France 24
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Saturday, July 05, 2008

ISRAEL - PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Israel: 60 years in the making

On May 8, 2008, Israel celebrates the 60th anniversary of its creation. But in a sign of the huge chasm in historical narratives, Palestinians commemorate the “Nakba,” or catastrophe, on May 15.

On May 14, 1948, David Ben Gurion, the country’s first prime minister, publicly read Israel's Proclamation of Independence. Sixty years later, Israel celebrates its anniversary on May 8, following the Hebrew calendar.

Yet, for Palestinians, this act signaled their displacement and dispossession, a catastrophe – or "nakba" – commemorated on May 15.

Four Arab-Israeli wars later, Israel is a prosperous nation, a nuclear power with a flourishing democratic political system.

However, peace remains elusive.

In the course of its history, several peace agreements have been signed – notably with neighbouring Egypt and Jordan. The Middle East crisis however remains one of the modern world’s most intractable conflicts. Terrorist attacks are common and despite decades of peace initiatives, the issue at the heart of the conflict – the creation of a viable Palestinian state – has not been resolved.

FRANCE 24 has devoted special programming, reportage, and debates to this subject.

Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary Israel celebrates sixty years of statehood on Thursday, a day after it kicked off week-long celebrations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. But the fraud probe around Israeli PM Ehud Olmert marred the festivities. (Story: J.Jackson)

Palestinians mark 60 years of Nakba Palestinians slammed US president George W. Bush's visit to Israel to mark the country's 60th anniversary, an event they call the "Nakba," or Catastrophe. (Report:P.Hall)

Israel's Arabs, an ambivalent situation Israel's Arab population, representing 20% of the people living in the Hebrew state, theoretically share the same rights as the Jewish citizens. But, in their daily lives, they suffer numerous discriminations (Report : F. Picard)

The Aliya mythology – 60 years on The foundation of Israel rests on Aliya, or the immigration of Jews into the Holy Land. The experience of four young migrants shows that the movement is still strong, although the founding myth may be fading away (Report: G. Auda, M. de Chalvron)