Disappearing Palestine   [59 x 33 cm]

Source of image: Disappearing Palestine
Embroidery: Almaza Al-Helou [Al A'abasiyeh], Ramallah, Palestine

In March 1948, the Haganah and other Zionist militias began the forcible expulsion of 250,000 Palestinians, destroying their communities. The British Mandate of Palestine ended on 15 May 1948 and Jewish leaders declared the establishment of the State of Israel. War broke out and Israeli forces defeated the Arab armies.  At the time that the armistice agreements had been signed in 1949, over 750,000 Palestinians had been displaced and 531 Palestinian villages and 11 urban neighbourhoods had been destroyed. The West Bank and East Jerusalem came under the control of Jordan while the Gaza Strip came under Egyptian control. In June 1967, Israel launched the Six Day War and occupied these territories, together with the Golan Heights in Syria.

Era: Sumud - Steadfastness (1948 onwards)