The "Iron Swords" war and its effect on the perception of the Nakba among the younger generation in Arab society in Israel

Abstract

This article examines the effect of the war between Israel and Hamas on the perception of the Nakba among members of the younger generation in the Arab society living in Israel. Although the research began before the outbreak of the war, the flight of more than a million Gazan Palestinians from their homes was a catalyst for the examination of this issue because the discourse of the Nakba against the background of scenes similar to those of the war in 1948 came up for public discussion again. The results of the study show that the Nakba is an integral part of the collective memory of the younger generation among Israeli Arabs. Since the beginning of the third millennium, it has been present with them more strongly than previous generations. It was also found that the more the younger generation deals with the Nakba and remembers it, the greater the fear of the possibility of another Nakba following a security escalation between the State of Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza, and against the background of the sight of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians leaving their homes on their shaky ground. This concern is also accompanied by feelings of loss of trust in Israeli democracy and an increase in the feeling of personal insecurity following the coming to power of a right-wing government in Israel in January 2023.