Nakba (Palestinian Catastrophe)

The Nakba refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians that occurred between 1947 and 1949 during the collapse of the British Mandate for Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel.

On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 181, proposing the partition of Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state, with Jerusalem under international administration. At the time, Arabs made up roughly two-thirds of the population and owned the majority of the land, while Jewish residents owned less than one-third. Palestinian Arab leadership rejected the plan, arguing it violated the principle of self-determination. Zionist leadership accepted it.

Following the UN vote, armed conflict broke out. Zionist paramilitary groups, including the Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi, carried out military operations aimed at securing territory designated for the Jewish state and additional areas beyond the UN partition lines. Key operations included Plan Dalet (Plan D), implemented in early 1948, which authorized the capture of Palestinian towns and villages and the expulsion of their inhabitants.

Numerous massacres and forced expulsions occurred during this period. One of the most notable was the Deir Yassin massacre on April 9, 1948, where over 100 Palestinian civilians were killed by Irgun and Lehi forces. News of such events contributed to widespread fear and flight among the Palestinian population.

On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel. The following day, neighboring Arab states (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq) entered the conflict. By the end of the war in 1949, Israel controlled approximately 78% of historic Palestine, exceeding the territory allocated by the UN partition plan.

As a result of the conflict, an estimated 700,000 to 750,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled from their homes. Over 400 Palestinian villages were depopulated or destroyed. Palestinian refugees were denied the right to return, despite UN General Assembly Resolution 194 (December 1948), which affirmed that refugees wishing to return should be permitted to do so.

The Nakba resulted in the permanent displacement of the Palestinian population, the confiscation of land and property, and the fragmentation of Palestinian society. Its consequences continue to shape the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, refugee status, and regional politics to this day.