MEQ Fall 2013: The Palestinian Refugee Problem Resolved

The following by Shaul Bartal is reposted here with permission of the Middle East Forum:

The Palestinian Refugee Problem Resolved

by Shaul Bartal
Middle East Quarterly
Fall 2013, pp. 29-40

During the 1948 war, some 600,000 Palestinian Arabs fled their homes to the neighboring Arab states or to parts of mandatory Palestine occupied by Arab states (the West Bank and Gaza).[1] Likewise, within a few years after the establishment of the State of Israel, nearly all of the 850,000-strong Jewish population living in Arab states was either expelled or escaped with just their lives. Most made their way to Israel where they were resettled.

While these latter facts may not be that well known, neither are they completely unfamiliar to students of the Middle East. What is less acknowledged, however, is the de facto agreement of Arab states to resettle Palestinian refugees in their respective territories, expressed in closed-door discussions at cease-fire committee meetings and other gatherings with Israeli representatives.[2] Whether the Arab states properly represented the refugees or treated them and their descendants fairly is a matter for the Palestinians and their Arab brothers to adjudicate on their own.

Canada: Jewish Refugees From Arab Lands Is An Important Part of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.

Here is an email that The Hon Jason Kenny, Senior Minister in the Harper government of Canada, sent out yesterday:

Friends,

Yesterday, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development began its study on the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Between 1948 and the early 1970’s, over 850,000 Jews were displaced as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict. In some instances Jewish refugees fled state-sanctioned persecution and violence, and in other instances they were expelled.

Arab Media Furious Over Compensation For Jewish Refugees From Arab States

A Jewish immigrant, Ein Shemer immigrant's

 camp (1/9/1950). Credit: Facts of Israel

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon has been pushing a plan for a September summit at the UN to address the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries. In particular, the summit would bring up the question of property rights of those Jewish refugees who were forced to flee Arab countries following the re-establishment of Israel. Many see the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries as a bargaining chip to counter the Palestinian Arab demand for refugee compensation.

The Arab press has attacked the idea of compensating Jewish refugees: