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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSupporters of Interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas cheer and wave flags after Abbas placed his vote in the ballot box at the polling station in his Muqaata Headquarters, January 9, 2005 in the West Bank town of Ramallah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This story originally appeared in <\/em>Progressive International<\/a> on May 15, 2023, and is shared with permission via the Progressive International\u2019s Wire<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n On 15 May, Palestinians will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, their violent eviction from their homes and their land by Israeli forces. Nakba means catastrophe \u2013 and how else could you describe the ethnic cleansing of two-thirds of the Palestinian population? In the words of Edward Said, Palestinians \u201chad their lives broken, their spirits drained, their composure destroyed forever in the context of seemingly unending, serial dislocation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the Nakba did not end in 1948. The persecution of the Palestinian people has spanned the three-quarters of a century since Israel\u2019s first prime minister David Ben Gurion said of some Palestinian villages: \u201cwe must wipe them out\u201d. Today, this sentiment is reflected in Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s description of Palestinians as \u201cwild beasts\u201d and in comments by the Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who said that the Palestinian town of Huwara needs to be \u201cerased\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The events of last year once again put the plight of the Palestians and cruelty of Israel\u2019s regime that dominates their lives on show for all to see. According to the UN, 2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. In May, renowned Palestinian-America journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot while reporting on an Israeli Defence Forces raid on a West Bank refugee camp and her funeral procession attacked in Jerusalem. August saw an Israeli bombing campaign kill 50 Palestinians, including children, in Gaza. One of the most right-wing governments in Israel\u2019s history took office in October as Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power; illegal settlement activity expanded. This government includes far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir as Minister for National Security. He has previously called for Palestinians who are \u201cdisloyal to Israel\u201d to be deported. This feeling is not limited to one ministry. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in 2021 said that Palestinians in Israel \u201care here by mistake\u201d because the Nakba did not finish the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the Nakba did not end in 1948. The persecution of the Palestinian people has spanned the three-quarters of a century since Israel\u2019s first prime minister David Ben Gurion said of some Palestinian villages: \u201cwe must wipe them out\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Last month, Israeli forces have once again attacked Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa mosque. Echoing the atrocities of 2021, this egregious violation of human rights has been dismissed by the British press as mere \u2018clashes\u2019. This is not the case. \u201cWith the establishment of a relationship of oppression violence has already begun,\u201d wrote Paulo Freire. \u201cViolence is initiated by those who oppress, who exploit, who fail to recognize others as persons\u2014not by those who are oppressed, exploited, and unrecognised.\u201d Freire\u2019s words remind us that, as they did in 1948, Israeli forces deny Palestinians their dignity and their rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the face of this continuing repression, Palestinian people and organisations have supported each other and pushed for justice. Their insistence on their dignity and freedom inspires so many around the world \u2013 and I fully acknowledge and admire the brave activists in every country, including Israel, that have stood up for Palestinian rights and liberation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the world\u2019s eyes turned to the FIFA World Cup in December, despite not qualifying for the tournament, the Palestinian struggle was in the spotlight. Whether it was Moroccan players raising the Palestinian flag after knocking out Spain or Tunisian fans holding up a banner which read \u2018Free Palestine\u2019, the outpouring of solidarity was a powerful reminder of global support for the Palestinian cause. In Ireland, league leaders Bohemian FC\u2019s 2023 away kit has been designed in support of the Palestinians to raise funds for children in the occupied West Bank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We must pursue the corporations that fund Palestinian oppression just as we do the states who legitimise it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In February of this year, the mayor of Barcelona terminated the city\u2019s twinning agreement with Tel Aviv, citing Israeli\u2019s \u201cApartheid policy.\u201d Barcelona\u2019s show of solidarity with the Palestinian people followed a lengthy grassroots campaign by thousands of Catalonians to get Barcelona to become the first city administration in the world to suspend relations with the State of Israel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the UK, direct action campaigns, like Palestine Action, have targeted the arms industry that supports the Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. The UK remains Israel\u2019s 4th largest arms provider and, between 2016 and 2020, sold \u00a3387 million worth of weapons to the Israeli military. Israel\u2019s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, has 10 UK sites and provides up to 85% of the land-based equipment procured by the Israeli military. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After an 18-month campaign by Palestine Action, Elbit Systems announced the permanent closure of their Oldham site in early 2022. At the end of December, it emerged that following Palestine Action\u2019s campaign, Elbit Systems were set to lose two multi-million pound contracts with the Ministry of Defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Israel\u2019s occupation, which has been declared as apartheid regime by numerous human rights organisations such as Amnesty International, relies on multiple layers of support. Overcoming it and securing justice for the Palestinians will require a coalition of solidarity which will take on each layer of this system. We must pursue the corporations that fund Palestinian oppression just as we do the states who legitimise it. We demand that the UK unconditionally recognises the state of Palestine, as the UN has done, just as we must support Palestinian movements for peace and justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our age of crisis, the fight for freedom and justice is imperative. But, as Nelson Mandela noted, \u201cwe know too well that freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, the violent eviction of Palestinians from their homes and their land, we must reaffirm that freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians. BY\u00a0JEREMY CORBYN MAY 15, 2023 (therealnews.com) Supporters of Interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas cheer and wave flags after Abbas… Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/therealnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/progressive-international.jpg?resize=691%2C184&ssl=1\")
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