In Amman, Jordan, Omer Ihsan Yaseen, a third-generation Palestinian refugee, firmly believes in the right of return to his family’s homeland from which they were violently expelled in 1948. He displays a thick iron key that once opened the doors to his grandparent’s house in Jaffa, now part of Tel Aviv. The key symbolizes resistance and the memory of their lost home. Living in a refugee camp in Amman, Ihsan holds on to memories of his family’s life in their village before it was destroyed by the Haganah during the first Arab-Israeli war. Despite being told they could return after the violence ended, the family ended up living in the refugee camp for 19 years before being uprooted again in the 1967 War.
The family’s story is a common one among Palestinians who were forcibly removed from their homes during the Nakba, with the hope of one day returning. Ihsan’s daughter joins in singing a song about their mother’s pain and longing for their lost homeland. The family’s deep generational trauma is evident as Ihsan shares their journey from Jaffa to Gaza and eventually to Amman. Despite the hardships they have faced, the family still holds on to the hope of being able to return to their ancestral land.
Their story is a reminder of the ongoing Palestinian struggle for justice, their right of return, and the importance of keeping the memory of the Nakba alive. The key that Omer proudly displays is not just a symbol of their past, but a symbol of their continued resilience and determination to reclaim what was taken from them.
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Photo credit www.aljazeera.com
