NOURNEWS- Nakba day, meaning ‘Day of the Catastrophe’, is observed on 15 May every year, commemorating the displacement of 700,000 Palestinians forced to flee as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the land theft and the destruction and depopulation of hundreds of Palestinian towns and villages.
The refugees forced to seek refuge in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, often without citizenship being granted.
Many Palestinians continue to hold and treasure the keys to their lost homes, and the key has become a symbol of Palestinian right to return home.
Nakba Day commemorations typically take the form of rallies and speeches in cities around Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, with Palestinian marchers commonly brandishing placards, flags, and house keys, the latter symbols of the homes and still-deserted villages their families have not been allowed to return to.
Defending the right of existence and the right of return of the indigenous Palestinians was wrongly equated with anti-Semitism.
On May 15, millions of Palestinians living in the Palestinian territories and abroad will mark the 72nd anniversary of the Nakba.
To shed light on the issue, we reached out to American analyst and columnist Stephen Lendman.
Following is the text of our interview with him:
72 years have passed since the Israeli regime’s occupation of the Palestinian lands; where is the regime standing today in terms of identity as well as the political and social status?
The Israeli regime is concerned internationally about one thing alone — maintaining full US support no matter how egregious its policies against Palestinians and regional countries like Iran and Syria.
As long as US support continues, its ruling regimes know they can do whatever they please with impunity. The Netanyahu regime consistently and repeatedly takes full advantage.
The status of Palestinians is dismal and getting worse ahead with Israel’s planned annexation of illegal settlements, the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea, along with further areas it intends incorporating into its territory unlawfully — a major Fourth Geneva and UN Charter breach.
Resistance is the only Palestinian option — on their own because no one internally will help. The Abbas-led PA operates in cahoots with Israel regime, claiming to support the Palestinian people but its actions show otherwise.
What do the current political crises and rifts among the Israeli regime authorities, as well as the regime’s undermined security, suggest?
Internal Israeli rifts appear to be largely resolved. Benny Gantz surrendered to Netanyahu’s demands. Both figures are hostile to regional peace and Palestinian rights. Netanyahu’s trial on serious charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust is scheduled to begin in late May.
It was postponed earlier, possibly again. He’s doing whatever it takes to retain power and stay out of prison. Most Israeli’s despised him and wants him replaced. Whether he stays or goes won’t change the country’s policies.
Based on the available data on the US and Britain’s arms and financial support to the Israeli regime, how do you see the role of Washington and London in the formation and realization of the Zionist regime?
The US and NATO one-sidedly support the Israel regime at the expense of regional peace and Palestinian rights. I see nothing ahead that will change this.
The Israeli regime has been struggling to repel the Palestinians’ and Lebanese’ resistance movement in the past years; have the Zionists been successful in this regard? And will these efforts help Tel Aviv survive?
Since established in May 1948, the Israel regime has been very successful in achieving its aims and growing in strength, including as a nuclear power. The establishment of the Jewish state was a Western plot to extend its influence in a part of the world not its own, viewing Arabs as inferior people, Westerners superior, wanting control over the region’s vast oil reserves.
Western civilization is deeply flawed. Self-declaring itself superior is part of its racist attacks on others elsewhere, especially nations rich in resources the West seeks control over.
The normalization process of Arab-Israeli ties has been accelerated in recent years, and they are not hiding it anymore; what are the main reasons behind such measures by the Israeli regime?
Most Arab states sold out to the US-led West long ago, allowing themselves to be exploited instead of uniting to resist and maintain their independence.
The US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to al-Quds in 2017; how much did this measure favor the legalization process of the Zionist regime?
Moving the US embassy to Quds was symbolic, but also something Israeli regime long sought as a way to make its illegitimacy look legitimate. It’s a short-term gain I don’t believe will stand the test of time.
The Israel regime is a rogue regime. Long term it’s sowing its own demise as a regional power, the same thing true of the US globally. It’s a declining power while China, Russia, Iran, and other nations are rising. That’s the future but things play out slowly.
MEHRNEWS