But why has the Palestinians refugee problem has persisted for so long, when compared to other, far worse refugee problems (like after WWII, 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 (Palestinians are the only group of people who can inherit refugee status, which means that it is the only group of people in which the number of refugees grows over time rather than decreases). 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.
So why do Palestinians have more rights that people from the Sudan, or the Congo, or Somalia, or Iraq, or Columbia, or Darfur or Rwanda? What makes them more special than any of these other refugee groups?
MICHAEL X- Do your research, and read what I have written. In 1948, the UNRWA documented 860,000 Palestinian refugees. Because Palestinians inherit refugee status, that number has grown to over 4.7 million. Israel has not exiled over 4 million people, as you claim. Really, if they were treated as every other group, there would be hardly any Palestinian refugees left.
Special rghts? Yes it must be a great privelege to live in a refugee camp, staring at the farm the Israeli army invaded and evicted you from 60 years ago, watching someone else pretending they owned it all along.
March 2nd, 2010 at 4:44 pm
I’m not aware of anyone ever having said that they "are more special" or have "more rights" than other refugees.
The UN agencies have a responsibility to deal with the issues affecting Palestinian refugees which dates back to the forced "creation" of the state of Israel.
References :
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Jordan and Egypt could have easily taken these people in and made them citizens, but didn’t because they LIKE the idea of keeping the Pals as "refugees" as it furthers their on-going actions against Israel.
As someone on this venue once said, the Pals are not so much refugees but part of a population exchange. Jews from all over the Middle East were being kicked out of their ancestral homelands, and were sent to Israel. Israel took in far more displaced middle eastern Jews than Pals it displaced.
Why is it that just recently Jordan has been stripping Pals of Jordanian citizenship, which they had legally previously acquired.
It’s the moslem/arab states who perpetuate the hostilities by keeping the Pals in "refugee camps".
References :
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Special rghts? Yes it must be a great privelege to live in a refugee camp, staring at the farm the Israeli army invaded and evicted you from 60 years ago, watching someone else pretending they owned it all along.
References :
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:39 pm
you’re a crackhead
References :
March 2nd, 2010 at 7:14 pm
I will tell you why. The Palestinians have endured persecution by Israel for over 60 long years Have any of the other countries had to suffer that long and yet all get the condemnation from the world and yet the world turns a blind eye to the Palestinians plight because the West supports Israel . What right has Israel got to drive over 4 million into exile. Yes Israels supporters will mention suicide bombers and rocket attacks yet never mention Israels attrocities against the people of Palestine now imprisoned in the biggest concentration camp the world has ever seen So to remind those who choose to condemn them here are a few.
References :
http://www.soundofegypt.com/palestinian/adult/massacres.htm
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Palestinians get treated worse than refugees from elsewhere. There really is no hope for peace (or for Israel) so long as it’s supporters rely on this type of hasbara.
While hasbara literally means "explanation", its exact import in its current usage is debated. Gideon Meir has said that there is no "real, precise" translation of the word hasbara to English or any other language, and has characterized it as public diplomacy,[4] an action undertaken by all governments around the world with the growing importance of what Harvard professor Joseph Nye termed soft power. Gary Rosenblatt describes it as "advocacy".[5] Nathan Guttman has characterized hasbara as "pro-Israel propaganda,"[6] while Avi Hyman has said "while propaganda strives to highlight the positive aspects of one side of a conflict, hasbara seeks to explain actions, whether or not they are justified."
References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_diplomacy_(Israel)