Joint Nakba Day Ceremony, 15 May
Register for a livestream of the annual Joint Nakba Day Ceremony, organised by Combatants for Peace.
The livestream of the event will start from 6pm UK time. Click here to register for the livestream link.
Combatants for Peace write:
“The current bloodshed is another tragic chapter in a long history of conflict over this land. At Combatants for Peace, we believe that truly understanding each society’s experience is essential to breaking the cycle of violence and building a shared future. The Joint Nakba Remembrance Ceremony—like the Joint Memorial Ceremony—is part of that ongoing effort.
This year’s theme, “Holding on to Home, Holding on to Hope,” speaks powerfully to the present moment. Following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, Israel has launched a war of revenge on Gaza which has brought mass death, destruction, and displacement. In the West Bank, refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm face renewed suffering. The ceremony reflects on the enduring cycle of displacement and loss that Palestinians have experienced since 1948.
Yet the ceremony also looks ahead. It affirms a vision of peace rooted in dignity and justice—a vision in which Palestinians are not defined by displacement, but by their right to live freely and securely. Holding onto home is about more than geography; it is a commitment to reconciliation—not only for individuals, but for the land itself. It is a vision of collective liberation, where the oppressed are free from domination and the oppressors are freed from the systems that bind them to violence. It is a call to weave peace into the collective identity of all who call this place home.
About the Ceremony
The Joint Nakba Remembrance Ceremony is a unique opportunity to commemorate the pain and tragedy of the Nakba (“catastrophe” in Arabic), when in 1948 more than 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes, became refugees, and had their villages and cities destroyed. In Israel, even mentioning the Nakba is completely taboo, however, Combatants for Peace believes that peace and reconciliation involve a sincere and honest reckoning with this history that didn’t end in 1948 but continues until this day.
Combatants for Peace understands that to end the occupation and find a solution to the conflict, we must listen with empathy to each other’s stories and acknowledge injustice to achieve true liberation. Combatants for Peace was born out of the personal experiences of its Israeli and Palestinian founders who were previously actively involved in violence against the other side. They share, “We do not seek to deny our violent past but rather work with it, process it, and turn it from a site of conflict into a basis for joint, constructive action. This is how we perceive the history of this land and of the two peoples who co-inhabit it. Our ceremonies are intended to carry the audience—Israelis, Palestinians, and internationals—to past traumas and their lingering legacies, then to the present, in order to build a just, peaceful, and equitable future.”