[Imc-birmingham] [Fwd: WMPSC NAKBA EVENT Saturday 11 October]

[Shiar]

From: West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign -pscwm at yahoo.co.uk

West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign

NAKBA COMEMORATION

SATURDAY 11 OCTOBER 11.30 A.M. TO 4.30 P.M.

VICTORIA SQUARE, BIRMINGHAM

This year, 2008, is the 60th anniversary of what the Palestinians refer to
as the Nakba (i.e. the catastrophe) also known as the ethnic cleansing of
Palestine. We are commemorating this event on Saturday with an event to
highlight the situation of Palestinian refugees and to win support for their
right to return

We will have a tent with displays of photographs, maps and cultural items.
We will be leafleting and collecting signatures for a petition. Do come to
see us during the day to talk about Palestine and discuss how we can pursue
an effective campaign to support the rights of the Palestinian people.

########################################

'The Nakba' (a.k.a. `The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine').
.
The modern Israeli-Palestinian conflict does not go back to biblical times.

One of the defining moments of this conflict occurred in 1948. It is in this
year, 1948, that the vast majority of the indigenous Palestinians were
ethnically cleansed from their historical homes and made refugees.

In 1948, according to Ilan Pappe, under Britain's mandatory watch (i.e. up
to 15th May), 250,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed and 200 villages
destroyed and scores of towns emptied.

In total, in 1948, 750,000 Palestinians were forcefully exiled from the land
which had been theirs for centuries.

In total, in 1948, over 400 Palestinian villages were destroyed by
Zionist/Israeli forces.

Before 1948, Zionist colonial settlements had taken up 5.8% of Palestinian
land, whereas after 1948, Zionism/Israel controlled 78% of the land.

The exiled and ethnically cleansed refugees who were dispersed through the
Middle East in 1948, now make up 70% of the total Palestinian population.

United Nations resolution 194 entitles the dispersed Palestinian refugees to
the right to return to their homeland. A resolution Israel refuses to accept
to this day.

We hope to see you on Saturday.
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: winmail.dat
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 6954 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-birmingham/attachments/20081010/5a3d64d3/attachment.bin