Nakba

Nakba is an Arabic term meaning “catastrophe” devised by Palestinian Arabs to commemorate the establishment of the State of Israel in a small part of British mandated Palestine. Nakba Day, May 15, falls the day after Israel declared its independence and many Arabs fled or were expelled during the subsequent war with several neighboring Arab states.

According to Palestinian sources, the war displaced up to 750,000 Arabs many of whom became refugees in neighboring Egyptian Gaza and the Jordanian West Bank. The 150,000 who remained became Israeli citizens.

The "Nakba" has its roots in the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan to divide Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states. The partition plan was accepted by the Jewish Agency, but was rejected by the Arab states.

Today the Nakba is commemorated by Palestinians worldwide on the Nakba’s Gregorian date, while Israel celebrates its Independence Day according to the Hebrew calendar.

Nakba Day is held in Arab states and in the Palestinian territories with rallies and speeches, and in 1998 late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat declared Nakba Day a Palestinian national day of mourning.

Some lawmakers object to the fact that Nakba Day commemorations call for Israel to be replaced by a Palestinian state in all of western Palestine, and in 2009 a bill presented by the rightist political party Yisrael Beitenu was watered down and passed stating that government funds could not be used to acknowledge Nakba Day. The Nakba has become an integral part of Palestinian national history and narrative, and it has also been important in building a Palestinian national identity and shared heritage.

Latest Stories on Nakba

Israel's last remaining abandoned Arab village, Lifta, gets reprieve as judge voids development plans

Architects and planners view village as a cultural asset that preserves the way of life and the construction typical of Arab villages in the early 20th century.

by Nir Hasson 3 comments

German group cuts support for Palestinian rights NGO

Remembrance, Responsibility and Future, known by its German acronym, EVZ, says it supports education projects, but not those with a political agenda.

by Uri Blau 23 comments

High Court rejects petition against Israel's controversial 'Nakba Law'

Arab, Jewish citizens submit petition against law granting finance minister power to reduce budget of state-funded bodies that reject Israel as Jewish state or mark the Palestinian Nakba.

by Jack Khoury 25 comments

Arab schools watchdog draws up educational plan for 'Palestinian minority' in Israel

Education Ministry: We will not allow the material to be taught in schools.

by Talila Nesher 47 comments

View All Latest Opinion on Nakba

Ban all expressions of mourning

On third thought, I would propose that the law banning mourning in public be imposed on the Jewish population as well. It strikes me as impossible not to view any public display of mourning as subversive, if not downright hostile, in a country that is headed by its 30 very best brains.

by Elia Leibowitz 0 comments

Patently lawless

Legislation barring the commemoration of Nakba Day with demonstrations would hold us up to the ridicule of the political and constitutional establishment around the world.

by Ze'ev Segal 0 comments

Wickedness and stupidity

The proposal to ban commemorating the Palestinian Nakba will only encourage extremism in the Arab public and weaken the groups seeking integration into Israeli society.

by Shlomo Avineri 0 comments

Dangerous legislation

Cloaked in loyalty to Zionist values and the aspiration to protect Israel's character as a Jewish and democratic state, the new legislation criminalizing anyone who marks the Palestinians' Nakba Day threatens to undermine the Jewish state's foundations.

Haaretz Editorial 0 comments

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