Palestinians still keep the hope alive

On the 68th anniversary of 1948 war, UAE-based Palestinians recall family's expulsion from their homeland.

When he saw pictures of his home in Palestine 50 years later, he could not stop weeping. The land that once belonged to him became undistinguishable, the olive and orange trees were now cut down, the farm that he once owned is now an Israeli resort.
Haneen Hassan's grandfather was among 700,000 Palestinians expelled from their homes during the 1948 Palestinian war. Two thirds of the refugees who fled Israel at the time went to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. So did he.
"My grandfather and his siblings had to leave Haifa with their parents to Tulkarm. They wore the key around their necks. They wanted to keep the key closer to their hearts to remind themselves that this is temporary and that they will come back," 23-year-old Hassan said.
But an unwelcomed friend knocked the door in 1967 and forced the family to leave again at gunpoint. This time, they walked to Jordan on foot, carrying nothing but a bag of clothes and hopes for a better life.
"My father was seven years old at the time. He ate tree leaves and unripe chickpeas to survive. My grandmother couldn't produce milk to breastfeed her baby daughter, and she almost left her in the bush because she was desperate. She didn't want to watch her daughter die in her arms."
After several days of walking, Hassan's family reached the Jordanian border and travelled to Kuwait in a car. When the Gulf War broke out, Hassan's parents had to flee to Canada.
"My family was forced to become refugees three times. As a result, I have never been to my homeland," said Hassan, the interior designer who was born and raised in Canada. "But that doesn't change anything. It's as if I was born and raised in Palestine because it's a part of me." Hassan's extended family who chose to stay remain in refugee camps until today.
To leave or to stay.
"Leaving doesn't mean you're turning your back on your homeland. It means you're looking for opportunities to develop yourself in hopes that one day you will come back and help the country regain its glory," stated Motaz Matar, Palestinian film and TV director and scriptwriter.
Matar, who was born in Jordan, saw the 1948 war through his father's eyes. "My father was six years old when he woke up one morning and was forced to leave," said 30-year-old Matar. He lived in 2,500 acres of land with lemon and orange trees by a Gaza beach.
The family, who walked to Jordan, got dispersed after that. While Matar's father went to pursue his education in Egypt, his uncles went to Saudi Arabia. They never came back to Palestine. "My father's brother, who was four years old at the time, died on the way," said Matar.
Matar's other family members who stayed back remain under the siege. Some are imprisoned by the Israelis for 27 years now.
Figures showed that the war killed 13,000 Palestinians, depopulated 418 villages and destroyed half of the villages. At 18 years of age, Matar decided to dedicate his filmmaking career to telling the Palestinian story.
"When you're younger, you don't really understand what it means, but I dedicated myself into knowing more about it. Western media is a one-way street. You will not understand what Palestinians truly been through unless you grew up in a family that experienced it."
Matar added that his films often depict the Palestinian story within a universal theme. "I don't want to tell my mother's or father's story. I want to show the world how the war can affect people's lives everywhere in the world."
Currently working on his latest feature film Slingshot, he stressed that the Palestinian occupation has an impact on the world, directly or indirectly, not only on Palestinians.
And although the current Palestinian generation is aware, some of them had not asked themselves the right question, added Matar.
"Ask yourself what do I need to do to contribute. Tell the story through film or poetry. If you're a writer, you should write, if you're working on social media then promote it. Don't say it will not make a difference because it will. Even if a century later, it will."
Will we ever go back?
For Hassan, it goes back to beliefs. "I let my faith tell me that we are going back. Maybe not today, but someday Arabs will reunite to bring it back. Palestine is not only our right, but every Arab's right."
Matar described Palestinians as people who always lived and will always live on hope. Asked whether his family still has the key, Matar answered: "They have something more: The original land documents. They know they will be back someday." - sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Dubai