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Why Most Palestinians Left by May 1948

After the United Nations voted in 1947 to partition Palestine, violence broke out between Jewish and Arab communities. Between December 1947 and May 1948, before the State of Israel was declared, most of the Palestinians who would become refugees had already left their homes.

Fear spread rapidly after the April 1948 attack on Deir Yassin, where over a hundred civilians were killed. News and rumors moved faster than facts, and many families fled nearby towns and villages before fighting reached them, believing they might be next.

At the same time, local authority was collapsing. As British forces withdrew, police stations closed, Arab municipal leaders departed, and community defense efforts broke down. Without leadership or security, civilians felt exposed and uncertain about the future.

Urban combat made normal life impossible in major cities. In Haifa, street battles and fires led to mass flight. In Jaffa, weeks of bombardment drove residents to escape by boat. Similar scenes unfolded in Jerusalem, Safed, and Tiberias as neighborhoods turned into front lines.

Jewish military operations such as Nachshon and Harel, aimed at securing strategic routes, contributed to further displacement. Some villagers were expelled, but far more left while caught between advancing forces and collapsing infrastructure, assuming their departure was temporary.

Economic conditions also broke down. Ports closed, trade routes were disrupted, and food shortages grew severe. For many families, leaving was a practical decision for survival.

By May 1948, nearly three-quarters of all the Palestinians who would become refugees had already gone, driven primarily by fear, chaos, and the collapse of ordinary life during a fast-moving and unpredictable war.

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