Nakba or Al-Nakba (Arabic: النكبة, pronounce An-Nakba) is a term meaning "cataclysm" or "calamity". It is the term with which Palestinians usually refer to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
The term Nakba was coined by Constantine Zurayk, a professor of history at the American University of Beirut, in his 1948 book Ma'nat al-Nakba, The Meaning of Disaster. Zurayk wrote a continuation book, The New Meaning of the Disaster (also in Arabic) in 1967 but the term Nakba is reserved for the 1948 war.
Together with Naji Ali's Hanzala (the bare foot kid always drawn from behind), and the symbolic key for the house in Palestine carried by so many Palestinian refugees, the Nakba is perhaps the most important symbol of Palestinian discourse.
Nakba Day (May 15th) is considered an important day on the Palestinian calendar, and is traditionally observed as a time to learn about the history of Palestine and to remember the event.
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