(UnSplash photo)
Each year thousands of Palestinians rally in Jerusalem to celebrate ‘Nakba Day’. Here are reports related to it::
Millions of Palestinians are marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba – Arabic for “catastrophe” – a term that refers to the mass expulsion and flight of some 750,000 Palestinians from their homes during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel. …
The Nakba refers to the systematic dispossession and displacement of Palestinians between 1947 and 1949, when Zionist paramilitary groups captured towns and villages in what became the state of Israel.
Historians estimate that about 750,000 Palestinians – roughly one-third of the population at the time – were forced from their homes, and more than 400 villages and urban neighbourhoods were depopulated or destroyed to make way for new Jewish immigrants.
Hundreds of thousands of those expelled and their descendants now live in refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and across the region, including Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Many still preserve keys, deeds and documents to homes in what is today Israel, passing them down through generations as symbols of their displacement and of a future return. https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2026/5/15/millions-of-palestinians-mark-78-years-since-the-nakba
15 May 2024
What does Nakba mean?
The Arabic word Nakba means catastrophe, or disaster. In reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the term Nakba or al-Nakba refers to the Palestinians having lost their homeland during and after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. …
May 15, 1948 was the beginning of the Arab-Israeli war and has long been a day that Palestinians take to the streets to protest against their displacement. Many carry Palestinian flags, bring the keys of their former homes or carry banners with the symbols of keys, illustrating the hope of returning home and what the community sees as their right to return.
In the past, some protests have turned into violent clashes. Israel has accused Hamas and other organizations that are listed by the EU and other countries as terror organizations of using the day to further their causes.
The term Nakba Day was coined in 1998 by then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. He set the date as the official day for the commemoration of the loss of the Palestinian homeland. …
According to the UN’s dedicated Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, most Palestinians in the region still live in refugee camps which over time have turned into refugee towns. They are mainly based in the Gaza Strip, in the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and east Jerusalem.
The international Palestinian diaspora is estimated to have increased to some 6 to 7 million people. If accurate, this would put the total number of Palestinians close to 13 million people. https://www.dw.com/en/what-is-the-palestinian-nakba-and-why-does-it-matter/a-65539735
May 15, 2024
Palestinians across the world mark Nakba Day on Wednesday, an event commemorating the mass expulsion from their homes during the conflict that created the State of Israel in 1948. …
Amjad Abukwaik, a Verona resident, said his family fled fighting in 1948 “assuming they would come back the next day.” As refugees, they settled in Ramallah in the West Bank, in Jordan and in Gaza, where he was born.
The situation for Palestinians today is far more dire, Abukwaik said.
“The level of destruction, the level of killing, it’s just so much worse now,” he said. “Even [wars in] ‘48 or ‘67 were a few days long. This has been going on for seven, almost eight months now.” …
Israel does not want Hamas to return to power after its attack on Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 Israelis, with another 250 taken hostage. The government said the goal of its ongoing military campaign in Gaza is to eliminate Hamas, which it views as a threat to Israel. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and others. …
Gaza is growing “uninhabitable” amid bombings that have destroyed or damaged most homes, schools, health care facilities and infrastructure, say UN experts.
About 100,000 Gazans have crossed into Egypt, but Egypt and Jordan have said they will not accept Gazan refugees. They cite the potential impact on society and economy, but also maintain that they do not want to be complicit in Gazan’s permanent expulsion from their land. https://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/2024/05/15/nakba-day-2024-palestine-gaza-israel/73692783007/
Here is some additional information about it:
Nakba Day , Yawm an-Nakba, meaning “Day of the Catastrophe” is generally commemorated on 15 May. The day was inaugurated by Yasser Arafat in 1998. For the Palestinians it is an annual day of commemoration of the displacement that preceded and followed the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. During the 1948 Palestine War, an estimated 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled , and hundreds of Palestinian towns and villages were depopulated and destroyed. These refugees and their descendants number several million people, divided between Jordan (2 million), Lebanon (427,057), Syria (477,700), the West Bank (788,108) and the Gaza Strip (1.1 million), with at least another quarter of a million internally displaced Palestinians in Israel. The displacement, dispossession and dispersal of the Palestinian people is known to them as an-Nakba, meaning “catastrophe” or “disaster”. 05/14/18 https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/abbas-blasts-u-s-embassy-move-an-insult-to-world-and-palestinians-1.6091355
There is a real social division in Jerusalem. A formal political division may also come.
Today is also Jerusalem Day according to the Israelis:
Jerusalem Day: The Holiday Most Israelis Don’t Celebrate
15 May 2026
Jerusalem Day is observed each year on the 28th of Iyar in the Hebrew calendar — this year falling on May 15 — commemorating the incredible victory of June 7, 1967, when Israeli paratroopers fought their way to the Western Wall and the ancient heartland of Israel returned to Jewish hands for the first time in nearly two thousand years. The Temple Mount, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Shiloh. The hills where Abraham walked, where David shepherded his flock, where the prophets delivered God’s word to His people. On that awesome day, Israel didn’t just win a war. We came home.
