Day of the Long Night

Book excerpt: Since the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine in 1948, Western culture and the Western media have nearly stricken the Palestinian people from its collective consciousness. When they are remembered, they are most often thought of as terrorists; this passive ignorance has allowed most Westerners to forget their terrible plight. The author was one of those Palestinians expelled from Jerusalem, and in this work he describes in vivid detail the nakba (tragedy, or catastrophe) that his people faced. His story is of the dissolution of his homeland and the systematic effacing of his cultural roots and history. He explores the events leading up to the establishment of a Zionist state and looks to the future as a time for change. Providing an upclose look at the Palestinian people, the author reminds us that policy decisions do not affect countries, but truly the people.