The Nakba of 1948

[Watermelonpower]

Hello everyone
I’m creating this thread because I feel there is not enough awareness about the Nakba of 1948 and the impact this had on the Palestinian people, community and the diaspora that was created as a result. Anyone seeking to understand current events in the Middle East needs to understand The Nakba, what it meant to Palestinians and how the consequences and generational trauma impacts Palestinians to this day. For those who are unaware, 70% of Gaza’s population are Nakba refugees/their descendants.

At the outset I would like to say this thread is about understanding and awareness. Above all, it is about the Palestinian experience and perspective. I would therefore appreciate it if people would keep this in mind and be respectful in their posting, ensuring MN Talk Guidelines are adhered to. I will be also be sharing some personal stories and
suggesting some additional resources and media for those who wish to learn more.

https://www.un.org/unispal/about-the-nakba/

From Haaretz

Israeli security cabinet member and Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter (Likud) was asked in a news interview on Saturday whether the images of northern Gaza Strip residents evacuating south on the IDF’s orders are comparable to images of the Nakba. He replied: “We are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba.

Does anyone know how likely it is that the “voluntary migration” plan will go ahead. I mean do the majority of the government in Israel back this idea? I don’t think America/Europe would. Surely they would see that is going too far.

The US/Europe seem to be turning a blind eye to genocide and the proposed ethnic cleansing is being framed as humanitarian, which I suppose it is compared to genocide, so I'm guessing we'll be totally fine with it.

What a fucked up world to live in.

Thanks for this thread, it's a shame that this tragedy is not known as widely as it should. You're correct that it remains an inconvenient truth that there were people who inhabited the "land without a people".

This is a short documentary about the Deir Yassin massacre.

While Deir Yassin is the most well known massacre, I think we should acknowledge that there were dozens of massacres during the 1948 Nakba. At least two had an even higher victim count:

The Lydda Massacre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Palestinian_expulsion_from_Lydda_and_Ramle

The Al-Dawayima massacre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Dawayimamassacre

There were so so many aka Plan Dalet.

https://imeu.org/article/explainer-plan-dalet-the-ethnic-cleansing-of-palestine

The Text of Plan Dalet:
http://www.jmcc.org/Documentsandmaps.aspx?id=755

Thanks for the thread, the parallels between 1948 and now are frightening. We are seeing nakba #2 and I don't know where it will end.

Thank you.
Ilan Pappe (Israeli historian) makes this point. His book ‘the ethnic cleansing of Palestine’ is an important read for anyone wishing to learn more about this topic

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C10GRICsKDz/?igsh=Y2o2d2o0Mmt5OGFz

It is also very important to understand why it is considered to be so offensive and serious when Israeli government discusses rolling out the “Gaza nakba”. To Palestinians this, given what happened in the 1948 Nakba, this language/reference is considered to show genocidal intent on the part of the Israeli government.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-12/ty-article/israeli-security-cabinet-member-calls-north-gaza-evacuation-nakba-2023/0000018b-c2be-dea2-a9bf-d2be7b670000

Its pretty brazen to straight up admit that ethnic cleansing is the plan.

hi OP thank you for this thread. I have been horrified by what I have seen the last few months so this is a timely reminder of what went on and I think a lot of people are unaware of how violent and awful the Nakba was.

And as Palestinians feel, it is going on right now.

I found this recent Guardian article about how they have identified three possible mass graves of Palestinians killed during the Nakba in Tantura. Chilling stuff.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/25/study-1948-israeli-massacre-tantura-palestinian-village-mass-graves-car-park

Here is a video that was linked within the Guardian article about what happened at Tantura, and the investigation into mass graves, along with survivor testimonials.

Thank you for this vital thread, OP. I’ve been listening to many podcasts from the Palestinian perspective.

My Irish grandfather died young in 1960, 12 years before my birth. But his words around the Nakba have lived on in my family. He said, “They will never forget. Their children will never forget. Their children’s children’s children will never forget.” His words haunted me as I listened to episode 819 of This American Life- ‘Yousef’s Week’. Shattered my heart listening to this Palestinian man talk. I cried. It’s all I can do. Cry.

