Why is Nakba still ‘ongoing’ for Palestinians, 75 years on?

The Nakba's 75th anniversary is observed at a critical moment characterised by a continuous escalation of Israeli violent actions against Palestinians in the occupied territories and the besieged Gaza.

Reports indicate that in 2021, Israeli forces allegedly killed 313 Palestinians, including 71 minors, in the besieged Gaza and occupied West Bank (including East Jerusalem).

This number reached a record high in 2022, with 204 Palestinians reportedly killed, making it the deadliest year for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since 2005.

During the first four months of 2023, 96 Palestinians have been killed, indicating the cycle of violence has become endless.

The unity uprising aimed to mobilise Palestinians in their struggle against Israel's settler-colonial rule and practices resembling apartheid.

Numerous international human rights organisations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have documented and recognized these practices as such.

Nakba, or “catastrophe”, refers to the uprooting, massacre and forced exodus of thousands of Palestinians from their homelands by the Israeli regime following the 1948 Palestine war.

Over 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes in Palestine, with Zionist militias destroying 500 villages and towns, before the Israeli regime declared its illegal existence, resulting in a refugee crisis that persists to this day.

This year, for the first time, the United Nations will officially commemorate the flight of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland on the 75th anniversary of their forced exodus - an action that stemmed from the UN's partition of British-ruled Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, while describing the UN observance as historic, also marked the UN's responsibility for not being able to resolve the catastrophe for the Palestinian people over the past 75 years.

He said “the catastrophe to the Palestinian people is still ongoing”.

The Palestinians still don’t have an independent state, and they don’t have the right to return to their homes as called for in a General Assembly resolution adopted in December 1948.

Historical background

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire. With the rise of Zionism, a political movement advocating for a Jewish homeland, Jewish immigration to Palestine increased.

Following World War I, the British Empire gained control over Palestine under the League of Nations' mandate.

During this period, tensions between Jewish and Arab communities intensified due to conflicting national aspirations.

In 1947, the United Nations proposed a partition plan to divide Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem under international administration.

The plan was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by Palestinian Arabs, as they believed it unfairly favored Jewish interests.

Even though the plan was never implemented due to the outbreak of violence, it played an important role in the occupation of Palestine and the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948 that resulted in the violent displacement of more than 80 percent of Palestinian population.

The conflict persisted until January 1949, at which point Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria reached an armistice agreement. This agreement established the 1949 Armistice Line, commonly known as the Green Line, which serves as the widely acknowledged demarcation between Israel and the occupied West Bank.

The Green Line is also synonymous with the (pre-) 1967 borders, referring to the territorial boundaries before Israel occupied the remaining parts of Palestine during the June 1967 war.

The scale of destruction

During the period from 1947 to 1949, Zionist militia forces launched assaults on significant Palestinian urban centers and devastated approximately 530 villages.

This campaign of violence resulted in the deaths of an estimated 15,000 Palestinians through a series of large-scale atrocities, including numerous massacres.

One of the most notorious incidents occurred on April 9, 1948, when Zionist forces carried out a devastating massacre in the village of Deir Yassin, located on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Members of the Irgun and Stern Gang, Zionist militias operating prior to the establishment of the Israeli state, were responsible for the brutal killings.

The massacre claimed the lives of over 110 men, women, and children, cementing its place as one of the most tragic events of the war.

Palestinian diaspora

The displaced Palestinians sought refuge in neighboring Arab countries or in other parts of Palestine.

There are approximately six million Palestinian refugees who are officially registered and reside in over 58 camps scattered across Palestine and neighboring nations.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) plays a crucial role in supporting these refugees by offering assistance and managing a vast network of schools and healthcare facilities.

UNRWA provides aid to at least 2.3 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, 1.5 million in Gaza, 870,000 in the occupied West Bank, 570,000 in Syria, and 480,000 in Lebanon.

Palestinians under occupations

The Israeli military's dominion over the Palestinian population significantly impacts various facets of their existence, determining their access to services, freedom of movement, marriage choices, and residential options.

Leading the prominent global non-governmental organization, Human Rights Watch (HRW), to accuse Israel of engaging in acts that constitute crimes against humanity, specifically apartheid and persecution against Palestinians.

Through a comprehensive investigation, HRW gathered evidence of various abuses committed by Israel, including the widespread confiscation of Palestinian land and property, unlawful killings, forced displacement, severe restrictions on freedom of movement, administrative detention, and the denial of Palestinian citizenship rights.

This investigation has shed light on the gravity of the situation and the systematic violations endured by the Palestinian population.

‘Worst episode of fighting’

Today, 75 years later, Palestinians say the Nakba is not history and is still ‘ongoing’.

Since May 9, the Israel has been carrying out continuous airstrikes on the besieged Gaza, including targeted assassinations of resistance groups' leaders.

In response, Palestinian resistance factions have launched retaliatory strikes against Israeli cities and settlements.

On Saturday, Palestinian armed groups announced a ceasefire agreement with Israel, putting an end to five days of intense Israeli attacks on Gaza.

The strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 33 Palestinians, including 13 civilians, while 147 others sustained injuries, as reported by the Palestinian health ministry.

The conflict marked the worst episode of fighting between Gaza's resistance factions and the Israel since a 10-day war in 2021.