Nakba: The saddest day for Palestinians

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Palestinians spent the days leading up to the saddest day, Nakba, protesting on the border with Israel. Every year, on May 15, Nakba Day is marked – commemorating the events that left Palestinians homeless. The word "nakba" means catastrophe, writes the BBC.

The name Nakba originates from the days of the first Arab-Israeli conflicts that began on May 15, 1948, the day after Israel declared independence. The British mandate over Palestine was nearing its end at that time.

Most Arabs who lived in these areas left the region. Some were expelled by Israeli forces during the war. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced in 1967 when Arab-Israeli fighting began in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

None of these people, including their descendants, have been allowed to return.

The displacement led to years of unrest.

Today, there are about five million Palestinians in the world who have been granted refugee status by the United Nations. They live in Jordan, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and East Jerusalem.

A third of the refugees live in refugee camps.

Every year, Palestinians gather to commemorate Nakba, a symbol of the loss of their homes.

The gathering is accompanied by tension. For years, on Nakba Day, tensions with Israel escalate into violence.

The return of displaced Palestinians is the main demand of Palestine. They refer to the 1948 resolution of the United Nations General Assembly.

- Refugees who wish to return home and live in peace with their neighbors should be allowed to do so as soon as possible - the resolution states.

Israel says this is impossible, as the return of five million people would overwhelm the country, which currently has 8.5 million inhabitants.

Israel and Palestine have agreed to address the issue of refugees at the end of negotiations. However, the peace negotiations themselves are a long way off.