BEIRUT, (PIC)
On the 78th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, the stories of the first displacement are renewed in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, while the memory of refuge extending since 1948 mixes with a worsening humanitarian and security situation, in light of the continuous Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the ongoing escalation in Lebanon.
In the Ain al-Hilweh camp in the city of Sidon, southern Lebanon, the stories of the elderly who lived through the Nakba intersect with the scenes of fear and displacement witnessed in the region today, in a scene that revives the Palestinian memory in all its details.
Evidence on the memory
The narrow alleys of the camp, the eroded walls, and the pictures of Palestinian villages hung on the doors of houses carry living evidence of a memory that has not been interrupted despite the passage of long decades since the first displacement.
Ain al-Hilweh camp was established in 1948, and it is considered the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, as it includes about 50,000 registered refugees according to United Nations data, while unofficial estimates indicate that its population exceeds 70,000.
Palestinians use the term Nakba to refer to the displacement of about 957,000 Palestinians out of 1.4 million who were residing in about 1,300 villages and cities in 1948, coinciding with the establishment of Israel on Palestinian lands, according to data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
Palestinians commemorate the anniversary annually inside the Palestinian territories and in the diaspora, emphasizing their adherence to the right of return and their refusal to let it drop by prescription.
Repetition of tragedies
In one of the camp’s alleys, Palestinian refugee Zakia Hassanin, 79 years old and descending from the city of Haifa, recalls the details of the first journey of refuge that accompanied her throughout her life, after she was born in the same year of the Nakba.
She says that her family left Haifa towards Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, after they were told that the absence would not exceed two days, before the temporary refuge turned into an entire lifetime in exiles.
She points out that the idea of return remained present despite the passage of decades, adding that the Palestinians do not want the new generations to live the same experience that the fathers and grandfathers lived.
Hassanin recalls losing a brother of hers during the journey of refuge, emphasizing the need for new generations to hold on to the right of return and not to accept any alternative to the land no matter how long time takes.
Approximately 489,000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon out of about 5.6 million refugees registered with UNRWA, while the agency indicates that about 45% of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon reside inside 12 overcrowded camps, amid difficult economic and living conditions.
Hassanin also recalls scenes of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, when Israeli forces were advancing inside residential neighborhoods, while civilians were trying to hold on to life amid the war.
She believes that maintaining the elements of Palestinian strength is a necessity to prevent the repetition of previous tragedies, considering that the Palestinians’ possession of the factors of steadfastness constitutes a guarantee against the repetition of displacement.
A long journey of displacement
The anniversary of the Nakba comes this year while Israel continues, since 2023, a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, through bombardment, siege, and restricting the entry of humanitarian aid, despite the ceasefire agreement in force since October 10 last year.
In parallel with that, the violations of the Israeli army and settlers escalate in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, through killing, arrest, home demolition, settlement expansion, and displacing Palestinians from their lands.
As for the refugee Bahija Saleh, 91 years old, she recalls in turn a long journey of displacement that started from the Palestinian town of Sabalan, passing through several stations inside Lebanon, including Tyre and Anjar.
She narrates that the family moved between Harfoush, Bint Jbeil, Rmeich, and Tyre, while they were taking rugged roads at night to escape danger, pointing out that she was injured during the journey of displacement after she fell on a stone, but she still remembers the details of the road until today.
Saleh describes the first years of displacement as harsh and frightening, emphasizing that the continuous movement between Lebanese regions left a deep impact on the individual and collective memory of Palestinian refugees.
Despite the passage of 78 years since the Nakba, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon still hold on to the right of return to their original cities and villages, while new generations inherit the memory of refuge as part of the collective Palestinian identity.