The Nakba: origins, meaning, and historical development

The Arabic word Nakba (النكبة) means "catastrophe" or "disaster." Today it is commonly used to describe the displacement of Palestinian Arabs during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the broader loss of Palestinian society, villages, and political aspirations that accompanied the war.

The term was popularized by Syrian historian and Arab nationalist Constantin Zureiq, who published a book in August 1948 titled Ma'na al-Nakba ("The Meaning of the Catastrophe"). Zureiq used the term not only to describe the refugee crisis but also what he viewed as the political and military failure of the Arab world to prevent the establishment of the State of Israel.

In its earliest usage, the Nakba referred broadly to the outcome of the 1948 war, including the defeat of the Arab armies and the failure of Arab leadership. Over time, particularly from the 1960s onward, the meaning became increasingly associated with the displacement and suffering of Palestinian refugees and the loss of their homes and communities.

The UN Partition Plan (1947)

On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 181, approving the partition of Mandatory Palestine into two states — one Jewish and one Arab — with Jerusalem placed under international administration.

Jewish leaders accepted the UN partition plan despite reservations about the proposed borders. Arab leaders and the surrounding Arab states rejected the plan and opposed the creation of a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. The rejection was followed by escalating violence between Jewish and Arab communities, ultimately leading to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Sources: UN Resolution 181 · Britannica — Partition of Palestine

The 1948 War

On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel, following the end of the British Mandate. The following day, the armies of Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq invaded the newly established state, with the stated objective of preventing the implementation of the UN partition plan.

The war lasted until 1949 and resulted in significant loss of life, territorial changes, and large-scale displacement of civilians. For Israelis, the conflict is known as the War of Independence, marking the establishment and survival of the Jewish state. For Palestinians, it is remembered as the Nakba, reflecting the loss of homes, communities, and the emergence of the refugee crisis. Understanding both perspectives is essential to understanding the conflict and its lasting impact.

Arab refugees

One of the most significant consequences of the war was the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs. According to historian Benny Morris, no single explanation accounts for the departure of all Palestinian refugees; the exodus resulted from a combination of factors that differed across regions and stages of the war — active combat, the collapse of local leadership, the departure of elites, military operations including expulsions in some locations, evacuation encouragement from Arab leaders in certain areas, and fear generated by a rapidly changing battlefield.

What is not disputed is that many Palestinians lost their homes, property, and communities. At the same time, approximately 150,000 Arabs remained within Israel's borders and became citizens — today around 20% of the country's population.

Jewish communities displaced during the war

The war resulted not only in the displacement of Palestinian Arabs but also in the destruction of several long-established Jewish communities. As Arab armies advanced, thousands of Jews were forced to flee or were expelled from territories captured by Arab forces.

The Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City

Following months of siege, the Jewish Quarter fell to the Arab Legion of Transjordan in May 1948. The remaining Jewish residents were expelled, and centuries of continuous Jewish presence came to an end. Many synagogues were damaged or destroyed. The Quarter remained inaccessible to Jews until 1967.

Gush Etzion

The bloc of communities south of Jerusalem was attacked repeatedly. In May 1948, Kfar Etzion fell and many of its defenders were killed after surrendering. The surviving residents were taken prisoner, and the remaining communities were evacuated. The area remained under Jordanian control until 1967.

Hebron, Atarot and Neve Yaakov

Although the ancient Jewish community of Hebron had largely been destroyed following the 1929 massacre, the 1948 war prevented the return of residents. The communities of Atarot and Neve Yaakov, north of Jerusalem, were abandoned during the fighting after coming under attack and being isolated from Jewish-controlled areas.

The forgotten refugees: Jews from Arab countries

While the Palestinian refugee crisis is widely recognized, far less attention has been given to the approximately 850,000 Jews who fled, were expelled, or were otherwise displaced from Arab countries and North Africa in the decades surrounding the establishment of Israel. Many of these communities predated Islam and had lived continuously for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Following the establishment of Israel, conditions deteriorated rapidly. Anti-Jewish riots, discriminatory legislation, arrests, confiscation of property, and violence led to a mass exodus:

• Iraq: Approximately 120,000 Jews left between 1950 and 1952 after persecution, arrests, and confiscation of assets.
• Yemen: Nearly the entire community was evacuated to Israel during Operation Magic Carpet (1949–1950).
• Egypt: Following the 1948 war and the 1956 Suez Crisis, thousands were expelled or forced to leave, often losing citizenship and property.
• Libya: Repeated anti-Jewish riots led to the departure of nearly the entire community.
• Syria, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria: Communities faced increasing restrictions, insecurity, and emigration over the following decades.

Unlike Palestinian refugees, most Jewish refugees were absorbed into Israel or resettled elsewhere and were not maintained as a separate refugee population. Today, only small remnants of these once-thriving communities remain.

The global refugee crisis after World War II

The Palestinian refugee crisis did not occur in isolation. Between the 1940s and 1950s, tens of millions were uprooted worldwide — roughly 12–14 million ethnic Germans expelled from Eastern Europe, an estimated 14–18 million displaced during the partition of India and Pakistan, and millions more across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

What made the Palestinian refugee issue unique was not that refugees were created, but that the problem remained unresolved across generations. Most refugee populations of the era were eventually resettled and integrated. Several factors contributed to the different outcome here: the unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict; the fact that — with the exception of Jordan — most Arab states did not grant citizenship to Palestinians; and the framework of UNRWA, established in 1949, under which refugee status could be inherited by descendants. As a result, the number of registered Palestinian refugees grew from several hundred thousand in 1948 to millions today. By contrast, the roughly 850,000 Jewish refugees and their descendants became citizens rather than retaining refugee status.

• Lack of historical context surrounding the events of 1948.
• Omission of the UN Partition Plan.
• Omission of the Arab rejection of partition.
• Limited discussion of the invasion of Israel by neighbouring Arab armies.
• Exclusion of displaced Jewish communities from the narrative.
• Omission of roughly 850,000 Jewish refugees from Arab countries.
• Lack of consultation with Winnipeg's Jewish and Israeli communities.
• Whether the exhibit aligns with the Museum's mandate to promote dialogue and understanding.