WEST BANK: Palestinians mark the 66th anniversary of the 'Nakba' or 'catastrophe' - marking how they see the establishment of the Jewish state, amid clashes with Israeli soldiers

Record ID: 565461

  • Title: WEST BANK: Palestinians mark the 66th anniversary of the 'Nakba' or 'catastrophe' - marking how they see the establishment of the Jewish state, amid clashes with Israeli soldiers
  • Date: 15th May 2014
  • Summary: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (MAY 15, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PALESTINIANS MARCHING DURING NAKBA COMMEMORATION EVENT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN WOMEN'S ACTIVIST FROM RAMALLAH, AMAL KHRESHEH, SAYING: "Today we are commemorating the 66th anniversary of Nakba in Palestine. Today we from all of the cities, the villages and the Palestinian refugee camps send a message to the world saying that we are committed to our right and we have the right to choose our future. It is impossible to have peace without solving the core issue with the Zionist occupation which is the refugee issue." PALESTINIANS STAND STILL, SIREN SOUNDS MARKING 66TH ANNIVERSARY OF NAKBA WALAJEH VILLAGE NEAR BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (MAY 15, 2014) (REUTERS) PALESTINIAN YOUTHS BREAKING ISRAELI SECURITY FENCE YOUTHS CLASH WITH ISRAELI SOLDIERS SOLDIERS FIRING STUN GRENADES YOUTHS RUNNING AWAY YOUTHS THROWING STONES AT ISRAELI SOLDIERS SOLDIER FIRING TEAR GAS GRENADE YOUTHS THROWING STONES SOLDIER FIRING TEAR GAS GRENADE, SMOKE FILLING SCENE VARIOUS OF CLASHES HEBRON, WEST BANK (MAY 15, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PALESTINIAN YOUTHS THROWING STONES AT ISRAELI SOLDIERS SOLDIER FIRING TEAR GAS GRENADE VARIOUS OF PALESTINIANS THROWING STONES SOLDIER FIRING TEAR GAS GRENADE VARIOUS OF SMOKE OF TEAR GAS GRENADE SOLDIERS SHOOTING AT PROTESTERS PROTESTERS RUNNING AWAY
  • Embargoed: 30th May 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA47I7AT534ENX0DVWYA2X3E9GB
  • Story Text: Palestinians marked the 66th anniversary of the "Nakba" or catastrophe on Thursday (May 15) and stood for a moment of silence while sirens sounded in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
    Nakba is the Arabic word for 'catastrophe,' marking the day the state of Israel was established and when some 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forced to leave their homes in 1948. It is commemorated annually on May 15th.
    In Ramallah dozens of youths marched holding symbolic keys representing houses from which their ancestors fled in 1948.
    "Today we are commemorating the 66th anniversary of Nakba in Palestine. Today we from all of the cities, the villages and the Palestinian refugee camps send a message to the world saying that we are committed to our right and we have the right to choose our future. It is impossible to have peace without solving the core issue with the Zionist occupation which is the refugee issue," said Amal Khresheh, a Palestinian women's activist.
    In the village of Walajeh near Bethlehem Palestinian youths clashed with Israeli forces when they broke the Israeli security fence around the village.
    Israeli forces responded with riot dispersal gear.
    Traditionally Nakba day is marked by protests and marches across the Palestinian territories.
    Israeli soldiers also dispersed another protest in the southern West Bank city of Hebron where Palestinian youths threw stones at them.
    The refugees that fled during the 1948 war and their descendants now number around five million. Many live as refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, often in squalid camps. Refugees cling to a "right of return" and their fate is one of the thorniest issues in efforts to create a Palestinian state.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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