🍉 VanGran4Pal Community Newsletter (May 8, 2026)
Introduction
Dear neighbors and friends,
This newsletter is dedicated to commemorating Nakba Day, observed each year on May 15. Nakba, the Arabic word for “catastrophe”, marks the violent expulsion and ethnic cleansing of more than 700,000 Palestinians during the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, when 78% of historic Palestine was seized and around 80% of its population forcibly displaced. Zionist militias that later became the Israeli military killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, carried out over 30 massacres, destroyed hundreds of towns and villages, and forcibly removed families from their homes and land.
Nearly six million Palestinian refugees, descendants of those displaced during the Nakba and subsequent waves of expulsion, remain scattered across the world today, many stateless and denied by Israel the internationally recognized right of return — the unresolved core demand of the Nakba itself.
Israel has since continued its cruel project of displacement, occupation, siege, and apartheid across four generations, culminating in the nearly 1,000 days of genocide in Gaza. What we are witnessing is not an aberration of history, but the logical continuation of a political project built on colonial domination and supremacy, through the denial of Palestinian freedom and self-determination. Yet despite every attempt to erase them, Palestinians continue to exist, and to resist, with extraordinary courage and dignity.
To commemorate and oppose the Nakba, past and present, is also to honor the steadfastness of the Palestinian people. Their struggle reminds us that the pursuit of justice often extends beyond a single lifetime, and that we are all part of a longer human effort for dignity and freedom, across time and place — a struggle some of us inherit, and that we all carry forward together.
We hold space for the hundreds of thousands of victims of the genocide, including the tens of thousands still beneath the rubble in Gaza, while Israel and its allies continue to deny them dignity even in death. In the wake of such unfathomable loss, grief and rage sit side by side; they are not ends in themselves but forces that must be held and transformed into collective action. We continue to plant seeds — of solidarity, truth, and liberation — trusting that future generations will one day live in the freedom we are struggling to even see today.
Mahmoud Darwish wrote, “We suffer from an incurable malady: hope.” Let us keep that revolutionary hope alive in our homes, our neighborhoods, and our movements. We invite you to join us for a series of important community events in remembrance, solidarity, and collective action.
Actions you can take
Join the Picket: IOF out of the Arts!
Last night, The Cultch pushed ahead to present "Soldiers of Tomorrow", a play written and performed by an ex-IOF war criminal. The play adopts the traditional Zionist genre of "shoot-and-cry" where IOF murderers complete their time in the IOF and then go on to write about it in books, film and other media, often expressing remorse for the crimes they committed. 

In order to ensure that patrons are presented with the truth, and to confront this appalling production, we will ensure that we are present every day that this show is running. Show up, bring a friend and flyer with us. 

Palestine deserves the stage, let's make sure those are the stories and voices heard.
Via Al-Awda Vancouver
Anti-FIFA Art Builds
May 21, 28, June 4th.
Drop in between 5 to 8pm.
locations updated weekly but May 21st at McLean Park Fieldhouse.
Drop in for a series of art builds to create anti-FIFA art to decorate the city and learn about how FIFA is setting the stage for increased surveillance, state violence and gentrification.
No to FIFA, no to gentrification! Bring your supplies, creativity & your comrades. Connect w/ each other, learn about the city’s FIFA plans + how it connects to Gaza! Different activities for each art build date!
Some supplies will be available for banner painting, screenprinting, block printing, etc. But bring supplies to share.
Share wide on socials and networks.
Upcoming Events
Remembering the Nakba | May 15
Date & Location
đź“… May 15, 2026
⏰ 5:30 pm, Grandview Park, Vancouver, BC
About
Join us to remember 78 years since the Nakba began, the catastrophe that led to Palestinians being displaced forever from their homes, by the Zionist entity.
We will hear from speakers about the ongoing impact of this displacement, how the Nakba never ended and continues throughout Occupied Palestine, and hold Gaza at the forefront as they continue to resist through the 3-year genocide. We will remember the 9000+ Palestinians who remain illegally held in Zionist torture chambers and who are at imminent risk of death from torture, starvation, and the newly approved death penalty.
There will be a child-friendly area for kids joining the rally, including snacks and activities, by @parentsforpalestineyvr
Gaza Remains the Story: Palestinian Political Ecologies & the Role of Seeds in Cultural Memory | May 16
Date & Location
đź“… Saturday, May 16
⏰ 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
đź“Ť825 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1R8
About
Join us for an informative talk on Palestinian political ecologies and the role that seed saving has in preserving memory of the land and its stewards. Topics will include Palestinian sovereignty and land-based resistance, zionist tools of Indigenous dispossession, seeds as objects that hold memory and keep history, and Palestinian seed-saving in diaspora and in the homelands.
The presentation will be followed by a hands-on workshop creating your own zhourat herbal blend with plants from the region. Limited culturally relevant seedlings available for Palestinian and/or Arab participants to take home.
Gaza Remains the Story: Calligraphy Ink Painting | May 16
Date & Location
đź“… Saturday, May 16
⏰ 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
đź“Ť825 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1R8
About
Art by Mariam brings her talents to Gaza Remains the Story by guiding participants in ink painting a beautiful keepsake for Palestine. Participants will be led in an ink painting session to write Palestine in Arabic.
About the Artist: Mariam creates artwork inspired by Islamic architecture and design, especially the sacred sites of Makkah, Madinah and Al-Aqsa. She draws inspiration from the beauty of these places, especially the heritage of Palestine through her artwork. She also uses Arabic calligraphy to add to some of her paintings, and loves using acrylic paints and ink to make bold, colourful pieces that evoke deep feelings.
