Palestinians Mark Their Day of “Catastrophe”
Protesters challenge Israeli troops in the West Bank while commemorating the Nakba, or “day of catastrophe” in Arabic, which marks the day when Israel declared its statehood in 1948—an act which forced thousands of Palestinians out of their homes and into a life of exile
Bernat Armangue / AP
Masked Palestinians hurl stones at Israeli troops, during clashes outside the Ofer military prison, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, May 15, 2012 during the 64th anniversary of the "Nakba", Arabic for catastrophe, the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced from their villages during the war over Israel's 1948 creation, an event they commemorate every year as their "Nakba".