The Day · New London, Connecticut · 16 May 2008
CP-2008-001
Palestinians mourn Israel’s anniversary as the ‘Nakba’
Black-clad marchers, moments of silence mark the ‘catastrophe’
Ashram Khalil, Los Angeles Times, Jerusalem
Transcribed from the clipping
“Jerusalem — Across Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Palestinians on Thursday mourned their exodus from the land with moments of silence, black clothing and displays of defiance. The day marked the 60th anniversary of Israel’s declaration of statehood, an event that Palestinians still refer to as the Nakba: the catastrophe.
It led to a war between the new state and the surrounding Arab nations — and lives as rootless refugees for generations of Palestinians. In Ramallah, thousands of black-clad marchers marked the day by rallying in Manara Square. Throughout the West Bank protesters released 21,195 black balloons — one for each day since May 15, 1948.
A two-minute siren and a moment of silence preceded the event and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the rally via satellite from Kuwait. ‘We mark this anniversary not to feel sorry for ourselves, but to remind everyone of the long and glorious struggle of this people, whose suffering and pain have not ended yet,’ Abbas said.
‘It is time the occupation came to an end and the mark of disgrace in human history called the Palestinian Nakba also came to an end.’ Scattered clashes broke out throughout the day between Israeli soldiers and rock-throwing Palestinian youth near the Qalandia checkpoint that bisects the Jerusalem-Ramallah road. No serious injuries were reported.
In the Gaza Strip, intra-Palestinian disputes marred Nakba protests. Supporters of Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, fought with cadres from the rival Fatah faction during a Fatah-sponsored Nakba rally.
Thirty people were reported injured in the clashes… On Monday, students at mostly Arab East Jerusalem’s Al Quds University staged a mocked wedding between a bride named ‘thawra,’ or revolution, and a groom named ‘aid,’ or return.
It was meant to symbolize the demand that Palestinian refugees be allowed to return to Israel, a major sticking point in peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.”
Context added by this archive
One balloon for each day since 15 May 1948. The paper prints the number: 21,195. It also prints the fighting between Hamas and Fatah that marred the day in Gaza.
Cite this clipping
"Palestinians mourn Israel’s anniversary as the ‘Nakba’," The Day, 16 May 2008, p. 1. Covering Palestine archive, CP-2008-001. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-2008-001
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Last updated 2 November 2026
This record is part of Covering Palestine, an archive of American newspaper clippings about Palestinians, 1724 to 2023. Researched and assembled by Maria Robles.
The clipping belongs to the newspaper that printed it, or to the news agency that supplied the copy. It is reproduced here for research, criticism and commentary. A city here is where the newspaper was published, not where the story came from, and on most records it was taken from the masthead.
Something wrong here, or something you know about this clipping? The archive is still being built and corrections are wanted: maria@rozumstudio.com, quoting CP-2008-001.
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