Legally everyone who has been displaced is a refugee. You don't lose that status over time or if you get citizenship of another country. Jews brought into UK post Holocaust are considered refugees. Nowadays with the Daily Mail headlines we tend to only think of brown Muslims as refugees, but it's not the case.
There's nothing "special" about it, it's a tragedy when someone is forcefully displaced from their home due to risk of death. It's a double tragedy that the Palestinians are being displaced and have no right to return to their homeland.

Firstly I would respectfully ask that you refer to Palestinians and not the more generic “Arab”. Palestinians are proud to be Arab but they are also a group of people with their own culture, heritage and identity. It’s why it’s considered offensive to Palestinians when some people suggest that they should just be “absorbed” by Egypt, Jordan or the Gulf states and that’s a solution to the “problem”. Arabs are not just one big monolith that can be lumped together. Nor should they be.
Secondly, I’m not sure what the overall point you’re making is with your question. Are you suggesting that Palestinians should just get over it as other people have had to do? If yes, I’d suggest perhaps telling the descendants of holocaust survivors, or those of the Armenian genocide, that they should just move on and see what reaction you get. If your question is a technical one, many Palestinians are still classed as refugees because that’s what they are. Millions live in refugee camps in Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. They were forced to leave their homes and they love their land and want to return. They have the right to be classed as refugees until that happens.

There have been some recent statements pushing back on this in the past couple of days from the France and the US around Gazans not being forced out given the rhetoric coming from the Israeli government.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67907336.amp

However the destruction in Gaza is now so overwhelming that it isn’t “fixable” by private enterprise or donations anymore. It will require state level intervention - billions and billions of dollars- to make it habitable again. I guess the expectation will be on the richer Gulf states (eg Qatar) to pick up the bill.
I don’t know what will happen to the people currently living there in the meantime or how they are expected to survive.

Thank you for this information. It is really helpful context for people who don’t know the history. Violence breeds violence and the horrors of the Holocaust may have contributed to the damaged mindset that made the horror of the Nabka possible. It always seems to be the innocent who suffer for the crimes of others.
The challenge is how to move on and look to the future. With each new atrocity that becomes harder and harder. The innocent on both sides have suffered and the damage is psychological as well as physical, emotional, financial . It is heartbreaking because violence just breeds more violence. “An eye for an eye and eventually the whole world becomes blind “

yes, unfortunately it’s beyond obvious that this conflict will not make Israel safer. The orphaned children will one day grow up. The widowed husbands and the parents whose children were killed in front of them, in the most awful ways, will have nothing left to lose or live for. They will want revenge. Will we be asked to condemn what they do in a few years?

Palestinians have legitimate grievances. Until these are addressed there will never be a sustainable peace. I believe the Israeli government knows this.

If you’re interested in learning more about historical Palestine I would also recommend this Instagram page called “Hidden Palestine”. They often post about culture and both current and historical events. Some of their photos are quite interesting.

https://www.instagram.com/hiddenpalestine?igsh=dXhocWxwdzdhemk4

Actually no, we cannot debate some of those things because they are no longer the topic of debate. They have been broadly accepted by a spectrum of historians as being fact.

on whether the majority of Palestinians left by force or willingly, I would suggest you read the below. It’s an Israeli source as I suspect you are unlikely to accept anything else I post as being factual.

https://www.akevot.org.il/en/article/intelligence-brief-from-1948-hidden-for-decades-indicates-jewish-fighters-actions-were-the-major-cause-of-arab-displacement-not-calls-from-arab-leadership/

on whether there was a difference between Arabs back then and now. I can tell you, as a Palestinian, and as an Arab, that there was and is.

Many of the Palestinians who were forced to flee to other countries have not been able to gain their full rights in the countries to which they fled. The right to citizenship, the right to work, the right travel freely. They have been living in perpetual refugee status.

again I’m not quite sure about the point that you’re trying to make ? whether someone is technically classed as having refugee status or not, if they have been subject to injustice that will live on through generations.

What a blissfully ignorant post, full of misinformation, all of which seems to be in attempt to minimise the ongoing horrendous atrocities towards Palestinians.

@ER2 while I agree with some of what you're saying, I don't think this is the time nor the place for these discussions. You can always start a new thread if you want to discuss eg refugee status being passed down from generation to generation, but if so I'd suggest phrasing it carefully to ensure you are respectful and don't cause offence. It's the best way to get an answer to your questions.