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Palestinian children take part in a Nakba rally in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon. (Reuters)
Last update - 16:30 14/05/2008
Palestinians clash with IDF troops during Nakba protests
By Agencies and Haaretz Service
Tags: West Bank, George W. Bush 

Marking the 60th anniversary of what Israelis call independence but Palestinians call the "Nakba" (or the "Catastrophe"), hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israel Defense Forces soldiers on Wednesday at military checkpoints in the West Bank.

Some six people were reported injured at the Qalandiyah checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, as the protesters threw stones at IDF troops, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.

In the West Bank city of Nablus, soldiers used tear gas to disperse a small crowd of protesters approaching an IDF checkpoint on the town's edge.
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Clashes also erupted at a number of other checkpoints, including Abu Dis and Shuafat, to the east and north-east of Jerusalem, and Hawara, near Nablus.

Local leaders called on Palestinian refugees to stage a symbolic march to the homes they, their parents, or grandparents lost 60 years ago in what is now Israel.

Hundreds of residents of camps in Lebanon were also seen protesting near Israel's northern border, waving Palestinian and United Nations flags.

Israel celebrated the 60th anniversary of its May 14, 1948 independence declaration last week, in accordance with the Hebrew calendar date. Israel is hosting another round of festivities at the Presidential Conference this week, and has been joined by dozens of foreign leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush.

Palestinians will hold more events marking the Nakba on Thursday.

Meanwhile, parents of Arab children at a joint Arab-Jewish elementary school in Jerusalem on Wednesday protested the removal of Palestinian flags at the school, which had been hung up to mark the Nakba. The flags were taken down ahead of a visit by U.S. First Lady Laura Bush.

"This school teaches our children about mutual respect and cooperation. Over the course of two weeks, Israeli flags were hung proudly. It hurts me that my daughter was forced to witness her flag being hidden," said one mother.

Last week, Israeli flags were hung throughout the school in honor of Israel's 60th anniversary.

According to parents, the flags and symbols were placed in storage and they were told that only colorful drawings would be hung on the bulletin boards.

In Gaza, the ruling Islamic militant Hamas wants supporters to march toward a main passenger crossing with Israel. Gaza has been virtually sealed since the violent Hamas takeover a year ago.

Arab students at Israeli universities in Haifa and Jerusalem were planning Nakba marches. In Jerusalem, artists were planning to exhibit 3,000 figurines, meant to represent Palestinian refugees.

During the 1948 War of Independence, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were uprooted and scattered across the region. Along with their descendants, they now make up about 4.5 million, according to United Nations figures.

Commemorations are meant to direct attention to the unresolved plight of Palestinian refugees, and to encourage young Palestinians to learn their history, activists said. The fate of refugees is a key issue in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks which resumed earlier this year, but have yielded little progress.

Plans include flying thousands of black balloons in a show of mourning, rallies in the West Bank and Gaza and the screening of films about Palestinian history.

In Gaza, meanwhile, senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar told a conference commemorating the Nakba that his radical Islamic movement would "never" recognize Israel, which he said will one day "disappear."

"On this occasion, the occasion of the Nakba, we reiterate that we will never recognize the raping enemy. We will never recognize Israel. We will never recognize Israel," al-Zahar told a cheering audience.

"Our lands are not for sale or for trade, and the right of resistance is holy," he said.

"Israel is going to disappear one day and the Palestinian people will remain to fully liberate all their occupied lands," he told the conference, entitled "Sixty years since the Nakba - the return is imminent."

"The day of liberation and return is coming very soon," al-Zahar said. "We are good readers of reality and the powers of war and destruction are not terrifying us."

Bush arrived in Israel to much fanfare on Wednesday for a 48-hour visit in honor of Israel's 60th anniversary. The visit is his second in four months.

Regarding Bush's visit, Zahar said, "There is no welcome for Bush in the Holy Land. There is no welcome for hypocrite presidents who are defiling our land."


