To mark the 73rd commemoration day of the Nakba, on May 15, Zochrot is organizing, on Saturday May 15, a Memory, Recognition and Return journey from Yaffa (Jaffa) to Beirut.
You are invited to take part in a whole-day learning tour about the Nakba, the expulsion of the Palestinians from the coastal plain in 1948, and the denial of their return to this day. The journey will take us from Jaffa through al-Tantura in the northern coastal plain, Balad a-Shaykh in the outskirts of Haifa, al-Bassa in the Western Galilee and Ras al-Naqura (Rosh HaNikra) on the border with Lebanon. Most Palestinian refugees from the north, and some of the people of Jaffa, eventually found their way into Lebanon.
The explosion in the Beirut harbor in early August 2020 once again raised questions with regard to Israel’s repeated act of aggression towards Lebanon, including the deportation of Palestinians into Lebanon and the ongoing prevention of their return. Thus, Israel forced upon Lebanon to deal with the repercussions of the Nakba for over seven decades. In our journey, we will learn about the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from the area that became the State of Israel, and the communities visited in particular. At the end of the tour, we will call for the implementation of the right of return and visualize it as essential to correcting the injustice and realizing a future of justice and true equality of all the country’s inhabitants.
Starting point: 48 HaKovshim St., al-Manshiyya Neighborhood, Jaffa, 9:00
Final destination: Rosh HaNikra, Ras al-Naqura, 18:30. Return to Jaffa by 21:00
The public is invited to join the transport or follow the route independently in each of the stations (please notify us in advance).
Travel route:
9:00-10:30 Learning tour about the Nakba in al-Manshiyya – one of the largest and finest neighborhoods of pre-1948 Jaffa. The tour will start on 48 HaKovshim St. and pass through the Hassan Bek Mosque and Charles Clore Park before ending near the Etzel House in 10:30. We will talk about the Jaffa-Tel Aviv space prior to and during the Nakba, and the moves to erase the Palestinian past and Judaize the present space. Relevant maps and photos will be shown.
11:30-12:30 Starting point: Dor Beach parking lot. Tour in the destroyed village of al-Tantura. In the visit, we will learn about the pre-Nakba village and the circumstances of its occupation, the massacre and the complete ethnic cleansing in May 1948. The almost total erasure of Tantura and the subsequent turning of the cemetery into a resort are among the most difficult sights in the Nakba.
12:30-13:00 Lunch break in al-Tantura. Please bring your own food and drink.
14:00-15:30 Starting point: Derech HaShalom 26, Nesher. Tour of Balad al-Shaykh. We will present the history of the village and the events that transpired in it, starting from late 1947. We will visit two Palestinian houses that have survived the destruction and the cemetery.
16:30-17:30 Starting point: Shlomi Industrial Park, near the square on the corner of HaHorsha and Rabbi Uziel streets (turn north in the square on Highway 899/Uziel St.). The tour of al-Bassa will introduce the village and its importance prior to the Nakba, its occupation and cleansing in mid-May 1948. We will tour the remains, including a hotel, churches and a mosque.
18:00-18:30 Ras al-Naqura (Rosh HaNikra). We will stand near the border crossing to Lebanon – as close to Beirut as we can reach, talk about the Palestinian refugees deported to Lebanon 73 years ago, and imagine their return and its implications for the local space.
The walking routes are convenient.
Suggested contribution to cover the transportation costs: 50 NIS.
The guidance will be in Hebrew, with English and Arabic interpretation as required.
To register for the transport and/or some of the tours: tours@zochrot.org
For further details, please contact Umar al-Ghubari at +972-52-8743099
