By Daoud Kuttab Israelis often misunderstand the political meaning of the word Nakba which Palestinians apply to the events in 1948 that led to the dispossession and disbursement of the Palestinian people. Watching CNN on Tuesday, I was surprised to hear the interpretation by former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. His explanation was that, since Palestinians remember 1948 as the year of the catastrophe, then that means that they consider the creation of Israel a catastrophe, and therefore, Netanyahu went on to claim, Palestinians have yet to come to terms with the existence of Israel. The Palestinian remembrance is meant as a sign that Palestinians want to destroy Israel, the former Likud leader said.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
True, the catastrophe that befell Palestinians occurred as Israel was declared a state. And there is no doubt that Palestinians remembering this date insist on the internationally guaranteed right of return as declared in the UN General Assembly Resolution 194. Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat referred to the need for a just solution to the refugee problem in his speech to the nation on the memory of the 1948 Nakba. Palestinian officials, as well as negotiators, have repeatedly indicated that the implementation of this right need not upset the delicate demographic balance in the State of Israel. The most repeated statement is that recognizing the right of return doesn't mean the implementation of that right for every Palestinian who qualifies.