Has anyone here asked themselves why the Palestinians refugee problem has persisted for so long, when compared to other, far worse refugee problems )like after WW2, when there were tens of millions of refugees) that were solved in shorter time periods? Here are a few things that make the Palestinian refugee problem more unique:
-The very definition of "refugee" is different for Palestinians from every other group. A non-Palestinian refugee is described as someone who (1) leaves their country out of "well founded fear of being persecuted," (2) is "outside the country of his nationality," and (3) "is unable or unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country." However, the criteria for a Palestinian to be a refugee is someone (1) "whose normal place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948," (2) "who lost both their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War (regardless of the reason)," and (3) who is a descendent of someone who meets the first two criteria. So after reviewing those facts, it appears that refugee status is far easier to attain for Palestinians than any other group. Even if someone’s grandfather lived in what became Israel from April 1948 until the Arab-Israeli War (1 month), and left when they were told to by other invading Arab countries, that person has refugee status. This is unique in refugee situations, and inflates the number of refugees tremendously.
-Unwillingness of similar cultures to absorb the refugees- Refugee situations are usually solved by having a country absorb those refugees. The Palestinian refugee problem could have been solved anytime Jordan controlled the West Bank. The "Palestinian culture"and language is identical to the Jordanian culture because "Palestinians," as they were designated by the British in 1921, were for the most part migrants from what was then called TransJordan. However, the unwillingness of Jordan, as well as any of the other 21 Arab countries, to absorb ANY Palestinian refugees has exacerbated the problem.
-The mission of UN agencies serving refugees is different for Palestinians than anyone else. First of all, the Palestinians are the only group that has an entire agency devoted to their cause (UNRWA), every other group of refugees is cared for by a single agency (UNHCR). The mission of the UNHCR is to find permanent homes for refugees. The mission of the UNRWA is to maintain the refugees within the refugee camps they set up, rather than finding an actual solution to the problem.
Many Arab leaders have admitted to keeping the Palestinians in this situation in order to exploit it:
-Prime Minister of Syria, Khalid al Azm: "Since 1948 it is we who demanded the right of return of the refugees… while it is we who made them leave… we have rendered them dispossessed… We have participated in lowering their moral and social level… we exploited them in executing crimes of murder, arson, and throwing bombs upon men, women, and children- all this in the service of political purposes" (1972)
-King Hussein of Jordan: "Since 1948… Arab leaders have used the Palestine people for selfish political purposes."
-The Head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has accused other Arab leaders of abandoning the Palestinians after they "forced them to emigrate and to leave their homeland and threw them into prisons similar to the ghettos in which the Jews used to live."
So after reviewing these facts, it becomes clearer why the Palestinian refugee problem has persisted as long as it has, and maybe it isn’t because "Israel is always mean to the Palestinians" as I’m sure many will answer. But to those who disagree, please give specific facts, if I’m wrong (check everything I’ve said, it is all true) it shouldn’t be a problem for you to prove it. So, why don’t people take these facts into consideration?
A good write-up of the situation. I would also add an interesting side note: A lot of Palestinian refugees were, in fact, created by Arab countries. Jordan, for example, killed more then 10 000 Palestinian refugees in 1970 – "Black September".
February 9th, 2010 at 9:37 am
AMEN!
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February 9th, 2010 at 10:04 am
A good write-up of the situation. I would also add an interesting side note: A lot of Palestinian refugees were, in fact, created by Arab countries. Jordan, for example, killed more then 10 000 Palestinian refugees in 1970 – "Black September".
References :
February 9th, 2010 at 10:43 am
That still doesn’t in any way justify Israel’s inhumane treatment of the refugees, the illigal occupation of their land, building settlements in their area, polluting their water supply, destroying their infra structure, assasinating their ministers, blocking their access, etc, etc, etc
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