Nakba Day, observed on May 15, was portrayed this year by many Palestinians as an unending loop of their historical plight marked by displacement, refuge, casualties and ruin. Some even argued that the current Gaza campaign represents a greater Nakba, eclipsing the original 1948 catastrophe in terms of damage inflicted on Palestinians. 3 Palestinian refugees in Rafah Photo: AFP However, the parallels between past and present also cast numerous "shadows" that Palestinians often overlook, chief among them being the absence of national leadership.
In 1948, the leadership was the first to flee; today, it hides underground, disconnected from public discourse. Moreover, there remains a persistent gap in having a coherent national agenda and realistic goals, often replaced by illusions and slogans. Consequently, refugee camps continue to symbolize the Palestinian fate, now with the added spectacle of aid trucks and crowds chasing after parcels dropped from planes.
The inclination toward victimhood, complete dependency on the international community and evasion of responsibility and self-criticism have supplanted a viable national strategy and replaced a coherent and actionable national strategy. Palestinians describe a tragic historical cycle imposed upon them, yet they avoid acknowledging that this cycle results from strategic choices made by both the public and their leaders. Within this framework, there's a notable refusal to recognize the connection between cause and effect (suc.