The filmmaker says the term emerged only after Arab states failed to destroy Israel in 1948, reframing a rejected partition plan and a failed war of annihilation as victimhood.
A new film by Pierre Rehov challenges one of the most central narratives in the Arab-Israeli conflict, arguing that the so-called “Nakbah” was not an unavoidable tragedy but a political myth constructed after the failure of Arab armies to eliminate the Jewish state.
According to the film, the chain of events is clear: in 1947, the UN proposed a partition plan for two states. Jewish leadership accepted it, while Arab leadership rejected it outright.
Following Israel’s declaration of independence in May 1948, five Arab countries launched a coordinated military invasion with the explicit goal of destroying the newly reborn state. During the fighting, Arab leaders encouraged Arab residents to leave temporarily, promising they would return after Israel’s defeat.