barbaric nature, but are also a reflection of the strength of our will to resist, to remain, and to return. For as long as Zionism attempts to eradicate us, we know we have not been defeated Across these eight pages are stories of displacement, imprisonment, and martyrdom, which testify to the promise of resistance and return.
Across eight pages are stories of displacement, imprisonment, and martyrdom, which testify to the promise of resistance and return. Through archival research, translated works, and new writing, the Nakba ‘77 issue is a vindication of our people’s resolve, of their unshakable refusal to compromise and capitulate.
The paper also features the first-ever English translation of Basel al-Araj’s essay “The Wounded Memory of the Nakba”. In harrowing detail, it describes several theaters of extermination during the Zionist colonization of Palestine in 1947-49. Translated by Alex Jreisat, the text was generously provided by Safarjal Press, who in consultation with al-Araj’s family and friends have edited a full English translation of al-Araj’s I HAVE FOUND MY ANSWERS (2018), where this essay was first published in Arabic.
Few Palestinian survivors of May 1948 remain alive with us today. Yet the scale and distance of 77 years should not dissuade us. In the words of Nakba survivor Ahmed Qasim Ubayd, whose testimony is featured in this issue: “Everyone we’re talking about is dead now; we’re here talking about memories. It’s so that the generation that comes after us understands the value of the homeland.”
Let their memories renew our commitment to the struggle and the homeland. Let their sacrifices serve as that steadfast flame, lit by the first generation and passed on by each subsequent one, guiding us forward on the road to liberation and return.