Gaza Remains the Story: Defying the Nakba Behind Bars - Prisoners Guide the Struggle | May 16
Date & Location
đź“… Saturday, May 16
⏰ 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
đź“Ť825 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1R8
About
Presented by Basil Al-Araj Committee, a sub-committee of the Canada Palestine Association of Vancouver (CPA Vancouver).
Since 1948, the Nakba has functioned as a living structure of displacement, siege, and imprisonment. Learning about the prisoners’ movement is absolutely essential because it lies at the heart of the broader struggle for Palestinian liberation struggle. Without centering their fight, any discussion of justice remains incomplete. This teach-in focuses on Palestinian political prisoners as a compass of the national liberation struggle. We will explore how hunger strikes, prison escapes, acts of reproductive resistance, and prisoner exchanges chart the path forward. Join us for education, letter-writing, and discussion: learn the pillars of prisoners’ resistance, and how we in the diaspora can stay connected to them and centre their struggle.
Gaza Remains the Story: Ma’aloul Celebrates its Destruction | May 17
Date & Location
đź“… Sunday, May 17
⏰ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
đź“Ť825 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1R8
About
Join Waleed, who visited the destroyed village of Ma'aloul, as he discusses the way in which Palestinians work to preserve their collective memory in the face of erasure.
About the movie: Like countless Palestinian villages since 1948, Ma’loul has been erased from the map. Every year on Israel's independence day (the only day that no permits are needed to move around that area freely) Ma'loul's expelled indigenous Palestinian inhabitants go back to their village, to show their children where they are from, to re-conjure the houses, the school, the bakery.
Gaza Remains the Story: Tatreez Workshop | May 17
Join us for a Tatreez Workshop, in collaboration with Tatreez 4 Palestine, to learn about the historic art of tatreez (Palestinian Cross-Stitch). Participants will have the option to choose between a beginner-friendly pattern to learn the techniques of tatreez, and create their own patch to sew onto any cloth item OR, to bring their own cloth item (such as a t-shirt or kufiya) and learn to use waste canvas to add tatreez to their own clothing. Registration fee includes a take-home beginner kit to continue practicing tatreez at home!
Gaza Remains the Story: Paint Palestine - Rooted Return | May 17
Date & Location
đź“… Sunday, May 17
⏰ 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
đź“Ť825 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1R8
About
Join Dalia, from the Watermelon Palette, to paint an image
reminiscent of the Nakba Key of Return. Dalia is a self-taught oil painter. Since 2023, she has centred her work on Palestine, highlighting the culture, stories, and history of the Levant through her art.
In “Rooted Return” a key becomes the trunk of an olive tree, symbolizing resilience, heritage, and an unbroken bond to the land. Acrylic on canvas.
Gaza Remains the Story: Nakba. Learn It. End It. | May 17
Date & Location
đź“… Sunday, May 17
⏰ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
đź“Ť825 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1R8
About
Presented by Parents 4 Palestine YVR.
An interactive workshop where children and parents decorate small keys with art and messages, then pin them onto a large map of Palestine to mark their place of return or connection to Palestine, creating a collective community art piece that commemorates the Nakba.
We will take this opportunity for children to learn about the Nakba through art, while affirming the Palestinian people’s right to return to their ancestral homes.
Palestine in the World | May 18
Date & Location
đź“… Monday, May 18
⏰ 11:30 am - 2:00 pm
đź“Ť825 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1R8
About
Join us for an afternoon of reflection and learning about the global impacts of the Nakba, partitions, and displacements. In 1948, over 500 Palestinian villages were destroyed and depopulated, and up to 1 million Palestinians were forcibly expelled through ethnic cleansing by the Zionist entity. We come together to commemorate Nakba Day and all internationalist struggles bound up in Palestinian liberation - as Palestinian revolutionary Ghassan Kanafani wrote: "Imperialism has laid its body over the world, the head in Eastern Asia, the heart in the Middle East, its arteries reaching Africa and Latin America."
The Palestinian liberation movement echoes in a worldwide continuum with many interconnected legacies and trajectories. Come hear about freedom struggles from Palestine to Sudan, anti-displacement fights from the Downtown Eastside to global land defense movements, and the afterlives of colonial mandates and partition plans from Palestine to South Asia to Turtle Island.
Community Spotlights
On a recent visit to a friend in Mexico, I spent a few days alone in Punta de Mita. I was overthinking, as usual, and just wondering why humans do what we do and how we can cause so much pain then turn away from it. I felt sad that caring can feel so lonely sometimes, when it feels like so many people don't care at all.
Then, I turned a corner, and saw this beautiful mural for Palestine. In this small community half a world away, someone is holding Palestine in their hearts and making beautiful art to show solidarity with those who are suffering. To remind us that we aren't alone, even when caring feels lonely. To refocus our thoughts on those who need our support, not waste time worrying about those who can turn a blind eye to suffering, or worse, perpetrate it.
We control where our attention goes. Caring for each other, expressing ourselves and advocating for those who suffer is the most human thing we can do. I hope no one ever doubts themselves in their continued advocacy. You are not too much. ~C
Book Club
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
Part history, part family memoir, this powerful book reframes the story of Palestine not as a “conflict between two equal sides” but as a century-long colonial assault against a people struggling to remain on their land. Drawing from archival research, personal family records and lived experience, Khalidi traces six key moments — from the Balfour Declarationto the ongoing realities of occupation and displacement — showing how the Nakba was not a single event in 1948, but part of a continuing process.
What makes this book especially striking is its clarity: Khalidi writes with historical precision but also with moral urgency and deep humanity. He challenges dominant narratives without losing sight of the everyday lives shaped by exile, erasure, and resistance.
For readers seeking to understand the Nakba beyond the mainstream headlines, The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine offers something essential: historical context, political insight, and a reminder that memory itself can be an act of survival.