On Monday, the United Nations held its first official commemoration of the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the war surrounding the creation of Israel 75 years ago. The event, known as the Nakba, or “catastrophe”, was attended by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and representatives of the African Union and the Arab League. The United States and Britain did not attend.
The event was the latest arena for a decades-long narrative battle between Israelis and Palestinians. To Israelis, the creation of their state was a heroic moment for a long-persecuted people that deserves celebration. But to Palestinians, it was a moment of profound national trauma.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, condemned the event as “shameful” and called for countries to boycott it. Mr. Abbas called for the suspension of Israel’s membership from the United Nations, saying that the Jewish state never “fulfilled nor respected its obligations and commitments” as a prerequisite to its membership, and had violated resolutions.
The event was organized by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, a body made up of 25 member states. It was approved by the U.N. General Assembly in November and will continue on Monday evening with another event at the General Assembly hall.
Separately from the U.N. event, thousands of Palestinians across Gaza, Israel and the West Bank held rallies and protests to commemorate the Nakba. The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights, a rights group based in Gaza, called it “a unique and unprecedented step” and said that it should be “translated into enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their right to independence and return.”