Ma'na an-Nakba

Ma'na al-Nakba (معنى النكبة),, is an anti-Zionist and pan-Arabic book by Constantin Zureiq published by Dar al-Ilm lil-Malayeen in Beirut in 1948. The book defines the conceptual parameters of the Arab tragedy, which Zureiq terms al-Nakba, to describe the Arab defeat of the War of 1948. It was the first of many works by Arab intellectuals to analyse the reasons behind the Nakba. Many have claimed that the book took great courage to write, as intellectual freedom was challenging at the time.

History
The book was written during a ceasefire of the 1948 Palestine war and sold out that summer. It was re-printed in October that year due to high demand. Zureiq became one of the first to describe the developments of the war and to use the term Nakba (النكبة 'disaster' or 'catastrophe').

Summary
The book draws a broad outline of the 1948 war and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Arabs in Palestine who were forced to flee from their homes. However, he only mentions the refugees once, and insists that the actual catastrophe was the Arab nations loosing the war to the Jews. Zureiq goes on to discuss the history leading to the defeat of the 1948 war and its greater consequences for Arab nationalism, stating that seven Arab nations failed the task of "suppressing Zionism" and lost "a considerable portion of the land of Palestine." He describes Zionism as a determined and influential enemy, meticulously prepared for prolonged struggle, claiming that Zionists possess significant scientific and financial capabilities with multiple international allegiances.

Zureiq progresses to discuss the causes of the catastrophe, establishing that the Arab nations are responsible for their ill-preparedness for battle, their disunity, and their underestimation of the strength of their enemy. He goes on to address the need to accept responsibility for the defeat and learn from the mistakes, warning to not place blame on the Jews, the British, the Americans, the Russians, or the United Nations. The book contains several observations that Zureiq warns could lead to an even greater disaster if the causes for the war aren’t addressed.

In a chapter entitled "The Immediate Remedy," the book identifies five guiding principles for the "crusade" against Zionism:


 * 1) Using propaganda for the "mobilisation of feeling and will," to "make clear to the Arab mind and the Arab soul that the Zionist danger is the greatest danger to the being of the Arabs."
 * 2) Marshalling the complete military, economic and political strength of the Arab nation.
 * 3) Unifying the Arab states in ever way possible, "in the fields of war, politics, economics, propaganda, etc."
 * 4) Establishing irregular armies: The militarization of "popular forces . . . must extend to all classes of society so that every individual in the [Arab] nation will undertake his share of it."
 * 5) Devotion to the pan-Arabic cause against Zionism: "The readiness of the Arabs to bargain and to sacrifice some of their interests in order to repel the larger danger" of Zionism.

Antisemitic Tropes
The book's characterisation of Zionism contains some common antisemitic tropes, particularly concerning economic antisemitism and world domination. Zureiq does not distinguish between Jewishness and Zionism, claiming that Zionists' "only common bonds are religion and suffering." He identifies Zionism with global Jewish power, claiming that the threat of Zionism involves "the Jews of the whole world." He says that "the danger of Jewish power" is strongest in the United States, referring to American Zionists' abilities to raise large amounts of money to help Israel. Zureiq also claims that the idea of a Jewish people is "unnatural," arguing, "These Zionists do not have the characteristics of a united nation, for they are from widely separated lands, speak different languages, and follow different ways." Zureiq refers to Zionism as "evil," and says it is characterized by a "rapacious greed" and that it "dominates the influential countries of the world."

Translation
It was translated as The Meaning of the Disaster by R. Bayley Winder, published 1956 in Beirut (Khayat).