Arabs and Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line commemorated Nakba Day on Sunday with various events in city centers and refugee camps.
The Nakba, meaning catastrophe, commemorates the formation of Israel, when many Arabs fled or were expelled from their towns and villages during the 1948 Independence War
The main display in the West Bank was built in the form of a train that was dubbed the "return train." It left from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp just south of Bethlehem and reached the checkpoint near Rachel's Tomb, accompanied by a procession of Palestinians. Marchers used keys and other props to symbolize their demand to return to what is now Israel.
The main display in the West Bank was built in the form of a train that was dubbed the "return train." It left from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp just south of Bethlehem and reached the checkpoint near Rachel's Tomb, accompanied by a procession of Palestinians. Marchers used keys and other props to symbolize their demand to return to what is now Israel.
Following that, Palestinians rioted in several locations with clashes breaking out near the checkpoint at Rachel's Tomb.
Near the Beit El checkpoint, security forces were deployed to prevent rioters from engaging in clashes and to secure the French foreign minister's visit to the Muqata'a in Ramallah.
Arab students held a ceremony to commemorate Nakba Day at Tel Aviv University on Sunday afternoon. Activists from right-wing NGO Im Tirtzu protested nearby against the ceremony, waving Israeli flags. Police said that the event was without incident.
This the fifth consecutive year that this ceremony is being held on campus by Arab and Israeli students. It included the reading of Nakba stories in three languages - Hebrew, Arabic and English - by students from displaced families, with the aim of spreading the story of the Nakba in Israeli society.
