Israel marks 60 years as political clouds gather

These Photos were taken at a demonstration at Georgetown University during the celebration of Israel's 60th which had originally been entitled "Israel:Still Sexy at Sixty." After a number of complaints the name was changed by the organizers.

This demonstration sought to highlight that, for many, this is not an occasion for celebration. This day also marks the 60th anniversary of the "Nakba" or catastrophe as the Palestinians describe it. 60 years ago, as a then-emerging Israel sought to define its borders, several hundred thousand Palestinians fled their homes, often under threat from the Zionist forces.

Zionist historians have often suggested that Palestinians left en masse because of announcements on Arab radio stations calling on them to do so. Extensive research on the radio broadcasts at the time time have demonstrated this not to be the case.

Israeli historian Benny Morris, concluded that the violence of the Zionist military coupled with the fear of particular well-known attrocities committed by various Zionist militant groups and terrorist organizations, such as Menachem Begin's Irgun, resulted in the mass-exodus which took place. To this day, those who left have not been allowed back to their homes, many of which were destroyed by the Zionists, later Israelis, to prevent the return of the original inhabitants.

Today, there are millions of Palestinian refugees scattered across the globe. They are the product of expulsions in 1948 and 1967 along with the descendants of those who were forced out. For the protesters in these photos, this is the 60th anniversary to recall and it is hardly grounds for a celebration. Indeed, there is nothing 'sexy' about it.

tekaldas has contributed a photo to this story.