Page 14 - Jewish News_04-2021

14A April 2021 FEDERATION NEWS

CRConnect: Did Israel create

the Palestinian refugee issue?

By David Millstone
he United Nations Relief and ly 750,000. Others claim the number left Tiberias under British military many of whom they had encouraged to
Works Agency for Palestine was between 800,000 and 1,000,000. supervision in April 1948. Arabs fled leave Palestine. They were unwilling
TRefugees in the Near East (UN- The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Jaffa because of mistreatment by to provide them a homeland or even
RWA) has over five million Arab Pal- pegs the number at around 500,000. In Arab soldiers. When Israel proclaimed a place of refuge or an opportunity to
estinians registered for services and a September 1948 report, the UN Me- its independence in May 1948, the earn a livelihood. Jordan and Egypt
approximately 1.5 million in 58 refu- diator on Palestine reported a number flood of Arab departures from Jewish controlled the West Bank (including
gee camps. UNWRA defines refugees East Jerusalem and the Old City) and
as “persons whose normal place of res- Robert and Esther Heller Gaza from 1948 until 1967, respective-
idence was Palestine during the period ly. They allowed squalid conditions to
of June 1, 1946, to May 15, 1948, and exist in the refugee camps and never
onnect
onnect
who lost both home and means of live- CRC made any attempt to create an inde-
lihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.” pendent Palestinian state or establish
They include all patrilineal descen- Jerusalem as its capital. To have done
dants as eligible refugees for services. so would have thwarted their ultimate
No Jews who lost their homes and goal of destroying the Jewish State of
means of livelihood during that period Israel.
in Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem or Gaza, of about 472,000 (a number consistent areas grew greater as the armies of five During Israel’s War of Inde-
or their descendants, are now consid- with the estimate of the Israeli Ministry Arab nations bore down on the Jews pendence and in the aftermath, over
ered eligible refugees. of Foreign Affairs). with the intention of destroying the 800,000 Arab Jews were either ex-
The issue of refugees and the “right Within weeks of the UN announce- Jewish state and securing the entirety pelled from Arab countries or fled from
of return” has been one of the major ment of partition in 1947, approxi- of Palestine as an Arab state. persecution in those countries. The
issues in all previous peace negotia- mately 30,000 wealthy Arabs fled to When the Arab armies invad- Jews living in Judea, Samaria, Jerusa-
tions. Israel is accused of expelling neighboring Arab countries to avoid ed, more Palestinian Arabs fled their lem and Gaza were either massacred
Arabs from Palestine and is frequently the upcoming war and await its out- homes. An Arab nationalist, Musa Ala- or expelled from their homes without
blamed for the refugee crisis, but did come. The departure of Arabs from the mi, described the Arabs as having “one any possessions. In contrast to the
Israel create the problem? To under- Jewish lands designated by the parti- solid hope: The Arab armies... [would] treatment of the Palestinian Arabs by
stand the issue, it is important to start tion continued prior to Israel declar- save the country... and throw oppres- Arab states, Israel welcomed the exiled
with a factual, historic background. ing its statehood in May 1948. Fifty sive Zionism with its dreams and dan- Jews, and approximately 600,000 set-
Just how many refugees were there thousand Arabs left Haifa by late April gers into the sea.” tled in Israel, not as refugees, but as cit-
in the period of 1946-1948? According 1948 in spite of Jewish efforts to get The Arab countries were unwill- izens of Israel, with no compensation
to UNRWA, there were approximate- them to remain. Six thousand Arabs ing to take in the Palestinian refugees, from the Arab states from which they
Get to know Israel and her people! were expelled. Others went to Europe Majorca garden statue
and the United States.
Had the Arab states taken in the
Visit jfedsrq.org/israel. Palestinian Arab refugees and granted

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