How to grieve a place that no longer exists

As a Palestinian, it is impossible to try to convey the grief that one carries about the present eradication of one’s people and homeland. I think it is as impossible to describe to someone as it is to tell them to be something they are not.

Try to imagine yourself as a Palestinian. You have been dehumanized for the better part of the last century; you’ve been told that the land you have more genetic ties to does not belong to you; it belongs to a people because of a divine commandment from their God.  Most importantly, every time you resist a corrupt and oppressive occupation, you are a terrorist who deserves to have your children mutilated and your identity erased from the face of the planet.

How do you grieve a place that no longer exists? You don’t and you can’t, because to do that, the people who belonged to that place must remain. The streets you walked, the falafel merchant that fed you, the cousin you held, the swing on your rooftop, the wall that separated your people from theirs, and the sunset from your balcony must remain. Your existence is resistance, and as long as you are alive, you are a testimony to the place they don’t want you to be from. A place is as much a people as it is a location.

To grieve a place that doesn’t exist, its people must not, and last I checked, I still exist.

Note and gratitude to Professor: I know this is a little different than the medium in which I usually write it. I have been racking my brain thinking of other articles and topics I have been wanting to write, and I couldn’t bring myself to write anything as passion-filled as this entry. Simple, short, and beautiful to me. I must share that I appreciate all the patience you granted me this semester. I loved your class very dearly and am confident in saying I want to pursue journalism or some form of it in my future career. I wanted to ask you if there are any opportunities you see available, or internships/jobs I could take to further myself in this field. I am glad to say that I will continue writing in the near future and, hopefully, post them on my Substack to help me stay consistent in my growth as a writer.