78th Anniversary of Nakba: Palestine Urges the World to Acknowledge the Crime of Ethnic Cleansing
The Palestinian government has officially urged the international community to acknowledge the events of Nakba 1948 as a crime of ethnic cleansing committed by Israel. In an official statement released by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ahead of the annual commemoration on May 15, it was stated that the tragedy of Nakba is not merely a historical event, but a process that continues to this day.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the world to classify Nakba as a crime against humanity and to work concretely to restore the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. These rights include the right to self-determination, the independence of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of return and compensation for refugees.
The term Nakba, or catastrophe, is used to describe the mass displacement of Palestinians when the state of Israel was established on Palestinian land in 1948. According to data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, historical facts record the massive scale of the destruction:
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised that this Zionist colonial project is rooted in the 1917 Balfour Declaration, a promise by the British government that facilitated the uprooting of the Palestinian people from their homeland to be replaced by incoming settlers.
This year’s 78th Nakba commemoration carries the slogan ‘We Will Not Leave. Our Roots Are Deeper Than Your Destruction.’ Mass rallies, exhibitions, and public gatherings are being held in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and refugee camps abroad. In Ramallah, thousands of people waved black flags and carried symbolic keys as a sign of the right of return.
By the end of 2025, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics recorded that the number of Palestinians worldwide reached 15.49 million. More than half live in exile, including 6.82 million in Arab countries. In the occupied territories, the population is recorded at 5.56 million (3.43 million in the West Bank and 2.13 million in Gaza).
The situation in the occupied territories has continued to deteriorate since the end of 2023:
In addition to the loss of life, the West Bank is also facing a surge in violence by illegal Israeli settlers, mass arrests of nearly 22,000 people, and systematic expansion of settlements. Palestine asserts that these policies are a clear attempt to destroy the possibility of establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded its statement by reminding the world that international responsibility is not limited to moral support, but must include physical protection for the Palestinian people and the prevention of the recurrence of this terrible crime through the enforcement of international law. (TRT/I-2)