On May 15, Palestinians around the world mark 78 years since the start of the Nakba, the ethnic cleansing and forced expulsion of Palestinians from their homes that paved the way for the establishment of the State of Israel and the ongoing colonial settlement project across Palestine.
But the Nakba is not a historical event. It is, as Palestinian legal scholar and Al-Shabaka analyst Rabea Eghbariah has argued, an ongoing structure—one defined by displacement as its foundational violence, fragmentation as its organizing logic, and the denial of Palestinian self-determination as its purpose. Indeed, what began in 1948 has never ended but only evolved: from mass expulsion to military occupation, siege to genocide, and creeping annexation to the deliberate erasure of Palestinian life across Palestine and the diaspora.
This year’s commemoration arrives at a devastating and clarifying moment. As Israel advances its so-called “day after” framework under the cover of a ceasefire, expands the Yellow Line to control nearly 60% of Gaza, and positions the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza as a technocratic manager of reconstruction rather than a pathway to sovereignty, the Nakba’s structure is more visible than ever. The international system has not stopped it; rather, in many cases, it has enabled it.
Understanding the Nakba as an ongoing legal and political condition rather than a historical event requires frameworks that name what existing concepts like occupation, apartheid, and genocide cannot fully capture.From Gaza to the West Bank to refugee camps beyond, the Nakba’s logic of displacement, fragmentation, and erasure is operating visibly today.Palestinians continue to refuse the Nakba’s standards: in their political demands, their frameworks for reconstruction, and their insistence on self-determination. Al-Shabaka’s analysts and policy members have been documenting and theorizing this structure for years. Below, we share a selection of their work on displacement, fragmentation, healthcare destruction, territorial annexation, political renewal, and the possibilities of resistance as a resource for this moment and beyond.
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free,” with Maha Nassar
Israel’s Yellow Line in Gaza: Annexation without Legal Burden
The Future of the West Bank: Settler Takeover and Annexation
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/gaza-cannot-be-rebuilt-until-palestinians-control-their-own-political-future
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free,” with Maha Nassar