When understanding the ramifications of the Second World War, it must be understood that the surrender of Japan did not mark the end of difficulties across the globe. For instance, the war brought about a level of human displacement throughout the globe which had never been seen before in the history of mankind. Many people were separated from their families, either by necessity or through force, and were never able to return to the place that they once called home. For those who did return to their homeland at the conclusion of the war, many faced a series of challenges that made returning to a life of normalcy nearly impossible. The place that was once home for many of them had now been occupied by strangers or simply reduced to rubble, as was the case of many displaced persons in Europe.
In the novel by Ghassan Kanafani titled Returning to Haifa (1969) a story is told of Said and Safeyya who fled their homes in Haifa in 1948. Twenty years later, however, they return to their home only to find that everything has changed. Their previous home in Haifa is now occupied by a widow named Miriam. At one point in the novel, Said questions what it means to even belong to a homeland. In the novel, he says, “I said what is a homeland? I was asking myself the question a moment ago. Naturally. What is a homeland? Is it these two chairs that remained in this room for twenty years? The table? Peacock feathers? The picture of Jerusalem on the wall? The copper lock? The oak tree? The balcony? What is a homeland? Khaldun? Our illusions him? Fathers? Their Sons? What is a homeland.” It is clear that at this point in the novel, Said is having trouble understanding his place in the world. With his homeland now occupied by other people, he does not know exactly what he is supposed to call “home.” This thought of no longer having a homeland was common among Palestinians as many of them returned to their homes to find that foreigners, many of them Jewish, were already there.
So, many Palestinians did not know where to turn. Their homes had been given away and their way of life was gone. Even today, the state of Israel continues to be a hotly debated subject. Did the Jews have the right to claim the territory as their own? Do the Palestinians deserve to live within the Jewish state of Israel? Because of so many questions, intense animosity has developed in this area between the state of Israel and the surrounding countries. Iran, for example, has pledged to wipe Israel from the Earth. All of this resulted from World War II. The displacement of Jews in Europe led to them traveling to their “promised land” and setting up a Jewish state of Israel and the problems that were caused by the war are still, in some ways, to this day left unsolved.
Ghassan Kanafani, Returning to Haifa (2000).pdf
Pictured here are Arabs fleeing the city of Haifa in 1948
I think you did a really good job asking those questions at the end of your blog, because it is a good question. Do the Jews have a right to Palestine? All through history three of the world’s most dominant religions have fought over that land so it is a valid question. I think you did a really good job with your blog!
I think it is a very interesting, and almost ironic situation, that the Jewish displaced persons created Arab displaced persons in Palestine. I find it hard to justify the movement of one group of people if it displaces another group intentionally. again, as we mentioned in class, this is a trend that has been constantly repeated through out history. I like how you ended your blog with the question of did the Jews have right to Palestine. I think in a sense, yes they do have a right to return to Palestine. However, I think they have no more right to Palestine than the Arabs, who have lived there for 100s of years, do.
The questions at the end of the blog demand attention. I think that the tragedies that have occurred on both sides are either thought of as either a modern issue or as a historical issue, but rarely both at the same time. Sometimes its easier to just throw a label on the issue altogether. I would very much enjoy reading more about the feelings and opinions of the inhabitants of the Israel/Palestine land and how they have changed throughout generations.