Al Birwa, Lifta, and Qatamon

Demetrius Johnson on the Importance of Solidarity

Visualizing Palestine

Al Birwa, 1948, depopulated but not built over

We are standing in the Galilee, in the town of Al Birwa, on an open patch of land. Here, there were once 380 houses, 2 schools, a mosque and a church, according to Palestine Remembered. The land was cultivated with olive trees, wheat, and barley. One of Al Birwa’s 1,460 residents was a young Mahmoud Darwish, born in 1941. In 1947, his family fled from Zionist militias and were never allowed to return. Later, Darwish wrote:

A person can only be born in one place. However, he may die several times elsewhere: in the exiles and prisons, and in a homeland transformed by the occupation and oppression into a nightmare.

Israel has not built over the original built-up area of Al Birwa, but two Israeli towns are situated on part of the surrounding village lands today.

Lifta, Jerusalem, depopulated but not built over

We are standing on a hill on the road to Jerusalem, amidst over 50 empty stone homes. In December 1947, Zionist militias killed 6 people in a coffee house here. By January, all the residents had fled.

The short video “Sons of Lifta”, by BADIL Resource Center, follows Palestinian refugees visiting their homes from Jerusalem. The video reminds us that denial of the Right of Return affects not just those in exile, but also those living just a short distance away. Palestinians in East Jerusalem cannot return to their nearby homes in Lifta. Palestinians in Nazareth cannot return to their nearby homes in Safuriyya. Israel has designated both areas as national nature reserves.

Qatamon, Jerusalem, depopulated and appropriated as an Israeli neighborhood

We are standing in a neighborhood in central Jerusalem. Over 70 years ago, Hala Sakakini, daughter of the Palestinian intellectual Khalil Sakakini, was a young teacher here. In her diary, she documented the worsening situation leading up to her family’s flight to Cairo.

March 13, 1948 - We […] were all sitting in the dining room when an explosion took place...two more loud explosions shook our house and we guessed that they were very near...Shooting did not cease until morning. It was a terrible night.

Today, from early morning, we could see trucks piled with furniture passing by. Many more families from Qatamon are moving away, and they are not to blame. Who likes to be buried alive under debris?!... If strong security measures are not taken immediately, our turn of leaving our home will come soon.

April 13 - Not a day passes without Mr. Daoud Tleel asking in his sarcastic way, “What do you say, shall we flee tomorrow?”

April 29 (morning) - We are now the only family left in Qatamon.

The Sakakini family arrived in Cairo on April 30, 1948. Shortly thereafter, Qatamon was repopulated by Jewish Israelis.

Find out what happened to 1,196 localities of historic Palestine on Palestine, Today: today.visualizingpalestine.org

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Person of PACC: An Interview with Huweda Elsamna

Falastin Staff

Every issue, Falastin highlights a different member of the PACC community as the “Person of PACC.” This issue, we are incredibly honored to be highlighting Huweda Elsamna. Elsamna is a PACC board member and a highly respected person in our community.

What inspired you to work with the community?

My inspiration comes from the love I love from my homeland. My goal is to strengthen the bonds of American Palestinians to their homeland. I want the American Palestinians to have the same love and connection to Palestine that I do. Growing up in Gaza and going to UNRWA schools made me see first hand the importance of educating and empowering the women and girls in Palestine. There are a lot of issues in the community and we want to help create guidance and the right direction to inspire the young generation.

What do you think our community needs most?

More than anything, I believe the community needs to have more young leaders involved with creating change and supporting our causes in Palestine.

Can you tell us about your village?

I was born in Gaza, and my favorite memories are going to the beach every Friday with my eight brothers and sisters and smelling the scent of lemon tree flowers. What I love most about being from Gaza is that most Gazans started off with nothing and were resilient enough to accomplish their goals and succeed. I wish that more people knew how beautiful Gaza is. The weather is perfect all year round and even on the hottest days there are breezes that come from the beach.

People need to know about the suffering that Gazans endure with the complete Israeli and Egyptian blockade. Gazans do not receive the proper healthcare they need. The reality is that whenever Gaza begins to rebuild itself after an attack from Israel, Israel destroys it again. It is a constant cycle that not only ruins Gazans’ homes, schools, hospi

Photo provided by Huweda Elsamna tals, libraries, etc., but it destroys their physical and mental well-being; especially the children who experience terrible post traumatic disorder syndrome (PTSD) after each war.

The last time I was allowed into Gaza was in 2013 when my mother was ill. I was originally booked to stay there for a month, but my trip was cut short because of the Egyptian Revolution and all the foreigners in Gaza were forced to leave. When I was there I would wake up at Fajr to walk in the bayarah (orchard/farm) to enjoy the smells and tastes of the fruits. During the day I would visit my mother in the hospital. In the evenings I would sit under the grape trees with my brothers and their families. What I miss the most about Gaza is being with my family in my homeland.