48 Stories of Exile from Palestine
The Palestinian narrative is one of resilience, loss and an enduring connection to the land. For today’s younger generation, fully grasping the depth of this connection can be challenging, especially in a world where the narrative is often dominated by geopolitical discussions about Israel’s illegal occupation, overshadowing the deeply human stories of loss, longing and suffering at its heart.
In response, Deema Al Alami’s 48 Stories of Exile from Palestine provides a powerful counter-balance. The volume offers a rich, vibrant tapestry of personal stories that span generations and social backgrounds, bringing to life the diverse experiences of exile and displacement that define the Palestinian story. Through these narratives, Al Alami uncovers the layers of trauma, hope and identity that lie at the core of Palestinian resilience.
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48 Stories of Exile from Palestine is a collection of essays. It bridges the gap between generations, presenting the harrowing yet resilient stories of Palestinians in a format that is accessible to both children and adults. The volume is more than just a recount of historical events that are familiar to anyone mildly versed in the history of Zionist colonisation of Palestine. It is a powerful collection of personal experiences illuminating the deep connection between the Palestinian people and their homeland, a bond that remains unbroken even in the face of relentless oppression and dispossession.
The title, 48 Stories of Exile from Palestine, directly references the Nakba of 1948 - a catastrophic event that led to the forced expulsion of approximately 750,000 Palestinians from their homes in what is now Israel. The year marked the beginning of an ongoing tragedy for Palestinians, with generations growing up in exile, separated from their ancestral lands by illegal borders, apartheid walls and the harsh realities of the settler colonial project to preserve Jewish domination in Palestine.
Though the book was published before 7 October, the stories recounted in the volume leaves its readers with little doubt that the seeds of the genocide unfolding in Gaza were sown many decades ago when Zionist paramilitary groups cleared the land of its native population. The personal stories offer a vivid depiction of the systematic displacement and devastation that have shaped the Palestinian experience since 1948. They expose how violence was deeply embedded in the Zionist project and how this defining aspect of the settler colonial agenda aimed to erase Palestine.
By documenting the lived experiences of Palestinian farmers, professionals, the poor, the elderly and others who made up the rich fabric of Palestinian society before the violent upheaval brought by the imposition of Zionism, the collection becomes much more than just a series of stories. Each story reflects not only individual loss, but also the broader Palestinian struggle for their identity and their resistance to erasure as a nation and as a people. Al Alami, for instance, tells the story of Seedo Fayez Abdel Khalek and his wife, Teta Souad Hamouda. Both were forced to flee Yafa (Jaffa) with their young children. The account paints a vivid picture of a family uprooted from their homeland. Their story, like many others in the book, is filled with a deep longing to return to the land they were forced to leave behind.
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Another striking story is that of Jiddo Mousa Salman Ali Abu Zayed, a Bedouin healer from the desert of Bir Al Seba’a. His life was forever changed when the Haganah, one of the Zionist militias that carried out a campaign of terror against Muslim and Christian Palestinians, began executing his fellow tribesmen. The Zionist terror group rounded up people in his village in a straight line and executed them one by one. Fearing all his siblings were murdered, Abu Zayed escaped on foot, through the desert and into the West Bank and eventually to Jordan, following another round of ethnic cleansing. He passed away in Jordan in 1991.
One of the many stories that has deep resonance is that of Tala Mohamad. She narrates the journey of her grandparents, Tayta Salwa and Jiddo Yehya Abusalim. Mohamad skilfully transports readers to the beautiful Abusalim estate in Deir Al Balah, Gaza, where her great-grandparents, Tayta Mahasen and Jiddo Mohammad, cultivated not only the land but also a vibrant community.
Mohamad describes a yearning for a deep connection to her ancestral land in Gaza. “I now understand that much of who I am is an extension of my Palestinian roots, passed down by my forefathers,” writes Mohamed. Exploring her family's history, she realises that the yearning is not just personal but part of a broader legacy of resilience and connection to the land, handed down through generations of Palestinians. Mohamad describes her longing being both for the physical return to the land and the preservation of her family’s identity and heritage, which remains intertwined with Gaza. This realisation fuels her commitment to embrace and honour her Palestinian identity, rooted in the history and experiences of her parents and grandparents.
Al Alami does not shy away from detailing the violence and dispossession that accompanied the Nakba and subsequent events. The book includes harrowing accounts of Zionist militias attacking Palestinian villages, forcing families to flee under threat of death. Survivors of the attack recount the terror of that day, the loss of loved ones and the destruction of their homes.
The book's production is itself a testament to the collective effort to preserve Palestinian history and culture. Al Alami collaborated with a diverse group of writers, editors and illustrators from around the world, ensuring that the stories are not only accurate but also inclusive of the varied experiences of the Palestinian diaspora. One of the more interesting aspects of the book is how it transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries. While Al Alami is known for her work in Arabic children’s literature, she chose to produce this book in English to reach a wider audience.
48 Stories of Exile from Palestine is more than a collection of memories, it is a call to action. Al Alami hopes that this new generation of readers will be inspired to explore the history of Palestine and understand the Palestinian experience through the voices of those who lived through the Nakba. The book serves as a powerful reminder that Palestinians are not merely victims of a historical tragedy; they are individuals with rich lives, deep ties to their land and an unbreakable spirit of resistance. It is a narrative of global significance, especially now, as the world watches in horror the genocide unfolding in Gaza - a tragedy decades in the making, rooted in the first acts of violence that expelled Palestinians from their land.
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