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In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War (the NakbaNakba Full Description: Arabic for “The Catastrophe.” It refers to the mass expulsion and flight of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes during the conflict. It is not merely a historical event but describes the ongoing condition of statelessness and dispossession faced by Palestinian refugees. The Nakba marks the foundational trauma of Palestinian identity. During the fighting that established the State of Israel, a vast majority of the Arab population in the territory either fled out of fear or were forcibly expelled by militias and the new army. Their villages were…
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The 1948 Arab–Israeli War broke out immediately after Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948. Armies of Egypt, Transjordan (Jordan), Syria, Iraq and contingents from Lebanon and other Arab countries entered the British Mandate territory on 15 May, each pursuing its own objectives . Arab leaders claimed they were “liberating” Palestine, but in practice their agendas diverged sharply. Jordan’s King ʿAbdullah sought to annex the West Bank, while Egypt’s King Farouk aimed to stake a claim to Gaza. Syria and Iraq had pan-Arab ambitions of their own. These conflicting goals – underscored by secret British support for ʿAbdullah – severely…