Each year, on May 15, Palestinians mark the day of the Nakba as they remember the events leading up to the creation of Israel in 1948 that would claim hundreds of lives and affect many generations in the years that followed.
The already divisive anniversary was officially recognised by the UN General Assembly which passed a landmark resolution last year to commemorate Nakba Day, despite Israel's vehement opposition.
Israel celebrates its creation a day earlier on May 14.
In 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to leave their homes, hundreds of villages were destroyed and millions of their descendants now live scattered outside their former homeland, many as refugees.
The Nakba “all but wiped out the Arab character” of the land, says Michael Fischbach, a professor specialising in Palestinian history. Many other authors and experts describe the Nakba as an “ongoing trauma” for Palestinians.
Why is it called Nakba Day?
Nakba means "catastrophe" in Arabic, as the day is named to mark the effect it had on the Palestinians and the ensuing diaspora. It is considered the biggest tragedy in Palestine’s history.
What led to the Nakba?
In 1948, Palestine was controlled by a British mandate that included Transjordan, after the Ottomans lost both territories following the First World War.
For several years before the Nakba, the international community had treated the future of Palestine as a political hot potato, with discussions held at the UN, at high-level international conferences and in the British parliament.
In 1947, the UN passed Resolution 181, known as the Partition Plan, to split Palestine into two states — a move that was largely rejected by Arabs. The UN sought to allocate 43 per cent of Palestine to the Arabs and 56 per cent to the Jews.
According the UN, Arabs made up at least 1.1 million of the population in 1945 while Jews were about 407,000.
The UN plan did not come to fruition. After the British mandate expired at midnight on May 14, 1948, Jewish forces annexed 77 per cent of Palestine, including East Jerusalem during the 1967 war.
In preparation for the end of the mandate and the expected Arab mobilisation of forces, the Jewish authorities came up with Plan Dalet (or Plan D), to drive Palestinians and Arabs from land it either already had control over or wanted to control.
Drawn up on March 10, 1948, the plan focused on the Arab League’s Liberation Army, state armies from neighbouring countries and paramilitary groups seeking to fight Israeli forces.
The plan’s objectives also included measures to protect Israeli settlements and vital infrastructure, and attack “enemy” supply lines. It spoke of “controlling and occupying” territories.
However, none of the terminology would reflect the atrocities it would later become associated with.
“The goal of the Arabs was initially to block the Partition Resolution and to prevent the establishment of the Jewish state. The Jews, on the other hand, hoped to gain control over the territory allotted to them under the Partition Plan,” the US State Department says.
Five Arab nations — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq — sent troops into the country shortly after the British mandate ended. Jewish forces soon made gains until a UN-brokered ceasefire took effect in 1949.
The Nakba in numbers
After atrocities committed by Jewish forces, dozens of massacres were carried out, with hundreds of civilians — including women and children — killed, and 70 per cent of Palestinians expelled or compelled to leave their homes.
That means, an estimated 750 to 1 million Palestinians were made refugees between 1947 and 1949. That number stands at 7.1 million refugees and displaced persons as of 2009, including descendants of the victims of the Nakba.
Only 150,000 Palestinians remained inside the 1948 borders. At least 24 known massacres were conducted by Jewish forces - with at least 100 people, including women and children, killed in the Deir Yassin massacre alone on April 9, 1948. Over 400 Palestinian cities and towns were destroyed by Jewish forces between 1948 and 1950.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz published some findings from declassified documents detailing some of the war crimes.
A soldier who witnessed events in the village of Dawayima, now called Moshav Amatzia, says at least 100 people were killed.
“There was no battle and no resistance. The first conquerors killed 80 to 100 Arab men, women and children. The children were killed by smashing their skulls with sticks. There wasn’t a house without people killed in it,” the soldier says.
Jewish author and scholar Ilan Pappe has famously called the Nakba an “ethnic cleansing” while Israeli historian Benny Morris's book, The Birthplace of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, documents many of the accusations levelled against the Israelis during that period.
Speaking to Haaretz in 2004 about a newer version of his book, Mr Morris said: “The revised book is a double-edged sword. It is based on many documents that were not available to me when I wrote the original book, most of them from the Israel Defence Forces' archives. What the new material shows is that there were far more Israeli acts of massacre than I had previously thought. To my surprise, there were also many cases of rape.”
He also spoke about the role of the Haganah, the predecessor of Israel’s Defence Forces today.
“In the months of April to May 1948, units of the Haganah were given operational orders that stated explicitly that they were to uproot the villagers, expel them and destroy the villages themselves.”
He also says the Palestinians and their supporting Arab neighbours issued orders for women and children to evacuate, presumably to protect the more vulnerable members of the Palestinian community.
“So that on the one hand, the book reinforces the accusation against the Zionist side, but on the other hand it also proves that many of those who left the villages did so with the encouragement of the Palestinian leadership itself.”
The Nakba’s impact on Palestinians
The world will never know the true extent of the catastrophe that occurred in 1948.
“Millions of documents from the state’s founding are stored in government archives and banned from publication,” a Haaretz article said in December 2021.
“On top of this, there is active censorship. In recent years, personnel of the Malmab unit [Hebrew acronym for director of security of the defence establishment] have been scouring archives around the country and removing evidence of war crimes, as an investigative report by Hagar Shezaf in Haaretz revealed in 2019.
“However, despite the efforts at concealment, the accounts of about massacres continue to accumulate.”
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
Previous men's records
- 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
- 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
- 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
- 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
- 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
- 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
- 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
- 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
- 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
- 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
