About the Ceremony
The Joint Nakba Remembrance Ceremony is a unique opportunity to commemorate the pain and tragedy of the Nakba (“catastrophe” in Arabic), when in 1948 more than 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes, became refugees, and had their villages and cities destroyed. In Israel, even mentioning the Nakba is completely taboo; however, Combatants for Peace believes that peace and reconciliation involve a sincere and honest reckoning with this history that didn’t end in 1948 but continues until this day.
Combatants for Peace understands that to end the occupation and find a solution to the conflict, we must listen with empathy to each other’s stories and acknowledge injustice to achieve true liberation. Combatants for Peace was born out of the personal experiences of its Israeli and Palestinian founders, who were previously actively involved in violence against the other side. They share, “We do not seek to deny our violent past but rather work with it, process it, and turn it from a site of conflict into a basis for joint, constructive action. This is how we perceive the history of this land and of the two peoples who co-inhabit it. Our ceremonies are intended to carry the audience—Israelis, Palestinians, and internationals—to past traumas and their lingering legacies, then to the present, in order to build a just, peaceful, and equitable future.”
2026 Ceremony
Join us for the 7th Joint Nakba Remembrance Ceremony, which will be held on May 15th, 2026, at 8:00pm Jerusalem | 6:00pm London | 1:00pm New York | 10:00am Los Angeles.
On May 15, 2026, Combatants for Peace will hold its 7th Joint Nakba Remembrance Ceremony. The history of the Nakba did not end in 1948. The past two years in Gaza—marked by genocide, mass destruction, and forced starvation—alongside the accelerating displacement, ethnic cleansing, and ongoing realities in the West Bank, are the latest chapters in this long and painful history.
This year’s theme is “Sumud in Humanity.” Sumud—meaning resilience—is often understood as steadfastness, unbreakability, and a deep connection to land. Yet we believe Sumud is not the absence of pain; it is the conscious choice to remain human, especially when circumstances make it easier to dehumanize others. It is the courage to continue believing in justice and shared resistance when despair feels more rational. It means safeguarding our core humanity—dignity, compassion, and moral clarity—even when both history and present realities put it to the test.
This ceremony, like the Joint Memorial Ceremony, is rooted in the core belief of Combatants for Peace: that genuinely understanding the lived experiences and historical narratives of both societies is essential to breaking the cycle of violence and building a different future. It reflects a commitment to justice, acknowledgment, and accountability, and affirms that true peace can only emerge when all people are free, and the humanity of every individual is upheld without exception.
