Palestinians Sticking to Identity, Despite Israeli Bids to Wipe It out

Marwa Haidar

“I’m from Um Khaled in Palestine,” said Abu Ahmad, 70, insisting on the Arabic name of his village.

“But it has another name now that I don’t know…. Even I don’t want to know this fake name,” added Abu Ahmad.


David Ben-Gurion visits Um Khaled "Netanya,"



While asking his son, Ahmad, about the name of their village, the 39 year old man answered with regret: “It’s Netanya.”

Um Khaled is one of many Palestinian villages and cities whose names have been changed by the Zionist entity since the occupation of Palestine in 1948.

The Zionist enemy has been working hard since the Nakba (Catastrophie) to give Hebraic names for the cities and villages its forces had occupied.

“Sorry to say it, but there are now some Palestinians and Arabs who are abiding by these names without knowing the real ones,” noted Ahmad.

While making a small search for the names of Palestinian villages and cities, there have been a lot of villages whose original names were effaced.

The Palestinian village of Ayla, its name has been changed into Eilat. Even when the one searches for the village’s name on the internet, the result would be on Wikipedia (The Free Encyclopedia): “Eilat (Hebrew: אֵילַת‎‎, Arabic: إيلات‎)."

However, according to the Palestinian writer Shukri Arraf's book, Geaographical locations in Palestine, Arabic and Hebraic names, Ayla or Aqbat Ayla is a Palestinian village whose name is change into Eilat.

In addition to Um Khaled and Ayla, there are Safed, al-Quds, Bisan, Asqalan, Natzeret and more and more… These villages’ names have been changed into Tzfat, Yerushaláyim, Beit She’an, Ashkelon and Natzeret, respectively.

ATTEMPTS OF JUDAIZATION

“The act of making the names of Palestinian villages and cities Hebraic is a bid to judaize Palestine,” said the Palestinian writer, Yassir Ali.
In an interview with al-Manar Website, Ali stressed that the Israeli enemy’s attempts to judaize Palestine were doomed to fail.

“From my point of view it is a failed attempt. Making the names of the villages and cities Hebraic possibly would take place, but the Judaization would not.”

The Palestinian writer also said the term of Judaization was not accurate to describe these Israeli acts, preferring to call the moves as theft.

“It is not accurate to describe these acts as judaization since it has a religious aspect, and religions do not permit to extort the rights of others.”

“We can name these moves as theft since the Israelis have been pinching whatever is related to the Palestinian heritage.”

In this context, Ali said that this theft has been taking other forms than changing the names of the villages and cities.
“The Israeli enemy has been trying hard to efface some of the Palestinian heritage, steal some others and ascribe the rest, in order to wipe out Palestine from the map,” the writer told our website.

JUDAIZING CURRICULUM

Ali said that the Zionist entity has been fighting the Palestinians even through the curriculum, giving some examples.
“The Israeli enemy effaced the term of Nakba from the curriculum. This day is considered by the Zionist entity as a national day and a day of independence.”

“They (Israeli occupation forces) have also ordered Palestinian students who live in the territories which were occupied in 1948 to stand up while the Zionist anthem is being sung.”

STEALING PALESTINIAN LIBRARIES

Ali said that Israeli occupation forces have stolen since the Nakba thousands of Palestinian books, for their role in enriching the Palestinian Heritage.

“The books are sign of culture of certain people. The Zionist entity had stolen these Libraries in order to efface the Palestinian culture and then wipe out the Palestinian identity.”

EVEN FALAFEL IS JUDAIZED!

On the other hand, the Palestinian writer said the Israeli enemy has been judaizing the food of the Palestinians.
“The Israelis have ascribed the Falafel to their alleged heritage. They are presenting it as a national Israeli food.”

JUDAIZATION DOOMED TO FAIL

Meanwhile, Yassir Ali stressed that these Israeli acts were “doomed to fail, since there the Zionist entity had no identity and no heritage.

“The Israelis have no identity, their problem in Palestine that they don’t have this identity. They are people who came in the night, seized the land and expelled its nation from.”

“The Zionist entity’s knot is that they don’t have any origin in Palestine. Till now they have not found any trace for the alleged Solomon’s Temple. Till now they have not found any trace that could be a sign of the alleged era they had lived through in Palestine,” added Ali.

“The identity is something to be formed and built; it can’t be created all of a sudden. The Israelis have been trying to create a claimed identity and then to replace it instead of the Palestinian identity”.
“Judaization is doomed to fail. There is a resistance which is considering this entity as a virus that should be extracted.”

“Judaization will be managed in one case: if the resistance surrenders and recognizes Israel.”

Source: Al-Manar Website
14-05-2012 - 18:24 Last updated 14-05-2012 - 18:27

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