The 1948 War and Military Rule

The events of, and years immediately following, the 1948 war had a tremendous effect on the Palestinian community. The social fabric of Palestinian society was dramatically and irreversibly altered as a result of the mass exodus, culminating in traumatic loss of family members, many of whom were never to be seen again. Military rule following the war entailed harsh and repressive policies against Palestinians who stayed on to become citizens of Israel. These policies brought about the loss of sources of livelihood, loss of property due to confiscation and put severe restrictions on movement.

The 1948 Nakba was, in fact, the peak of a process that had begun earlier, with active hostilities starting in November 1947, after the adoption of the Partition Plan at the United Nations. As violent clashes broke out between the Palestinians and the Jewish settlers, the Zionist leaders realised the magnitude of the historic opportunity before them. They decided in early 1948 to adopt a more offensive approach (Shlaim 2000: 31). Carrying out an offensive approach meant the expulsion of Palestinians from many areas of Palestine, starting with the urban centres. This first phase of the 1948 war, which was in fact a civil war, resulted in the uprooting of about 250,000 Palestinians (Pappé 2007: 40). It was only after the termination of the British Mandate, on 15 May 1948, that the Zionist movement could proclaim the establishment of Israel, and it was then that the Arab armies entered Palestine. This date marked the beginning of the second phase of the war, which ended with the signing of Armistice Agreements in January 1949 (W. Khalidi 1985: 35; Pappé 1997: 40).

In 1950, Israel declared military rule to control the Palestinian population within its borders, continuing the military control of Palestinian territories held during the war. For nearly two decades, the sole means of communication between Israel and the Palestinian population would remain the army or the police.