The sorrow of a nation.

The Nakba of 1948: The Tragedy of a Nation

There are some dates in history that mark not just an event, but the shattering of a nation’s entire existence, identity, hopes, aspirations, and dreams. For Palestinians, May 15, 1948, is just such a day—the beginning of a national catastrophe, which they call “an-Nakba,” meaning “the Catastrophe.” On this day, a new state called “Israel” was born on the world map, and with it, an ancient land of national identity was destroyed.

Before 1948, Palestine was a multicultural Arab society. Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities had lived there for centuries. Jewish immigration increased during the British Mandate, especially during World War II and the Nazi persecution. But when the British left, the United Nations proposed in 1947 to divide Palestine into two, one Arab and one Jewish, the real nature of the conflict emerged. The Jews were allocated more than 55 percent of the land, even though they still made up less than a third of the population.

The Palestinians did not accept this division, because it was a clear violation of their rights. They could not accept a state that was being formed in their homeland under the auspices of foreign immigrants. From then on, Jewish armed groups—the Haganah, the Irgun, and the Lehi—began a planned campaign of “ethnic cleansing.” Taking over village after village, they drove out the Arab population, killing, raping, and terrorizing them so that they would never return.

In this process, by May 1948, some 750,000 Arab residents of Palestine were forcibly evicted from their homes. About 500 Palestinian villages were completely wiped out, as if they had never existed. In a village called ‘Deir Yassin’, the Irgun forces carried out a brutal genocide, where no woman, child, or old person was spared. Hearing the news of this incident, the surrounding villagers fled in panic, and that was part of the Israeli strategy.

The Nakba meant not only the loss of land, but also the destruction of an identity. As a result of this disaster, Palestinians became refugees—forced to seek refuge in various countries, including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. Some became “internal refugees” within their own territory, with no recognition or rights. They still live in temporary refugee camps, which have now become permanent, but have never become “homes.”

The most terrible thing in this 75-year history is that this disaster of the Palestinians has never been fully recognized internationally. The Nakba is not portrayed in history books in the same way that the birth of Israel is called the ‘beginning of liberation’. In the Western media, this catastrophe is suppressed under the headings of “Israeli self-defense” or “the war on terror.” The truth is, a people was forcibly expelled from their homeland for the sake of implementing a nation-building project for a different religious group.

The Nakba was not just a one-day event in the past—it is still happening every day. The construction of settlements in the West Bank, the seizure of Arab homes in Jerusalem, the blockade of Gaza, the shootings, the airstrikes—these are the continuous manifestations of the Nakba. And every year on May 15, Palestinians remember this day with tears, mourning processions, and the promise—one day they will return to their homeland.

In this reality, the Nakba teaches us some profound messages. It teaches how a nation can be destroyed in the name of colonial imperialism and religious nation-building. It teaches how the global justice system can turn a blind eye to the cries of a people. And the most important lesson is that to stand up for humanity, one must not only be a victim, but also a conscious global citizen.

Palestinians' homes are destroyed, their land is occupied, their identity is questioned. But their history has not been erased. They continue to struggle today, keeping their dreams alive for future generations. The Nakba may have taken everything from them, but it has not taken away their hope.