The founding of Israel and the Nakba
A state is declared, a war follows, and 700,000 Palestinians are displaced.
- When
- Era
- Contemporary, Holocene
Israel declares independence in May 1948 following the UN partition plan, and is immediately at war with neighbouring Arab states. Around 700,000 Palestinians flee or are expelled — the Nakba, or catastrophe — and are not permitted to return; Jewish communities across the Arab world are subsequently expelled or leave. The wars of 1967 and 1973, the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and the conflict continuing today all follow from this unresolved settlement.