MEGIDDO – Around 300 Arab Israelis gathered Thursday at the site of Al-Lajjun, a Palestinian village depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, to commemorate the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” referring to the mass displacement of Palestinians during the founding of Israel.
March Through the Ruins
As Israel observed Independence Day, demonstrators — including men, women, and children — marched through the village ruins, chanting “Your independence is our Nakba.”
Symbol of Displacement
Al-Lajjun, once home to thousands of Palestinians, is now partly occupied by Kibbutz Megiddo, an Israeli agricultural community.
Gaza War Shadows Remembrance
This year’s Nakba commemoration comes amid the ongoing 18-month conflict in Gaza, where nearly 2.4 million Palestinians have faced repeated displacement, according to UN reports.
Voices of Memory and Resistance
Dressed in keffiyehs and traditional attire, participants sang the Palestinian national anthem and shared stories of heritage. Ziyad Mahajneh, now 82, recounted fleeing the village as a child in 1948.
NEWS DESK
PRESS UPDATE