Jerusalem
15 May 2008
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip on Thursday marked the 60th anniversary of the 1948 war that followed Israel's independence, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled into exile. VOA's Jim Teeple reports the observances took place as President Bush spoke to the Israeli Knesset, or parliament, saying he envisioned a future Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel in peace.
The mood in Ramallah was in stark contrast to the mood in Israel just a few kilometers away. During the past week, Israelis have been holding gala celebrations and conferences commemorating their 60th anniversary. For many Palestinians the memory of their lost homes in what is now Israel is a 60-year source of frustration.
Longtime PLO activist Dr. Alfred Tobasi who spent the first 20 years of his life in the port city of Jaffa says he remembers Jaffa every day.
"It is very difficult to forget the memories," Tobasi said. "I cannot stop thinking about my 20 years in Jaffa, I cannot stop thinking."
Dr. Tobasi says like many upper-middle class Palestinians most of his family is now scattered around the world. He says he hopes they will not have to wait another 60 years to live together again, in an independent Palestinian state of their own.