National Day of Mourning to Commemorate Palestinian Nakba Today

Date: 08 / 05 / 2008 Time: 10:48
Ramallah - Ma'an -

A national day of mourning will be held across the Palestinian territories on Thursday to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe).

Palestinian and black flags will be raised on roof tops of buildings, a partial public strike will be conducted between 12-1 am on Thursday in addition to demonstrations in cities across the West Bank.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the National Committee for Commemorating the Nakba called for all Palestinians to participate in the action in protest at " the celebrations by the state of occupation [Israel] at its establishment on the remains of Palestinian cities and villages by expressing the clinging of the Palestinians of their 'Right of Return' which is a legitimate right."

Meanwhile, the High National Committee for Commemorating the Nakba and the subsidiary committee of the Al-Bireh and Ramallah have begun preparations for a ten day camp near the presidential compound in Ramallah that will include national activities, symposiums, cultural and art exhibitions and oral narration from refugees expelled from their homeland.
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Omer 'Asaf, a member of the committee said that "over the coming 12 hours there will be live television broadcasts of protests from the cities of Ramallah, Beirut, Cairo and Paris in addition to other activities including a lecture on ' Palestine… history and geography', a gallery, and documentaries and the distributing of pamphlets for the youths and children."

Among other activities to commemorate the Nakba, the cultural centre of the village of Beit A'nan and a number of the organizations of the civil community in the area of north west of Jerusalem will organize a rally on Friday afternoon. More than 500 children will participate, each wearing a uniform carrying banners, keys and Palestinian flags under the slogan " so that we will not live the Nakba twice."

The rally will set out from a local school in the nearby village of Beit Ijza to the adjacent village of Bedu, where a festival will be held commemorating the Nakba.

Live broadcast from Ramallah to mark 60th anniversary of the Nakba

Date: 08 / 05 / 2008 Time: 15:43
Ramallah – Ma'an –

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad attended the announcement of the beginning of activities to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe) in Ramallah in the central West Bank on Thursday.

The governor of Ramallah and Al-Bira, Said Abu Ali, Secretary General of the Palestinian People's Party, Bassam As-Salhi, Archbishop Atallah Hanna attended the announcement amongst several other leaders and dignitaries.

All activities are scheduled to be held in a special camp named "Al-Awda" near the Palestinian security compound (Al-Muqata'a). Several tents and posters have been erected representing the Palestinian cities and village whose residents were forcibly displaced in 1948.

The Higher National Committee for commemorating the sixtieth Nakba supervised the establishment of the camp which includes a studio built by Ma'an news agency in cooperation with Palestine TV, and Badil centre for Palestinian refugees rights.

There will also be live transmission by Pal Media and PNCC.

The studio will transmit live interviews with political, social and literary dignitaries from Ramallah, Gaza, Nazareth, Damascus, Beirut and Amman.

Dozens of reporters and cameramen representing Arab, international and local media outlets attended the opening announcement.

Christian intellectuals ask their religious leaders to boycott Israeli celebrations

Date: 08 / 05 / 2008 Time: 11:51
Jerusalem – Ma'an –

A group of Christian academics, intellectuals, lawmakers and university students on Thursday sent a message to the heads of Christian sects in the Palestinian territories asking them to boycott Israeli celebrations of Independence Day and abstain from sending congratulation messages to the Israelis.

They say in their message that congratulating the Israelis on this occasion means "blessing the occupation and the displacement of the Palestinians from their lands and towns."

The message also demanded the tolling bells in churches on Thursday 8 May and Wednesday 14 May to mourn the killing of Palestinians and the forcible displacement of more than two thirds of the Palestinian people from their lands.

The message also highlighted that Israel after sixty years still insists on building more settlements in the Palestinian territories and refuses the two-state solution which has been internationally agreed upon. Israel also refuses to recognize the Palestinian refugees' right to return to their towns and lands from which they were displaced.

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