The Alternative Angle

The topic of Displaced Persons (DP) so far throughout this class has been a consistently notable one. Looking at simply those people who had their land destroyed living in Europe, or those Jewish people looking to escape persecution along with the Zionist approach, there are a wide variety of perspectives that have been previously considered throughout the texts analyzed so far. However, there is one perspective to consider that before this blogpost I had failed to consider fully, which is what happened to those people living in Palestine, before the state of Israel was created. The suffering of these people has been misrepresented historically, as they were forcefully removed and became displaced persons who had everything taken from them. 

These DPs that were being kicked out of Palestine had no say in whether or not they got to stay, with the British and Zionist forces taking their land in order to establish Israel. For these families, there are certain instances in which they were forced out and were unprepared for their exit, which creates a variety of problems for them. An example of this can be seen in the reading from Ghassan Kanafani, titled, ‘Returning to Haifa’, which tells the story of one particular family, and the struggles that they endured due to their only option of fleeing the city. One excerpt from this text states, “‘Apparently, the miracle the Jews talked about was nothing but an illusion. There’s a strong negative reaction in this country, exactly the opposite of what they wanted when they opened their border to us. That’s why, Satiyya, I expect them to rescind the order soon’” (Kanafani, p. 160). In the context of this excerpt, the husband named Said is explaining his justification to his wife for why they should go back and visit Palestine 20 years after they were forced to flee the country. With this quote, the reader is able to better understand the sentiment that the author is trying to convey, by including the story of this couple going back to their home in Palestine. However, as the story goes on and they enter into their old house and are confronted with the new people who are living there, Said is left frustrated and wishing that he had never returned to Palestine to begin with.  Additionally, there were other examples of Palestinians who were able to resist the change of power and establishment of Israel, and remain in their homeland. The persistence required from these people to continue to live within their nation, despite all of the adversity and circumstances, speaks volumes of their character. Some of these stories along with others can be seen in the text by Lila Abu-Lughod, ‘Nakba, Palestine 1948, and the Claims of Memory’ which contains a story with a variety of different aspects, such some Palestinians who managed to remain in the area, and the majority of other former Palestinians who became displaced and were forced to immigrate elsewhere . An excerpt from the reading states, “Not everyone fled Palestine in 1948, of course. Some Palestinians stayed on the land within the expanding territorial control of the Israeli state declared on May 15, 1948. Hanging on to their own villages or setting up near them, or staying in their cities, they would watch their world transform before their eyes” (Abu-Lughod, p. 77). Although the main storyline that the author is focusing on is Abu-Lughod’s father, and his experiences with immigrating to the U.S. and ultimately his struggles with returning to Palestine, this concept that some people were willing to do whatever it takes to remain in their homeland is fascinating to me. The idea that some people have such a sentimental and deep attachment to the physical place in which they live, that they are willing to give into adaptations of culture as the Jewish people began to take control and establish Israel, is simply mind-blowing to me. However, the important part to consider is that this was only a select few Palestinians, with the majority of people being forced out of the country and left with no choice but to immigrate elsewhere.  Although certainly not identical, these two authors have a significant amount of overlap in the stories in which they have told. With both of these authors telling stories mainly focusing on certain families which have been displaced from their lives in Palestine, the stories are destined for a variety of similarities. However, the story from Kanafani seems to be more of just that, a story, whereas the story from Abu-Lughod seems to be more informative and emphasizes the impacts of these issues throughout the story of her father in present day. Ultimately, these two authors are both writing about the oppressive and aggressive nature of the Jewish people who had to steal Palestine away from the citizens who lived there, and the after effects felt by those DPs left traumatized by the injustice of the Israeli people as a whole.