In the mid-60s, when my grandpa tried to renew his Palestinian passport, he was denied. War, displacement & catastrophes persisted in all of Palestine. Israel exerted its power & began to take away the independence of Palestinians. It also began banning their return. 17/

Instead, my grandpa was given a refugee travel document from neighboring Egypt. Several countries, including Lebanon, Egypt, Syria & Iraq began issuing these documents to displaced Palestinians. They were meant to be a temporary measure until Palestinians could return...... 18/

My grandpa, a man who loved travel & adventure, heard of another opportunity in Qatar. My grandma agreed to the move. They relocated, now with a family in tow. They worked hard & made a home in Qatar. They sent my dad to University in Egypt to earn an Engineering degree. 19/

In Egypt, my dad fell in love with a beautiful Alexandrian woman...my mother. 🥰 He married her in his final year of studies & moved with her back to Qatar, where he became a partner at an engineering firm. They started a family & did their best to integrate in the gulf. 20/

Fast forward to the late 80s.... a very important era in this story. Yours truly, Ortho PA, was born at Doha General Hospital on a calm and very ordinary Wednesday.😅 I have always been an attentive & curious girl. I would watch the world around me & take in the happenings. 21/

I listened as my family talked about horrors unfolding in Palestine. I memorized songs about our beautiful homeland that my dad would play in the car. I saw the atrocities on the news. I heard my dad weep in the middle of the night watching footage of massacred families.💔22/

Remember how I told you my grandpa was a man of opportunity? This time, he had heard that they were issuing passports to immigrants in the US. The Egyptian refugee document was barely good for anything. And Palestinians were never allowed to claim citizenship in the gulf... 23/

And so, he set off to America. Eventually, my dad wanted to follow to North America to give us better opportunities and a sense of belonging through citizenship. We got selected through education & income points to immigrate to...Canada. 24/

The dream of return to Palestine faded as Israel became increasingly dominant, increasingly violent & increasingly restrictive on Palestinains. Though my grandpa left Gaza, many of his relatives never did. Today, I have over 100 relatives in Gaza who share my last name. 25/

And that little girl who watched her father weep over his people...has never forgotten. Now, I am a wise, strong & capable woman. The internet helped me connect to my family. I know them all by name. I care about every single one of them. And I'll never abandon them... 26/

@Ortho_PA_ @threadreaderapp unroll

@Ortho_PA_ @threadreaderapp please compile

@Ortho_PA_ @threadreaderapp unroll

@Ortho_PA_ A very moving story. Important to read at this time

@Ortho_PA_ Your family must be so proud of you. ❤️

@Ortho_PA_ Thank you for sharing some of your family's history.

@Ortho_PA_ Thank you for sharing your beautiful story with us. 💜

@Ortho_PA_ Thank you for sharing your family's story.

@Ortho_PA_ As a child of a refugee family myself - I can only sympathise and agree with your sentiments.

@Ortho_PA_ Thank you for sharing your family's story. Stories are how we relate to others.

@Ortho_PA_ I never learned anything about this in my world history classes in the US. Thank you so much for sharing your family’s story 💗

@Ortho_PA_ Thanks for sharing. I’ve learned a lot

@Ortho_PA_ This is so heartbreaking! Such a vivid retelling of the history of your beautiful & strong family. I appreciate that you shared this -- it would make a gripping novel. I'm so sorry for what your family & all Palestinians have endured. May God protect them all. #FreePalestine 🙏🇵🇸

@Ortho_PA_ What is really troublesome is that Jewish people should be able to relate.

@Ortho_PA_ Thank you for sharing your family story. 💗

@Ortho_PA_ Thank you for sharing your family story

@Ortho_PA_ Wanted to share this with you . You are your ancestors dream. So many lives have been poured into you .

@Ortho_PA_ Thank you for sharing this; Nakba is not unique, but rather part of a recurring pattern. In my family, the stories were of the Asia Minor Catastrophe in 1920s; once again, the British were there…

@Ortho_PA_ Thank you for sharing your story