Ethnic Cleansing – Part One
The Nakba which translates to “The Catastrophe”, occurred from 1948 marking the beginning of the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestine. “Ethnic Cleansing” is defined as “The purging, by mass expulsion or killing, of one ethnic group or religious group by another”. [10]
Chronological History
● Britain announced they were leaving while skirmishes broke out between the Jews and Palestinians.
● In 1948, a couple of months before Israel declared itself a state, Pre-Israeli paramilitary groups conducted terrorist attacks under an initiative called “Plan D”. These groups destroyed Palestinian villages inside and outside of the U.N.’s designated borders of the future state of Israel. The Palestinian people were systematically killed or expelled outside of the border, generally into the neighboring Arab countries. [11]
● One of the most publicized terrorist attacks was in Deir Yassin, a village about four miles west of Jerusalem, on April 9, 1948. This town rested inside the U.N.’s designated border for the Palestinians and outside the border of Israel. According to a United Nations incident report (UN Palestine Commission – Attack on Deir Yassin (9 April 1948)- Letter from United Kingdom) completed shortly after the attack:
● “The death of some 250 Arabs, men, women and children, which occurred during this attack, took place in circumstances of great savagery.”
● “Women and children were stripped, lined up, photographed, and then slaughtered by automatic firing and survivors have told of even more incredible bestialities.” [12]
● News spread regarding this attack. Specifically, the Pre-Israeli paramilitary groups broadcasted the news on loudspeakers in Palestinian neighborhoods. Terrorists continued to expel many Palestinians. Some Palestinians simply fled for their lives. In the end, around 700,000 people in total left their homeland, leaving everything behind them. [11]
● The neighboring Arab nations took in the refugees and then attacked Israel immediately after it declared itself a state on May 14, 1948. The newly formed government of Israel would not allow the refugees to return. By the end, terrorists had killed around 8,000-15,000 Palestinian men, women, and children. [13]
● The government of Israel destroyed more than 500 towns and villages, erasing them from existence. Later, they planted trees where the burned and demolished villages once existed. [13]
● By 1949, the Armistice Agreement established the “Green Line”. It carved out East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip for the Palestinians under the control of Jordan and Egypt. [11] Consequently, the state of Israel expanded from the U.N.’s plan of 52% control of Palestine to 78%.[13] in a few months.
Opinion and Analysis – The Nakba
The Nakba is the most significant event in the Israel-Palestinian conflict because it marks the beginning of the government of Israel’s long, systematic, brutal campaign to expand their territory and “transfer” the Palestinian population outside of Israel’s borders. “Transfer” is a friendly word for ethnic cleansing.
Many on the other side claim that the Palestinians left on their own. Sure, some people may have left during the early skirmishes, but only actual terrorist attacks could move half of the population. Today, the Palestinians observe the Nakba on May 15th each year.
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References – The Nakba
10) Ethnic Cleansing Oxford Language Dictionary OED.com
11) Smith, Charles (2021) Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict (10th Edition), Bedford/St. Martin’s, pp192-204
12) UN Palestine Commission-Attack on Deir Yassin (9 April 1948)) – Letter from United Kingdom UN.org
13) Nakba Fact Sheet JewishVoiceforPeace.org