Related articles:
  • Fayyad: Israel shouldn't celebrate independence until peace deal signed
  • Palestinian refugees, Israeli left-wingers mark Nakba
  • Sixty years of Nakba, 60 years of nothing
  • World Likud chief calls for cancellation of Nakba Day procession
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      1.   zahar may be correct 15:36  |  judith 14/05/08
      2.   Israel is DOOMED to FAIL. Gov`t of COWRADS 15:51  |  *BEN JABO 14/05/08
      3.   Why? 15:52  |  European 14/05/08
      4.   Yoo hoo - Natallie Durson - did you read his lips? 15:54  |  Joe Sittizen 14/05/08
      5.   Zahar is the problem 15:57  |  Sam C 14/05/08
      6.   Palestinians need to learn their history pre 1800s. 16:00  |  Jo 14/05/08
      7.   The achievement of the PLO and terrorism. 16:02  |  Jean Van Daem 14/05/08
      8.   Palestinians` History 16:02  |  Aaron 14/05/08
      9.   "We will never reckognize Israel!" 16:26  |  Richard S 14/05/08
      10.   nakba 17:31  |  Ricardo Levy 14/05/08
      11.   Zahar is just Jealous of Israel 18:12  |  Robert/Montreal 14/05/08
      12.   Pals should study what their Arab brothers did to them. 18:14  |  d.dor 14/05/08
      13.   wrong. every single hamasian will burn this summer. 18:19  |  frenz 14/05/08
      14.   Arabs never take responsibility for themselves. 19:16  |  Avram 14/05/08
      15.   "rubber bullets and tear gas against stones"!! 19:34  |  Silvienne 14/05/08
      16.   eliminate zahar already! 19:39  |  Igor D. 14/05/08
      17.   yes, Ben Jabo, but at least these "cowrads" 20:08  |  jj 14/05/08
      18.   pals will never learn, keep on bitchin about the nakba 20:10  |  jj 14/05/08
      19.   Jo, excellent points and observations all too often 20:13  |  jj 14/05/08
      20.   IF YOUR ENEMY MEANS TO KILL YOU, WHY WAIT 20:25  |  jorge 14/05/08
      21.   # 15, would you want...? 20:29  |  Self Defense 14/05/08
      22.   Someone has developped these degenerated policies 20:30  |  Sal 14/05/08
      23.   #21, self defense... 20:51  |  Silvienne 14/05/08
      24.   Ben Jabo did not write #2... 21:00  |  Silvienne 14/05/08
      25.   Silvienne was it a rock that blew up a mall in Israel today? 21:08  |  Robert/Montreal 14/05/08
      26.   #23 Silvienne - What would a rifle do.... 21:26  |  JP 14/05/08
      27.   #6 - Jo is exactly right 21:30  |  JP 14/05/08
      28.   #24, Robert, off topic... 22:05  |  Silvienne 14/05/08
      29.   #25, JP... 22:07  |  Silvienne 14/05/08
      30.   if pals want to polorize issue lets remind them they stole land 22:23  |  ralph 14/05/08
      31.   Silvienne no I am not off topic you half read things 22:32  |  Robert/Montreal 14/05/08
      32.   #2 Not off topic Silvienne 22:34  |  Robert/Montreal 14/05/08
      33.   CATASTROPHE IS THE PALS ET AL 22:43  |  dav zee 14/05/08
      34.   Silvienne do you believe that it is rocks all the time and 22:46  |  Robert/Montreal 14/05/08
      35.   notice any bomb belts on the little ones? 22:55  |  dav zee 14/05/08
      36.   #29 - Silvienne - Choice, choices.... 23:02  |  JP 14/05/08
      37.   SILVIENNE CALLS FOR IDF TO FORM ROCK THROWING BRIGADE 23:06  |  Murray the Mongoose 14/05/08
      38.   #15 Silvienne - You have a short convenient memory 23:15  |  * BEN JABO 14/05/08
      39.   #17 jj - just to let you know 23:19  |  * BEN JABO 14/05/08
      40.   Robert of Montreal....Silvienne thinks rubber bullets 23:23  |  Lynn 14/05/08
      41.   #23 Silbienne - You tell us about B`Tselems photos 23:24  |  * BEN JABO 14/05/08
      42.   # 15 Silvienne....grown men with stones 23:27  |  Lynn 14/05/08
      43.   What happened to the PA`s promise of better security forces? 00:20  |  r 15/05/08
      44.   Simple Silvienne 28 01:16  |  ChanahS 15/05/08
      45.   Simple Silvienne 28 01:16  |  ChanahS 15/05/08
      46.   Simple Silvienne 28 01:17  |  ChanahS 15/05/08
      47.   Silvienne re rocks and rubber bullets 01:28  |  ChanahS 15/05/08
      48.   Palestininian lands are not for sale or trade.... 04:32  |  Dutch 15/05/08
      49.   Mahmoud al-Zahar is right Palestinians right to resist is holy 06:36  |  Dutch 15/05/08
      50.   #36, JP... 06:42  |  Silvienne 15/05/08
      51.   #38, Ben Jabo...we`ve had this one out before... 06:45  |  Silvienne 15/05/08
      52.   #39, Ben Jabo... 06:46  |  Silvienne 15/05/08
      53.   #41, Ben Jabo... 06:52  |  Silvienne 15/05/08
      54.   #42, Lynn... 06:53  |  Silvienne 15/05/08
      55.   #51 Silvienne - It`s a matter of logistics 15:07  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/08
      56.   #52 Silvienne - I appreciate your efforts 15:10  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/08
      57.   #53 Silvienne - Don`t assume so much 15:18  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/08
      58.   #55, Ben Jabo... 21:41  |  Silvienne 15/05/08
      59.   #57, Ben Jabo...was this the case I referred to? 21:47  |  Silvienne 15/05/08
      60.   #58 Silvienne - As far as I know or have seen 03:27  |  * BEN JABO 16/05/08
      61.   #59 Silviene - Yes that was the case 03:33  |  * BEN JABO 16/05/08
      62.   #60, Ben Jabo..."Leg Targets" 17:28  |  Silvienne 16/05/08
      63.   #62 Silvienne - There was no indecision 22:06  |  * BEN JABO 16/05/08
      64.   joe sittizen 06:18  |  potobac 17/05/08
      65.   #64 Potoboc - you`re the nonsense 06:55  |  * BEN JABO 17/05/08
      66.   Potoboc... 09:39  |  Silvienne 18/05/08
      67.   #66 Silvienne - Potobac 18:13  |  * BEN JABO 18/05/08
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