KUALA LUMPUR – Despite the violence inflicted on Gaza and parts of the West Bank, Palestinians are adamant about not giving up their land or seeking refuge in other nations.
Scoop spoke to two Palestinians residing in Malaysia, who both vehemently expressed their disagreement with Subang MP Wong Chen’s suggestion that Malaysia, as well as other countries, open their doors and take in Palestinians as refugees.
Restaurant worker Majd Moneer Shaat, 26, said opting to become refugees could lead to history repeating itself.
“We will not run again. We did this in 1948. (The) one time we left, Israel took (the land). We will not do this again.
“We do not want (another) land, we already have our own. We will not leave our land, even if we die.”
He recalled a time when his grandfather was urged to leave his residence for “a few weeks” in 1948 until the war was resolved, but they have not been able to return to their home – even after two generations.
In 1948, more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled their homes or were expelled by Zionist militias following the Partition Plan for Palestine. This led to the dispossession and displacement of Palestinian society, known as the Nakba.
Majd, who has lived in Malaysia since 2017, migrated here to earn extra income to fund his younger siblings’ tertiary education, as it was difficult to make a living in Gaza.
While it is risky to enter Palestinian borders, it is the thought of going home to no one that has always haunted him.
Following the recent loss of Zakaria – his best friend of over 20 years – Majd said: “How can you sleep and wake up, knowing that your friend is no longer with you?”
“I lost something in my life. I would always connect with him, through texts if calling was impossible. I still cannot believe that he is dead.
“I have lost most of my friends. Imagine if I go back to Gaza next year, who will be there waiting for me?”
Meanwhile, Maram Bsaiso, a student pursuing her master’s degree in nutrition, said the notion of being refugees was unfathomable.
“Palestinians do not want to be refugees anywhere. They want to live in peace with their land in their country.
“They have faced this since the Nakba. The majority living in Palestine are (already) refugees, they do not want to suffer from this again,” said the 23-year-old.
Maram, who set foot in Malaysia the day the war started on October 7, said she only gets news of her family in Gaza from her mother, who is currently in Jerusalem.
“It is insane. I feel like I’m becoming mad and crying all the time, (locking myself) in my room. I feel guilty when I do something normal, like going to restaurants or the mall here.”
Maram, who has gone through five wars throughout her childhood, said the years only become more difficult.
Nonetheless, she finds solace in seeing people around the world empathise with Palestinians, urging them to continue spreading awareness via social media.
She also said that support knows no background, as she welcomed the support from North Korea and the LGBTQ+ community and urges a ceasefire in Palestine.
While not all Palestinians share the same political ideology, Maram said they deserve the right to fight for their land and lives.
“There is no doubt that Palestinians have some political differentiation with Hamas. But we all have an agreement that there is a red line. So we, as Palestinians, do not condemn Hamas. We have the right to defend against the horrible genocide, massacre, and ethnic cleansing on Palestine.
“Israel doesn’t bomb Hamas. The majority of the people Israel kills are children, pregnant women.”
So far, more than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air strikes since October 7, including more than 4,000 children. Israel is retaliating after Hamas fighters killed 1,400 people in surprise attacks across the border and took 240 hostages, according to Israeli figures. – November 10, 2023