Nakba #25 - Abdullah Taleb El Salhane

“My father was a farmer. He grew, among other things, potatoes and tomatoes. I used to tend his sheep.” - What do you remember of your home village? “Your question is wrongly put. You should ask who kicked me out of my land. When the Israelis carried out the massacre in Dayr Yasin, it terrified many people. The rumor spread throughout all of Palestine. Our Arab leaders came to our village and told us to leave so that we would not experience the same thing as in Dayr Yasin. They told us we didn’t need to take anything with us, because we would be able to return after one week. But now 70 years have passed. Many of the Palestinian villages that were abandoned became settlements for Jews from Yemen. I was engaged to my cousin Maryam when we left Palestine. Everyone left—not only us, but also all the surrounding villages. Some fled to Jordan, Syria, or Iraq. My village was close to the border, so my family and I walked on foot to Lebanon. My family stayed in Tyre, while I went on to Bint Jbeil to sell my sheep. I had managed to bring 84 of them from Palestine. I didn’t want to sell them, but I had no choice.” - Did you like your sheep? “Being a shepherd is like therapy for the soul. I still cry over my sheep. After selling them, I continued to Yater and then on to my fiancée, who was in Tyre with her family. We married there and she bore me children. When time passed and we were not allowed to return to Palestine, we continued to the Burj al-Barajna refugee camp in Beirut. I had twelve children with her. The most important thing is to have a country. More than 70 years have passed and we still cannot erase the word ‘refugee.’ I do not belong here in Lebanon. I do not own the house I live in, I am not allowed to work, I have no rights. I had twelve children, but I was given no land.” - Who bears responsibility for your situation? “The conspiracy.” - Who is behind the conspiracy? “How should I know?”