Nakba

     In 1948 there was a mass exodus of Palestinians during the Palestinian war, about 80% of the Arab population fled the area in what is now modern Israel .  Those who fled either fled out of fear or were ordered to by the Israeli military.  This event is known as Nakba which means “catastrophe.”  Many of those who became refugees relocated to neighboring countries and were in refugee camps. Historians debate the true reason why this refugee crisis occurred but most believe the contributing factors were “Jewish military advances, destruction of Arab villages, psychological warfare and fears of another massacre by Zionist militias after the Deir Yassin massacre.”  During this refugee crisis the first Israeli government rose and passed laws preventing the Palestinians who had left from reclaiming their property.  This issue has been one of the driving forces behind the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinian refugees leaving the Galilee in October–November 1948.

Palestinian village now in ruins.

Arabs leaving Haifa as Jewish forces enter the city.

Makeshift school for Palestinian refugees.

A Palestinian watches over a school in a refugee camp, 1948.

Refugees in the open, 1948.