Katherine Hajiyianni draws the line from the 1948 Nakba to Israel’s escalating genocide in Gaza, and makes the case for ramping up the solidarity movement

This May marks the 77th anniversary of the Nakba or ‘catastrophe’ of 1948 when over 15,000 Palestinians were massacred and 750,000 forced from their homes by Zionist militias to make way for the settler-colonial state of Israel. But Israel’s systematic displacement and dispossession of Palestinians has continued ever since, and never more brutally than now.

As it enters its twentieth month, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than three times as many as the original Nakba. Since violating the ceasefire agreement, Israel has run a starvation campaign. No aid, food, water or fuel has reached Gaza’s 2.3 million residents since then.

Meanwhile the IDF is continuing airstrikes and has expanded ground operations. The facade of ‘humanitarian safe zones’ has been discarded. Al-Mawasi, the only remaining evacuation site designated by the Israeli army, has been bombed at least 23 times since the collapse of the ceasefire, with men, women and children being burned alive in their tents. The Lancet medical journal reports that life expectancy in Gaza has fallen from 75.5 in 2023 to just 40.6.

Those of us observing the horror unfold from the imperial core must not despair. We are uniquely placed to use our collective power to pressure our government to stop supporting Israel. Polling shows that most British people sympathise with Palestine, and cracks are beginning to appear amongst even the most pro-Israel of British institutions. Thirty-six members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews recently broke ranks to sign an open letter criticising Israel over Gaza.

In the last twenty months we have built a movement for Palestine here unprecedented in its scale and consistency. We must approach this upcoming Nakba anniversary with a renewed commitment. On 15 May the Palestine coalition is holding a national workplace day of action for Palestine, supported by the TUC. Everyone can use this opportunity to bring the Palestine conversation into the workplace and encourage others to join us in the fight.

There is everything to play for. Anger against the government is growing on all fronts. The 17 May Nakba demonstration in London needs to be another massive display of the breadth of pro-Palestine feeling. Links can be made with the ‘welfare not warfare’ campaign and the anti-austerity movement. It must also be the launchpad for a further wave of action around the country for Palestine.

From this month’s Counterfire freesheet