As is the case for many Palestinians, my family experienced lots of emigration, pain, hardship, loss, displacement, and change since the Nakba, or the Palestinian Catastrophe, in 1948. I want to share this personal account of my family's history through stories I have been told. My family's history has many parallels to what refugees and immigrants fleeing war, or those who are being forcibly displaced, may have had to experience then, and still experience now. I hope to shed light on the strength of not only my family, but all immigrant and refugee families who had to endure hardship in the past, and those who still do today.
Yaffa, Palestine 1948
One day, my great-great grandma was doing laundry outside when her husband came home frantically and told her to collect only the most important things they owned and to get the kids quickly out of the house. They ultimately left Palestine with only their children's clothes. The Israeli army defense force had come to take them out of their home. They told the Palestinian people to leave for a short period of time, according to my grandma, they said to leave for a couple of days or weeks. They claimed that we should leave just until things become calm and safe again. They claimed that we will be able to return to our homes and to our peace. Of course, as we know, the Palestinian people did not get to come back to their country and, to this day, we remain as immigrants, refugees, and displaced people. This was all part of the Zionist plan, to diminish Palestinian territory and to exile the Palestinian people to make way for a Jewish state. Unfortunately, these actions left millions of Palestinians without a home, including my family. And so, they left.
Beirut, Lebanon
My grandmother was born in Lebanon. Once her parents left Palestine, they sought peace in Beirut. Unfortunately, it was not the peaceful life they had hoped for. By the age of 16, my grandmother lost 4 of her brothers, all only in their twenties or late teenage years, and her father, in his late thirties, during the Lebanese Civil War. They were all innocent bystanders. One of her brothers had gotten married and had a baby, only 6 months old, when he was killed. My aunt told me the story of that brother, who had left home and never came back. My great-grandmother went to every hospital asking for him, she went to all the prisons, and she could not find him. Finally, she asked to search the refrigerators, which held dead bodies. She was looking for her son's face. She saw a man with a bracelet around his wrist, it read “Nisreen”. My aunt says that while he was dying, he spoke the words Nisreen, his 6-month-old daughter's name, instead of his own. The last two brothers that survived fled to Denmark and lived peacefully there with my great-grandmother. My great grandmother passed away in Denmark later in her life. My aunt said that this was just one of the many sad stories that engulfed our family. I wonder if these tragedies could have been avoided if they remained peacefully in Palestine? I wonder how my great-grandmother felt as a widow and with having lost four young sons in a country she did not want to be in?
Salmiya, Kuwait
My grandma went on to marry a Palestinian man, my grandpa. My aunt said that Palestinians tended to find each other and stick together through these tough times, especially as immigrants in new countries. She also claimed that many countries hated the Palestinian people or saw them as foreigners. This is a complex claim but truly, they had no option, and neighboring Arab countries were the easiest to get to in terms of affordability, language, and safety. My grandpa lived in Kuwait. His family fled to Kuwait after the Nakba in Palestine. And again, my grandmother started a new life. My grandma told me stories of how much she loved Lebanon, despite the war there and the losses she endured. So, moving to Kuwait brought great sadness to her. She was out of touch with any family she had left. My grandma spent 16 years without seeing anyone in her family. And this is a common theme in immigrants and refugees, leaving your family behind and not being able to see them for long periods of time, or for the rest of your life. I cannot imagine the loneliness and sadness she must’ve felt.
My aunt described how the only form of communication they had was bad resolution video tapes. The only way to deliver them to my grandma was if someone was travelling from Denmark to Kuwait, a trip that was not common back then. Nonetheless, every 2 years my grandmother would receive a tape from her brothers in Denmark. They would update her with any new news, usually the new babies of the family.
Amman, Jordan
And then again, another war, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Now my grandmother had some children, including my mother. They were forced to flee for safety. They settled in Amman, Jordan, hoping to return soon to the life they worked so hard for in Kuwait. But because we were Palestinian, and Kuwait was not our formal country, they did not allow Palestinians like my family to return. Thus, they established a new life in Amman. My aunt describes how we started from zero in Amman. She said they lost all their friendships, work, school, and lots of money that they worked hard to earn. My aunt also said that historically Palestinians always had a rough time settling in one country because they lacked the passports necessary to stay. Thus, the Palestinian people frequently went through hardship to find a safe and peaceful environment for their families. It saddens me that millions of Palestinians still haven't found their peace today.
My family has grown tremendously since then. Most of them still live happily in Amman, Jordan.
It is important to note that the Palestinian people are still facing Israeli oppression. And many Palestinians are still banned from returning to their homes, even 74 years later. I hope my story encourages you to research more about the Palestinian refugee camps that have come from Zionist colonialism. We will always raise our flag high and we will always be proud to be Palestinians.
This was just one piece of my story. But this story has many parallels to what refugees and immigrants face very often today. Fleeing your country for a better life can come with lots of loss and struggle. Families may start from zero and must work their way up. They may not know the language spoken. They may have experienced trauma from war and losing loved ones in the past. They may be far from support and family. This is why it is important to show compassion for those seeking peace and be aware of the many hurdles they have to jump through in order to achieve it. I’m grateful to be in the position I am in today, writing this to encourage you to support refugees locally and around the world in any way you can. You never know exactly what they have been through and the sacrifices they have made in order to reach safety and contentment.