In a thought-provoking analysis, historian David Bercuson delves into the complexities surrounding the term 'Nakba', which Palestinians and their supporters use to describe the events of May 15, 1948. This date, the day after Israel declared independence, is marked as a catastrophe involving the displacement of approximately 700,000 Palestine Arabs, the defeat of five Arab armies, and the establishment of the Jewish state. Bercuson argues that throughout history, wars have consistently led to the dispossession of peoples, citing examples such as the partition of India in 1947, the expulsion of ethnic Germans after World War II, the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, the Syrian civil war, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He contends that the Nakba could have been avoided if Palestine Arabs and Arab states had accepted the new state of Israel. Drawing on the work of Israeli historian Benny Morris and memoirs of Yitzhak Rabin, Bercuson notes that while some Arabs were expelled by Israeli forces, many fled out of fear or at the urging of Arab leaders. He highlights that not all expulsions were uniform, as exemplified by the successful resistance to an expulsion order in Nazareth by Canadian volunteer Ben Dunkleman. This article challenges the prevailing Nakba narrative, emphasizing the role of Arab rejectionism in the tragedy.
