Palestinians Commemorate 75th Anniversary of Nakba Day in West Bank

The central event took place in Ramallah, where a march commenced from the tomb of late Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat, parading through the city's streets and culminating in a central festival at Yasser Arafat roundabout in the city center.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, mournful sirens rang out for seventy-five seconds, symbolizing the years since the Nakba. During the march, hundreds of Palestinians carried the names of over 520 villages destroyed during the Nakba, along with Palestinian flags.

The committee called for additional commemorations in city and village centers to honor the Nakba.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "70 percent of the Palestinian people in the world are refugees," and "Palestinians represent one out of every three refugees globally, with half of Palestinian refugees lacking a nationality."

For the first time, the United Nations officially observes the Nakba, recognizing the 75th anniversary of Palestinian displacement and highlighting the ongoing refugee crisis as a reminder of the historical injustice endured by the Palestinian people, organizers state.

While some countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, voted against this year's UN resolution to adopt the commemoration, the international body aims to shed light on the Nakba's significance.

The commemoration included a morning keynote address by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, followed by an evening event featuring live music, photos, videos, and personal testimonies that offered an immersive experience of the Nakba. These events, held at the UN headquarters in New York, were also livestreamed.