Nakba #61 - Zakia Islam Nofal Al-Badawi

1947 "Four Jewish men came to the village: Simcha, Meir, David, and Shmuel. They wanted to buy our land. Some agreed to sell, others refused. The men began to cultivate the land and set up a cart to stay overnight. When they weren't there, we went and stole their harvest. They continued their farming for a couple of years. At that time, it was not allowed for girls to go to school. It was considered a sin. But if I had the chance, I would have gone. In any case, I had no time. I worked in agriculture all day; we grew corn, tomatoes, wheat, and almonds. We took care of everything and stored it at home. My father was no longer alive, so I worked with my uncle and his family. I married my cousin when I was twelve; he was seventeen or eighteen. I didn't understand the meaning of marriage. I wasn't allowed to meet my future husband in advance. He came to pick me up early in the morning on his camel. The whole village followed us to his house. Then we had lunch together. We received sweets as gifts; that was all." 1949 "The Jews attacked Iraq al-Manshiyya from one side of the village. They killed some Sudanese soldiers from the Egyptian army. The Jews arrested the entire Daita family and three or four other families and took them to Taita, an area on the other side of the village. My family and I were taken to a large house that belonged to the village mukhtar. The Jews had occupied the roof, where they had a view of the main road between Fallujah and Bayt Jibrin. When an Egyptian tank approached the village, they started shouting 'The Egyptians are coming, the Egyptians are coming,' and then fled. One of the young men from the village chased after the Jews, but after a while, he was shot and killed. The Egyptian army came to our rescue, and we were able to return to our house. Some Jewish soldiers had been injured and captured. They were handed over to the Egyptian army. I don't know what happened to them. Then the Jews returned and besieged us and the Egyptian forces for about half a year. We baked bread and cooked for the Egyptian soldiers. The firewood ran out, so we had to start using the wood from our houses. Eventually, the Egyptian army surrendered. Then the Israelis forced everyone to leave their homes. It went relatively peacefully. My cousin, Mohammad Mahdi, was shot on the road. We were banished to the other side of the main road, where we had to live in a house with some other families. No one was allowed to return to the village. If anyone did, they were shot on the spot. After three months, we were picked up in trucks; I don't know whether they were Jordanians or Egyptians. We were taken to Tarqumia, north of al-Khalil." Reflection "Every night I dream about my home village; I remember the names of everyone who owned the land. One day in Iraq al-Manshiyya is better than a year here in the camp."