Palestinians mark the 'Nakba'

Palestinians mark the 'Nakba'

Thousands of Palestinians have marked the 61st anniversary of the "Nakba" or "catastrophe," in which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced following the creation of Israel.

Demonstrators marched through cities across the West Bank on Thursday, holding Palestinian flags and images of Arab villages razed by Israeli forces in 1948.

The ceremonies took place a day early because the May 15 anniversary of the Nakba falls this year on a Friday, a day off in the mostly Muslim Palestinian territories.

In Ramallah, demonstrators waved banners reading, "The right of return is sacred," and "Return, Jerusalem And Self-Determination: Our Struggle Will Continue" as they gathered at the tomb of Yasser Arafat, the late Palestinian leader.


Meanwhile in the northern West Bank town of Ramallah, about 2,000 Palestinians held a separate rally, marching through the streets with black ribbons to signify mourning.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/05/2009514171043326378.html