The Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing Of Palestine
The territory of Palestine has been home to people for thousands of years, and archaeological evidence shows that people have lived there since the Ancient Stone Age. Ancient Assyrian documents and the obelisk of Adrimi, King of Alkha, both refer to it as Kan'an land. Around 800 B.C., Assyrian documents use the word Palestine itself as "Philsta." Herodotus, a Greek historian, called the territory "Palestinian Syria," which included the region from Phoenicia south to the Egyptian boundaries. Roman writers such as Strabo, Diodorus, and Agathar Chides also used this term. Under Hadrian, "Palestine" became officially recognised as the name of the holy land throughout the Roman era, and the Church and Christian pilgrims often used it. During Islamic rule, Palestine was part of Bilad Al-Sham, a larger region that included Syria and Lebanon.
What Is the Nakba?
The word Nakba means "catastrophe" in Arabic. It refers to what happened in 1948 when the State of Israel was created. Around 750,000 Palestinians were forced out of their homes. Over 500 villages and towns were destroyed.
Where Did the Idea Come From?
The idea behind the Nakba goes back to the early Zionist movement. Some leaders wanted to build a Jewish state in Palestine, but Palestinians were already living there. To make that vision real, they planned to remove the native population.
Long before 1948, Zionist ideology created a vision of a land "without a people for a people without a land" and sought to create an ethnically and religiously homogeneous state. Theodor Herzl, an early Zionist leader, talked about quietly pushing poor Palestinians out. In 1940, Yosef Weitz, a senior official in the Jewish National Fund, said Jews and Arabs couldn’t live together and that Arabs should be moved to other countries.
The Role of Britain
The British government released the Balfour Declaration in 1917, during World War I. It advocated for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. However, Britain did not seek the opinions of the majority, the Palestinians.
During the Mandate, or British authority, which lasted from 1923 to 1948, rules were modified to assist Jewish settlers in purchasing land. Palestinians protested and went on strike, but their efforts were disregarded. This paved the way for the next events.
Plan Dalet and the 1948 War
In March 1948, before Israel was officially declared a state, Zionist leaders launched Plan Dalet. This was a military strategy to remove Palestinians from their homes and villages.
The plan included:
Ethnic Cleansing or Genocide?
Many people call this ethnic cleansing. Others argue that it fits the definition of genocide.
Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term genocide, said it means more than killing people. It’s also about destroying a group’s culture, identity, and way of life. Historian Ilan PappĂ© calls what happened “memoricide”—the erasing of Palestinian history and place names.
Some scholars say expelling a people and replacing their culture with another isn’t just ethnic cleansing; it’s a form of genocide. Yet, many big institutions and governments avoid calling it that.
The Nakba Didn't End in 1948
For Palestinians, the Nakba never ended. It just took new forms. These include:
What Happened on October 7, 2023
On October 7, armed groups like Hamas attacked Israel. Over 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians. At least 240 hostages were taken into Gaza. Reports show that gender-based violence happened during the attacks. These acts were widely condemned as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Nothing excuses attacking civilians. But this violence didn’t come out of nowhere. It happened after decades of Israeli occupation, a 16-year blockade on Gaza, and growing policies of exclusion and supremacy in Israel.
What Followed: Israel’s Assault on Gaza
After the October 7 attacks, Israel launched an intense military campaign in Gaza. In just two months:
Over 16,000 Palestinians were killed, including thousands of children.
Around 1.8 million people, almost 80% of Gaza’s population, were displaced.
Northern Gaza was turned into what some described as an "unlivable moonscape."
Israel dropped over 25,000 tonnes of explosives, the same as two nuclear bombs.
Hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, food centres, and farms were bombed. Hundreds of doctors, aid workers, journalists, and UN staff were killed. Gaza was cut off from food, water, power, and medicine.
Genocidal Language and Intent
Many Israeli officials used dehumanising language after October 7. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called Palestinians “human animals.” Prime Minister Netanyahu quoted a Bible story about wiping out an entire people. President Herzog said all of Gaza was responsible for the Hamas attack.
According to scholars, this kind of speech matches what has been seen in past genocides like in Rwanda and Armenia.
References:
Rashed, Haifa & Short, Damien & Docker, John. (2014). Nakba Memoricide: Genocide Studies and the Zionist/Israeli Genocide of Palestine. Holy Land Studies. 13. 1-23. 10.3366/hls.2014.0076.
Al-Ghadiry, F. (n.d.). The History of Palestine A Study. [online] Available at: https://www.themostgracious.com/books/The%20History%20Of%20Palestine%20(Fawzy%20Al-Ghadiry)%20(www.themostgracious.com).pdf.
Bachman, J.S. (2019). Cultural Genocide. Routledge.
The word Nakba means "catastrophe" in Arabic. It refers to what happened in 1948 when the State of Israel was created. Around 750,000 Palestinians were forced out of their homes. Over 500 villages and towns were destroyed.
Where Did the Idea Come From?
