Palestinians in Israel Demand Refugee Return on ‘Nakba’ Anniversary

People take part in a march in support of the Palestinian people ahead of the Nakba day at the Kasayir village, in Haifa, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (AP)
People take part in a march in support of the Palestinian people ahead of the Nakba day at the Kasayir village, in Haifa, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (AP)
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Palestinians in Israel Demand Refugee Return on ‘Nakba’ Anniversary

People take part in a march in support of the Palestinian people ahead of the Nakba day at the Kasayir village, in Haifa, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (AP)
People take part in a march in support of the Palestinian people ahead of the Nakba day at the Kasayir village, in Haifa, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (AP)

Thousands of flag-waving Palestinians marched in northern Israel on Tuesday to commemorate the flight and forced flight of Palestinians during the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation, and to demand the right of refugees to return.

Many of the about 3,000 people also called for an end to the war in Gaza as they took part in the march near the city of Haifa marking the "Nakba", or "catastrophe", when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out during the 1948 war that accompanied Israel's creation.

Many held up Palestinian flags and wore keffiyeh head scarves during the annual Return March, a rare Palestinian demonstration permitted to go ahead in Israel as the war in the Gaza Strip rages on.

Many clutched water bottles, and some pushed strollers, as they marched along a dirt path. One person held aloft half a watermelon, which became a Palestinian symbol after Israeli bans on the flag because of its red, green and black colors. Others called for Palestinians to be freed from Israeli occupation.

"This is part of our liberation," said Fidaa Shehadeh, coordinator of the Women Against Weapons Coalition and former member of the Lydd Municipality Council. "It's not only about ending the occupation but also about allowing all refugees the ability to return to the homeland."

Some 700,000 Palestinians left or were forced to flee their homes during the 1948 war. Shehadeh said her family was forcibly displaced from the coastal village of Majdal Asqalan, with some fleeing to the city of Lydd in what became Israel and others to Gaza. She considered herself an internally displaced person.

She said "refugees remain refugees" 76 years later.

Shehadeh said her uncles and aunts in Gaza, whom she said she was last able to visit in 2008 with Israeli approval, are now displaced again as they try to escape Israel's bombardment.

They do not know if or when they will be able to return to their homes, she said.

Shehadeh said she travels to the West Bank almost weekly to top up e-SIMs for her Gaza relatives so that they can remain in contact.

"Sometimes we wait for days to receive a 'good morning' message, that's how we know whoever sent it is still alive," she said.

Over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza war, Gaza health officials say. Israel began its offensive in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas, after the Oct. 7 raid led by gunmen from the group in which 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 253 abducted, according to Israeli tallies.

Palestinians living in Israel hold Palestinian flags as they take part in the annual Return March to mark the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, the "catastrophe" of their mass dispossession in the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation, near Haifa, in northern Israel, May 14, 2024. (Reuters)

ARABS IN ISRAEL

Arabs make up about a fifth of Israel's population. They hold Israeli citizenship while many identify with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

Every year, participants of the march, among them descendants of Palestinians who were internally displaced during the 1948 war, visit a different village that was destroyed or depopulated by Zionist militias.

Israel rejects the Palestinian right of return as a demographic threat to a country it describes as the nation-state of the Jewish people. It has said Palestinian refugees must settle in their host countries or in a future Palestinian state.

Kareem Ali, 12, held a sign reading "My grandparents lived in Kasayir" as he marched beside his father, Hamdan, referring to one of the villages being remembered this year. The family now resides in Shefa'amr in northern Israel.

For many years, Hamdan's father, a farmer, would pass by the depopulated village and pick figs from a tree that remained, Hamdan said.

"Our memory is our power," he said.

Some Arab citizens say they have experienced increased hostility during the Gaza war, with hundreds facing criminal proceedings, disciplinary hearings and expulsions from universities or jobs, Haifa-based rights group Adalah says.

Israeli police have said they are combating incitement to violence.

BADIL, a Bethlehem-based organization advocating for refugee rights, estimated that by the end of 2021 some 65% of 14 million Palestinians globally were forcibly displaced persons, including refugees and citizens of Israel who were internally displaced.

Some 5.9 million people are registered with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). Most people in Gaza are refugees.



Israeli Airstrikes in South Lebanon Signal Shift with Use of Bunker-Busting Bombs

Thick smoke rises over Nabatieh as a result of intense Israeli airstrikes targeting the area (EPA). 
Thick smoke rises over Nabatieh as a result of intense Israeli airstrikes targeting the area (EPA). 
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Israeli Airstrikes in South Lebanon Signal Shift with Use of Bunker-Busting Bombs

Thick smoke rises over Nabatieh as a result of intense Israeli airstrikes targeting the area (EPA). 
Thick smoke rises over Nabatieh as a result of intense Israeli airstrikes targeting the area (EPA). 

In a sharp escalation of military activity, Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon in recent days have carried significant military and political signals—most notably the unprecedented use of bunker-busting bombs in the area.

According to defense analysts, the deployment of such high-impact munitions marks a turning point in Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, targeting suspected underground infrastructure in the mountainous regions near the city of Nabatieh. These types of bombs had previously only been used in high-profile assassinations of Hezbollah figures, including former secretaries-general Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddin.

The Israeli military claimed the strikes destroyed Hezbollah tunnels, though the announcement has sparked debate over the accuracy and intent of the operation. The area struck is densely populated, and while Hezbollah is known to construct tunnels in remote areas such as valleys and hills, some experts argue that mountainous terrain is ideal for such activities.

“Tunnels are often built into mountains due to the ease of excavation and movement, as well as the ability to conceal entrances and exits,” said Brig. Gen. Khalil Helou, a retired military strategist. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, he noted that the intensification of Israeli operations in the south is not only militarily significant but also sends a strategic message to Tehran and to US-Iran nuclear negotiators.

“This could be part of a broader preparation for a major military confrontation with Iran,” Helou said, referencing recent remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who warned that Iran would face the same fate as its regional proxies—Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.

The Israeli claims appear to align with Hezbollah’s own disclosures. In a video released in the summer of 2024 titled “Our Mountains Are Our Storehouses,” Hezbollah showcased vast tunnel systems in southern Lebanon capable of accommodating vehicles and fighters. One such network, dubbed “Imad 4,” was named after Hezbollah’s former military chief Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated by Israel in Damascus in 2008.

Brig. Gen. Hassan Jouni, a defense and security expert, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel’s use of deep-penetrating munitions signals a new phase in its targeting strategy. “These are no longer symbolic strikes,” he said. “They reflect a belief that Hezbollah has built strategic underground infrastructure, weapons depots, and possibly command centers in these areas.”

Analysts say Israel is seeking to reshape the strategic landscape in Lebanon ahead of—or in defiance of—a possible nuclear deal between the US and Iran. Helou believes the strikes are intended to deliver a strong message that Israel will not be bound by any diplomatic agreement between Washington and Tehran.

He also said the military pressure is designed to raise public dissatisfaction within Hezbollah’s support base and increase pressure on Lebanese leaders to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament and the extension of state authority north of the Litani River.

“Israel wants to keep the initiative and maintain the upper hand,” Helou said. “Its goal is to force Hezbollah into a defensive posture and dictate the terms of engagement.”