Come join us for a "die-in" in the Student Center!
The purpose of this event is to remember the 62nd Anniversary of Al Nakba and raise awareness of the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine today.
What is a "die-in?" A die-in is a form of protest where participants lie on the ground, pretending to be dead. This tactic has been used in recent years by universities across the nation to protest the injustices of the Iraq War, the Israeli occupation of Palestine, as well as many other atrocities going on all around the world.
Bring your flags and keffiyehs!
Following the "die-in," we will have a "speak-out" where protesters can express themselves through performance, spoken word, poetry, song, or simple dialogue and discussion.
What is "Al Nakba?" Al Nakba (Arabic for "The Catastrophe"), refers to the ethnic cleansing of native Palestinian peoples during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. From December 1947 until November 1948, Israeli Zionists forces (namely the Irgun, Lehi, Haganah terrorist gangs) expelled approximately 750, 000 indigenous Palestinians--2/3 of the population--from their homes.
Hundreds of Palestinians were also murdered for refusing to leave their homes. The most notable massacre is the Deir Yassin Massacre, in which an estimated 120 Palestinian civilians were brutally murdered by an Irgun-Lehi force. About 40 massacres were carried out by Zionist forces in just the summer of 1948.
According to Israeli historian, Ilan Pappé, "In a matter of seven months, 531 villages were destroyed and 11 urban neighborhoods emptied."
Palestinians were forced out of Palestine and into neighboring countries (i.e. Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan), where they lived in refugee camps. Many were also sent to camps in West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Most Palestinian towns were demolished and taken by the newly established Israeli government to make room for new Jewish immigrants. Palestinian infrastructures were destroyed and rebuilt, and villages with Arabic names were changed to Hebrew. This signified the end of historical Palestine and the birth of modern-day Israel.
Al Nakba marked the beginning of the Palestinian refugee crisis. Al Nakba destroyed a thriving and diverse Palestinian society and scattered the native Palestinian people into diaspora. According to the UNRWA, the number of registered Palestinian refugees today is approximately 4.5 million. These refugees are dispersed throughout the world, many of which are still living in poverty-stricken refugee camps.
Israel has since refused to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, and has refused to pay them compensation as required by UN General Assembly Resolution 194, which was passed on December 11, 1948.
For any additional information about Al Nakba, please visit the following sites:
http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.htm
http://www.palestineremembered.com
http://www.nakba-archive.org
http://www.alnakba.org
http://www.nakbainhebrew.org
For more information about the protest, email sjpdepaul@gmail.com
The purpose of this event is to remember the 62nd Anniversary of Al Nakba and raise awareness of the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine today.
What is a "die-in?" A die-in is a form of protest where participants lie on the ground, pretending to be dead. This tactic has been used in recent years by universities across the nation to protest the injustices of the Iraq War, the Israeli occupation of Palestine, as well as many other atrocities going on all around the world.
Bring your flags and keffiyehs!
Following the "die-in," we will have a "speak-out" where protesters can express themselves through performance, spoken word, poetry, song, or simple dialogue and discussion.
What is "Al Nakba?" Al Nakba (Arabic for "The Catastrophe"), refers to the ethnic cleansing of native Palestinian peoples during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. From December 1947 until November 1948, Israeli Zionists forces (namely the Irgun, Lehi, Haganah terrorist gangs) expelled approximately 750, 000 indigenous Palestinians--2/3 of the population--from their homes.
Hundreds of Palestinians were also murdered for refusing to leave their homes. The most notable massacre is the Deir Yassin Massacre, in which an estimated 120 Palestinian civilians were brutally murdered by an Irgun-Lehi force. About 40 massacres were carried out by Zionist forces in just the summer of 1948.
According to Israeli historian, Ilan Pappé, "In a matter of seven months, 531 villages were destroyed and 11 urban neighborhoods emptied."
Palestinians were forced out of Palestine and into neighboring countries (i.e. Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan), where they lived in refugee camps. Many were also sent to camps in West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Most Palestinian towns were demolished and taken by the newly established Israeli government to make room for new Jewish immigrants. Palestinian infrastructures were destroyed and rebuilt, and villages with Arabic names were changed to Hebrew. This signified the end of historical Palestine and the birth of modern-day Israel.
Al Nakba marked the beginning of the Palestinian refugee crisis. Al Nakba destroyed a thriving and diverse Palestinian society and scattered the native Palestinian people into diaspora. According to the UNRWA, the number of registered Palestinian refugees today is approximately 4.5 million. These refugees are dispersed throughout the world, many of which are still living in poverty-stricken refugee camps.
Israel has since refused to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, and has refused to pay them compensation as required by UN General Assembly Resolution 194, which was passed on December 11, 1948.
For any additional information about Al Nakba, please visit the following sites:
http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.htm
http://www.palestineremembered.com
http://www.nakba-archive.org
http://www.alnakba.org
http://www.nakbainhebrew.org
For more information about the protest, email sjpdepaul@gmail.com