The idea behind the Nakba goes back to the early Zionist movement. Some leaders wanted to build a Jewish state in Palestine, but Palestinians were already living there. To make that vision real, they planned to remove the native population.
Long before 1948, Zionist ideology created a vision of a land "without a people for a people without a land" and sought to create an ethnically and religiously homogeneous state. Theodor Herzl, an early Zionist leader, talked about quietly pushing poor Palestinians out. In 1940, Yosef Weitz, a senior official in the Jewish National Fund, said Jews and Arabs couldn’t live together and that Arabs should be moved to other countries.
The Role of Britain
The British government released the Balfour Declaration in 1917, during World War I. It advocated for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. However, Britain did not seek the opinions of the majority, the Palestinians.
During the Mandate, or British authority, which lasted from 1923 to 1948, rules were modified to assist Jewish settlers in purchasing land. Palestinians protested and went on strike, but their efforts were disregarded. This paved the way for the next events.
Plan Dalet and the 1948 War
In March 1948, before Israel was officially declared a state, Zionist leaders launched Plan Dalet. This was a military strategy to remove Palestinians from their homes and villages.
The plan included:
- Bombing homes and neighborhoods
- Burning villages and farmland
- Planting explosives to stop people from returning
- Massacres to scare communities into fleeing
Ethnic Cleansing or Genocide?
Many people call this ethnic cleansing. Others argue that it fits the definition of genocide.
Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term genocide, said it means more than killing people. It’s also about destroying a group’s culture, identity, and way of life. Historian Ilan PappĂ© calls what happened “memoricide”—the erasing of Palestinian history and place names.
Some scholars say expelling a people and replacing their culture with another isn’t just ethnic cleansing; it’s a form of genocide. Yet, many big institutions and governments avoid calling it that.
The Nakba Didn't End in 1948
For Palestinians, the Nakba never ended. It just took new forms. These include:
- Land seizures and settlements: Israeli settlements keep expanding, cutting off and surrounding Palestinian communities.
- Discriminatory laws: The “Nakba Law” punished people for mourning Israel’s Independence Day as a day of loss.
- Home demolitions: Palestinian homes were destroyed in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and even inside Israel.
- Language removal: Arabic, though an official language, has slowly been erased from signs and public spaces.
- Erased history: Palestinian children in Israeli schools weren't allowed to learn about the Nakba.
- Cultural theft: Thousands of books, archives, and artworks have been taken from Palestinians and labelled as “abandoned property.”
What Happened on October 7, 2023
On October 7, armed groups like Hamas attacked Israel. Over 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians. At least 240 hostages were taken into Gaza. Reports show that gender-based violence happened during the attacks. These acts were widely condemned as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Nothing excuses attacking civilians. But this violence didn’t come out of nowhere. It happened after decades of Israeli occupation, a 16-year blockade on Gaza, and growing policies of exclusion and supremacy in Israel.
What Followed: Israel’s Assault on Gaza
After the October 7 attacks, Israel launched an intense military campaign in Gaza. In just two months:
Over 16,000 Palestinians were killed, including thousands of children.
Around 1.8 million people, almost 80% of Gaza’s population, were displaced.
Northern Gaza was turned into what some described as an "unlivable moonscape."
Israel dropped over 25,000 tonnes of explosives, the same as two nuclear bombs.
Hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, food centres, and farms were bombed. Hundreds of doctors, aid workers, journalists, and UN staff were killed. Gaza was cut off from food, water, power, and medicine.
Genocidal Language and Intent
Many Israeli officials used dehumanising language after October 7. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called Palestinians “human animals.” Prime Minister Netanyahu quoted a Bible story about wiping out an entire people. President Herzog said all of Gaza was responsible for the Hamas attack.
According to scholars, this kind of speech matches what has been seen in past genocides like in Rwanda and Armenia.
References:
Rashed, Haifa & Short, Damien & Docker, John. (2014). Nakba Memoricide: Genocide Studies and the Zionist/Israeli Genocide of Palestine. Holy Land Studies. 13. 1-23. 10.3366/hls.2014.0076.
Al-Ghadiry, F. (n.d.). The History of Palestine A Study. [online] Available at: https://www.themostgracious.com/books/The%20History%20Of%20Palestine%20(Fawzy%20Al-Ghadiry)%20(www.themostgracious.com).pdf.
Bachman, J.S. (2019). Cultural Genocide. Routledge.
Gil, M. (1992). A history of Palestine, 634-1099. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.
Aktar, A. (2023). Statement of Scholars in Holocaust and Genocide Studies on Mass Violence in Israel and Palestine since 7 October. [online] Contending Modernities. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/111399701/Statement_of_Scholars_in_Holocaust_and_Genocide_Studies_on_Mass_Violence_in_Israel_and_Palestine_since_7_October
Caplan, N. (2019). The Israel-Palestine Conflict. John Wiley & Sons.
Reinhart, T. (2011). Israel/Palestine. Seven Stories Press.
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