And yet, in most of Israel, you would barely know it. https://israel365news.com/418144/jerusalem-day-the-holiday-most-israelis-dont-celebrate/
Because of the Hamas-Israel war, there has been massive destruction in Gaza and there have been various protests around the world.
That being said, in 2018 Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu made some statements:
May 14, 2018
Amid violent Palestinian protests, the U.S. officially opened a new embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, drawing effusive praise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Today, today, the embassy of the most powerful nation on earth, our greatest ally, the United States of America, opened here,” Netanyahu at a ceremony marking the event.
“God bless the United States of America and God bless Jerusalem, the eternal undivided capital of Israel,” he said.
Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza run by Hamas, a U.S.-declared terrorist organization, claimed dozens of Palestinians protesting at the border were killed by Israeli fire. The Israeli military said it was repelling an effort by Hamas to breach the border. http://www.wnd.com/2018/05/this-is-history-u-s-embassy-opens-in-jerusalem/#QCHpZIu03Pu887So.99
He is in error. Jerusalem WILL NOT remain the tiny nation of Israel’s eternal and undivided capital.
He also made other comments later:
May 15, 2024
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s decision to back a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member as the Israeli government rejected upgrading the status of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
“No reward will be given for the terrible massacre of October 7, which 80% of the Palestinians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza, support. Israel won’t allow establishment of terrorist state,” said Netanyahu. https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy/artc-netanyahu-on-un-ruling-we-won-t-allow-establishment-of-terrorist-state
The situation with the Palestinians, Gazans, and Jerusalem will not turn out as he now hopes.
The Bible also suggests that Jerusalem will be divided (although this could be more of a Palestinian vs. Catholic division or one between Beast supporters and non-supporters as it is to occur during the Day of the Lord):
1 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,
And your spoil will be divided in your midst.2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem;
The city shall be taken,
The houses rifled,
And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity,
But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:1-2)
The longstanding conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, the current conflict between Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas & Israel, the conflicts with Syria, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other Islamists rising up in the Middle East, combined with European/United Nations/USA views are setting the stage for the dividing of Jerusalem in the 21st century. And based upon other prophecies about the Gentiles controlling Jerusalem for a certain period (e.g. Revelation 11:2), it suggests that it will be the Israelis that will ultimately be taken captive.
The European Union and the former UN Secretary-General (Ban Ki-moon) want to divide Jerusalem now to partially satisfy many Palestinians. Possibly through the treaty of Daniel 9:27, the dividing will happen and the captivity of 1/2 of Jerusalem ultimately will come to fulfill Zechariah 14:2 (see Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves?).
The Bible clearly warns of a time of armies and Gentile domination of Jerusalem:
20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. (Luke 21:20)
15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:15-16)
23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:23-24)
2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. (Revelation 11:2)
As far as Jerusalem being “surrounded by armies,” years ago USA President Barack Obama proposed something just like that (see Will Obama’s Plan Have Jerusalem Surrounded by Armies?). Biblical prophecy will be fulfilled.
Various rallies by the Palestinians show that they remain committed to Jerusalem. To a degree, some in the international community will support them.
Related to prophecy and Gaza, we put out the following video:
Gaza and Bible Prophecy
Israeli officials such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have claimed that all those in Hamas will be killed or eliminated. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen added that the plan is to make Gaza shrink. Where do those of Gaza and other Palestinians come from? Does the Bible show historical animosities between the descendants of Israel and those of the Gazans and the Palestinians? What does the Bible show that Gaza and Hamas mean? Do biblical prophecies in Amos and Jeremiah point to Gaza ending up with territories that Israel now controls? Can Israel lose territory? Will Hamas achieve some of its objectives? What does the 83rd Psalm prophesy? Might terrorism be involved? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel address these issues.
Here is a link to our video: Gaza and Bible Prophecy.
That being said, the Bible tells us to:
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: (Psalms 122:6)
We all should do that as well as to heed Jesus’ admonition to, “Watch” (Mark 13:37).
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to a related video: Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a YouTube video.
Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century This is a free online book which helps show where biblical and Islamic prophecies converge and diverge. Here are links to related sermons: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes, Imam Mahdi, women, and prophecy, and Terrorism, Iran, and Fatima, Dajjal, Antichrist, Gold, & Mark of the Beast?, and Jesus and God’s Plan for Muslims. Here is a link to a sermon in the Spanish language: El Imám Mahdi las mujeres y la profecía bíblica. Here is a link to the book in Spanish: Profecías islámicas y bíblicas para el Siglo 21°.
Could God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2035 or ? There is also a video titled: When Does the 6000 Years End? 2031? 2035? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There are also two related YouTube videos you can watch: Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated and God’s and Satan’s Plan for Jerusalem.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.