Thousands of Palestinians on May 15 attended demonstrations to commemorate what they refer to as the “Al-Nakba” or Catastrophe. It marks the day after the anniversary of Israel’s independence in 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled their homes or were displaced. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said they would never forget “the beginning of our continued hardship.”
Demonstrators poured onto the streets in several towns and cities across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, chanting slogans against Israel. In East Jerusalem, protesters burned dozens of Israeli flags and hurled stones at Israeli troops manning security points. Many people also celebrated the end of a two-month hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.