Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Pro-Israel activists hold ‘Nakba Day Party’ to counter ‘nakba’ ceremony at TAU

Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg called the nakba narrative an “obscene historical distortion” the sole purpose of which is to undermine the existence of the State of Israel.

Celebrating the state of Israel. Credit: Im Tirtzu.
Celebrating the state of Israel. Credit: Im Tirtzu.

Dozens of pro-Israel activists held a “Nakba Day Party” at Tel Aviv University today, across from the annual “Nakba Day” ceremony held by the university’s Arab and far-left students. The party, organized by the Zionist organization Im Tirtzu, featured blaring Israeli music, flags, drums and free drinks. According to Im Tirtzu, the goal of the event was to celebrate the founding of Israel and call out the “lies of the nakba.” The activists brought a 12x6-foot sign reading “Nakba Nonsense” to the event, and distributed a book titled The Jewish People’s Rights to the Land of Israel. Earlier this week, the university made headlines after Arab students hung flyers advertising the “Nakba Day” event on the university’s Holocaust memorial. Additional ceremonies were held across Israel today, including one in Jerusalem’s Hebrew University that was also met with a “Nakba Day Party” by Im Tirtzu activists. Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg called the nakba narrative an “obscene historical distortion” the sole purpose of which is to undermine the existence of the State of Israel. “If the Jewish community in Israel would’ve lost the war,” said Peleg, “the Holocaust would have been continued by [Grand Mufti of Jerusalem] Haj Amin al-Husseini and his anti-Semitic thugs.” “The fact that Israeli universities provide a platform for those who mourn the failed attempt to annihilate the Jews shows the backwards state of Israeli academia.”

The Berkeley project “has a record of promoting anti-Israel and antisemitic agendas,” Oleg Ivanov, of StandWithUs, told JNS. “We are deeply concerned that the same thing will happen in this training.”
The announcement comes as Israeli banks are expected to end correspondent banking services to Palestinian counterparts.
“My jaw kind of hit the floor for a second,” an attendee of the event told JNS.
The Federation told JNS exclusively that it is ending its engagement with a consultant who headed one of its communications projects after JNS reported that he advised attendees at a Federations conference to avoid using the word “Zionism.”