How many are there in a book? acyclovir generic cream The war that followed Israel's declaration of independence in 1948 saw the former British mandate of Palestine partitioned between Israel, Trans-Jordan and Egypt. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced out of their native land during the war, in what they call the 'Nakba' or 'Catastrophe.' The demand of these refugees and their descendants to return to their former homes remains one of the most fiercely debated aspects of the dispute with Israel.