For First Time Since 1948, Christmas Tree Lit In Displaced Village

For the first time since Israel was established in the historic land of Palestine in 1948, and the destruction and displacement of hundreds of villages and towns, a group of Palestinians managed to set up a Christmas Tree in the displaced village of Kufur Birim, in the Galilee.

Sonara News Agency photo of this year's Christmas Tree in the displaced village of Kufur Birim, in the Galilee

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http://imemc.org/article/66547
Thursday December 12, 2013 09:06 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The Sonara News Agency has reported that, despite the extreme cold and the snowstorm especially in mountain areas, and despite repeated empty promises by Israeli officials including the Minister of Minorities, the remaining displaced villagers were never allowed back.

Four months ago, a group of young Palestinians started sleeping in the village, as part of an extended campaign to affirm their right in their own lands, and recently installed a Christmas tree in the yard of a local church, affirming their Right of Return following 65 years of displacement.

Talking to the Sonara News Agency, Zatam Zahra, a member of one of the displaced families, said that this Christmas tree, the first in 65 years, is a symbol for the Right of Return of all refugees, displaced from their lands, villages and towns.

He added that the tree is also a symbol of hope to the millions of externally displaced refugees living in dozens of refugee camps in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and several Arab countries.

“We demand a solution to Kufur Birim refugees”, he said, “The Right of Return is a right not only to the living, but also to the dead”.