Quick Facts: The Palestinian Nakba (“Catastrophe”)

The Palestinian “Nakba” (“catastrophe” in Arabic) refers to the mass expulsion of Palestinian Arabs from British Mandate Palestine during Israel’s creation (1947-49). The Nakba was not an unintended result of war. It was a deliberate and systematic act necessary for the creation of a Jewish majority state in historic Palestine, which was overwhelmingly Arab prior to 1948.

Fact Sheet: Meet Israel’s New Government

Israel Kills Dozens at Gaza Border as U.S. Embassy Opens in Jerusalem

More than 2,700 Palestinian demonstrators were injured on Monday — at least 1,350 by gunfire — along the border fence with Gaza, the Health Ministry reported. The mass protests began on March 30 and had already left dozens dead.

Quick Facts: Jerusalem

Since Israel’s establishment in 1948, the United Nations and international community have not recognized the sovereignty of any country to any part of Jerusalem in the absence of a permanent peace agreement in the region.

For Palestinians, Israeli Permits a Complex Tool of Control

More than 300 Palestinians showed up at an Israeli military base in the West Bank recently, hoping they could win the lifting of security bans that prevent them for entering Israel. But they were also anxious. Talking in small groups, they recounted past experiences where some had been asked to spy on their neighbors in exchange for a permit — a gut-wrenching choice.

Mourning Arabs Fly Palestinian Flags as Israel Marks Independence Day

In a field south of Haifa, near an Arab village that was depopulated and abandoned in 1948, children read the lyrics of nationalist anthems from their iPhones, while their elders sat beneath awnings, listening to dignitarites and musicians.

Israel Celebrates Its Independence, We Mourn Our Loss

Seventy years ago, the world changed around my family. The establishment of the state of Israel represented self-determination for Jews, but a catastrophe — “nakba” in Arabic — for Palestinians. In the area around the Mediterranean city of Haifa, where my family has lived for six generations, only 2,000 Palestinians of a population of 70,000 remained.

Ahed Tamimi’s Case Proves We Palestinians Will Always Be Seen as Guilty

On Wednesday (March 21), 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi entered Ofer military court with bright pink socks tucked underneath the metal shackles that held her feet together. In a prison-issued jacket that was too big for her, she smiled from cheek to cheek. The Israeli judge presiding over her case accepted a plea bargain that would mean she will serve an eight month prison sentence.

Questions for an Israeli Soldier

There isn't a week that goes by that I don't think of the events of this week, sixteen years ago. I recall, as though it were yesterday, as Israeli soldiers drove tanks through the streets of Ramallah, crushing cars and beautiful trees in their path before stopping in front of my building on Library Street.