Nakba Day

The Promised Land

At the end of the 19th century, Zionists in Europe called for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. One of the main leaders of the movement was Theodor Herzl, who outlined his ideas in his book "The Jewish State." Growing numbers of European Jews emigrated to Palestine, not least displaced by growing anti-Semitism, particularly in Nazi Germany.

Nakba Day

A British mandate

Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire for a long period. In 1917, Britain occupied Palestine. Five years later, the League of Nations issued an official mandate for British control there, bringing the idea of a 'national homestead' for the Jewish people closer. Britain had already in the Balfour Declaration of 1917 affirmed that it favored the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine.

Nakba Day

Arab rebellion

The influx of immigrants led to recurring tensions between Jews and Arabs and triggered violent clashes - culminating in a nationwide uprising of Palestine's Arab population in 1936. Over the next three years, Jewish settlers and the British mandate powers were increasingly targeted. By 1939, British troops had brutally suppressed the rebellion.

Nakba Day

A disastrous bombing

The tense circumstances at the time were fertile ground for militant Zionists and terrorist groups at the beginning of the 1930s. They attacked Arab and British targets during World War II. One object was Jerusalem's King David Hotel, which housed the British Military headquarters. On July 22, 1946, the militant right-wing Zionist group Irgun detonated a bomb in the hotel, killing 91 people.

Nakba Day

A plan for division

In 1947, the United Nations passed a resolution recommending Palestine be divided into a Jewish and an Arab state. Jerusalem would become UN-controlled territory. While the Jewish side accepted the idea, Arabs rejected the division, saying it was unjust. Although Jews only made up for a third of the population, they would receive more than half of Palestine lands, Arabs criticized.

Nakba Day

The decisive Deir Yassin massacre

Jews and Arabs fought hard for dominance in Palestine. On April 9, 1948, Jewish militia under the leadership of the later Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin attacked the Arab village of Deir Yassin. Over 100 people were killed, most of them civilians. The event has gone down in history as the "Deir Yassin massacre" and fueled tensions leading to the Arab invasion one month later.

Nakba Day

A new nation is born

The British mandate in Palestine ended on May 14, 1948. On the same day, David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of the state of Israel. Three years after the end of the Holocaust, after centuries of discrimination and persecution, the new nation promised the Jewish people independence and security. But just a few hours later, the neighboring Arab countries attacked.

Nakba Day

The Arab-Israeli War

A military coalition of Arab states, together with Palestinian Arab forces, struggled to make an impact against the newly-founded Israeli army. Increasing numbers of immigrants and weapons imports from eastern Europe strengthened Israel's clout. The Arabs - poorly equipped and without any central military leadership - were quickly forced into a defensive position.

Nakba Day

A mass exodus

The Israelis were able to take control of one Arab town after the next. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes by advancing militia. Several hundred Arab towns were depopulated. A number of agreements were finally reached in 1949 between the Arab armies and Israel which ended the hostilities.

Nakba Day

Refugees' fate

Over 700,000 Palestinians sought refuge in camps, dispersed across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The United Nations urged in vain for the refugees to be allowed to return to their homes. But the refugee problem remained unsolved. Today, there are over four million Palestinian refugees.

Nakba Day

Destroyed homes

Israel legalized the expropriation and confiscation of Palestinian property. Several hundred Arab villages were thereupon razed to the ground, such as Menashiya in Jaffa. The depopulated areas were often given to Jewish immigrants for building new settlements. In Israel's official history books, the 'Nakba' plays no role.

Author: Michael Hartlep / sac | Editor: Rob Mudge