The Palestinian Forum in Britain organized an exceptional honoring event for a number of Nakba witnesses and survivors of the massacres committed by Zionist gangs during 1948. The ceremony was held under the patronage of MP Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the Labour Party and current parliamentary leader of 'Your Party', with a remarkable presence of political figures and human rights activists.
The ceremony witnessed wide participation, including independent MPs Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohammed, in addition to representatives from the Green Party in London and Birmingham councils. Representatives from British organizations in solidarity with the Palestinian cause, and Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos, were also present at the event, alongside the families of the honorees and members of the Palestinian community in the United Kingdom.
Adnan Hamidan, head of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, affirmed in his opening speech that honoring these witnesses is a symbolic recognition of their steadfastness and continuous sacrifices for decades. Hamidan pointed out that listening to and documenting the narratives of survivors is a fundamental pillar in preserving national identity and protecting Palestinian history from attempts of obliteration and falsification.
This ceremony coincided with the commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, in which Palestinians recall the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands from their homes in 1948. Historical data indicates that the occupation displaced about 957,000 Palestinians out of 1.4 million people who lived in more than 1,300 towns and villages that were subjected to destruction and displacement.
Participants in the ceremony reviewed the extent of the tragedy left by the Nakba, where Zionist forces committed more than 70 bloody massacres that led to the martyrdom of more than 15,000 people. These events ended with the establishment of Israel on an area exceeding 85% of historical Palestine, turning the majority of the Palestinian people into refugees in the diaspora.
The event included a special honoring of Ben Jamal, CEO of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), in recognition of his long efforts in supporting Palestinian rights. Ben Jamal announced during the ceremony his stepping down from his leadership position to dedicate himself to family circumstances and caring for his sick wife, amidst widespread praise for his role in promoting the boycott and solidarity movement.
The list of honored figures included a selection of academics and activists, among them Dr. Ghada Karmi, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Haj Ali, Khalil Al-Nourisi, and Huda Al-Turk. The honoring also included Fawaz Sadeq Al-Muzaini, Walid Mousa Al-Samhan, Mahmoud Al-Agha, and Souad Al-Khatib, while Attallah Saeed and Michel Abdel Massih were honored in absentia due to their health conditions.
Artistic segments added a heritage character to the ceremony, as artists Osaid Maher and Islam Shaaban presented a bouquet of national songs that evoke nostalgia for home and return. They were accompanied by Hussein Atwi on musical instruments, while actress Sarah Al-Agha praised the documentary film produced by the forum to document live testimonies from the heart of the Nakba events.
The ceremony hall was adorned with symbols of Palestinian identity, from olive branches and thyme to the Keffiyeh and embroidered dresses representing various Palestinian cities. The seating tables bore the names of destroyed villages such as Al-Qastal, Tantura, and Lubya, in a symbolic message confirming that Palestinian memory is still alive and passed down from the generation of witnesses to the generation of youth in the diaspora.
This honoring represents the least that can be done for these figures, and it is essential to document their memories as an integral part of Palestinian memory.
שתף את דעתך
Sponsored by Jeremy Corbyn.. The Palestinian Forum in Britain honors Nakba witnesses and survivors of the 1948 massacres