The Palestine refugee problem was created in the course of the 1948
Israeli War of Independence. When the UN voted to partition Palestine
into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, Palestinian Arabs and Jews
opposed the plan. The war that ensued was won by Israel, creating a
large number of Arab refugees. Estimates account for more than 700,000
Palestinian Arabs who fled or were forced out of their homes during
the fighting. These refugees often fled to surrounding Arab countries
such as Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. However the majority also
fled to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, mainly living in camps.
Conditions in the camps are generally poor with a high population
density, cramped living conditions, shortage of food supplies, poor
housing in the form of tents, and inadequate basic infrastructure such
as roads and sewers resulting in the death and sickness of a number of
the population. The main aim of this investigation is to explore
whether a number of available sources allow us to come to a firm
conclusion on whom or what was is to blame for the increasing
Palestinian refugee problem. These sources vary in a number of ways
such as the format that they come in as some are written sources where
as others are pictures or television programs. The sources also come
from a variety of different viewpoints and from different sides of the
argument.
Firstly, we analyse source A. Source A is from a pamphlet written by
the PLO in 1984 and is therefore a Palestinian view of the problem. It
tells us that the party to blame for the Palestinian refugee problem
is the Israelis and different Zionist groups such as the Stern Gang,
Haganah and the Irgun. It is blaming these due to their brutal attacks
on the Palestinian villages including Deir Yassin. The source as like
any other has reliability issues. On the positive side, it is a
secondary scope therefore meaning that it has a wider scope and
perspective as it can take into account the events that took place at
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations voted for a partition resolution that led to the establishment of the nation of Israel in May, 1948. This was great news for Jews in Palestine and the diaspora as it meant the fulfillment of the quest for the rebirth of their nation in their previous homeland after many years of wandering (Pappe, 2006, p. 12). However, their Palestinian Arab counterparts opposed to the establishment from the start felt cheated by the international community and remained categorical that the final answer to the Jewish problem would only be solved in blood and fire (Karsh, 2002, p. 8).
Countless internal factors made Jewish resistance extremely difficult. The most explicit of these were the horrific conditions of the ghettos and concentration camps, which lead to malnourishment, as well as the large amounts of hard labour that was forced upon inmates, which caused a general state of poor health. When the living situation grew even worse with the quickly increasing death rates in the concentration camps between 1940 and 1942, conditions were so poor that survival was the sole focus of inmates; there was no time to think of resistance. As the Jews began to become aware of their imminent ext...
“There is no such thing as a Palestinian.” Stated former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir after three fourths of one million Palestinians had been made refugees, over five hundred towns and cities had been obliterated, and a new regional map was drawn. Every vestige of the Palestinian culture was to be erased. Resolution 181, adopted in 1947 by the United Nations declared the end of British rule over Palestine (the region between the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River) and it divided the area into two parts; a state for the Jewish and one for the Arab people, Palestine. While Israel was given statehood, Palestine was not. Since 1947, one of the most controversial issues in the Middle East, and of course the world, is the question of a Palestinian state. Because of what seems a simple question, there have been regional wars among Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, terrorist attacks that happen, sometimes daily, displacement of families from their homes, and growing numbers of people living in poverty. Granting Palestinian statehood would significantly reduce, or alleviate, tensions in the Middle East by defining, once and for all, the area that should be Palestine and eliminating the bloodshed and battles that has been going on for many years over this land.
Bourke, Dale Hanson. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Tough Questions, Direct Answers. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity, 2013. N. pag. Print.
Prior to and after WWI the world saw a rise in nationalistic sentiments. The Middle East was not immune to this new ideology. Although Arab Nationalism had a start in the Ottoman Empire, its rise among the masses did not begin until after WWI. While a total rise in Arab Nationalism became apparent on the Arabian Peninsula, a separate nationalist movement began in Palestine as a way to combat a unique and repressive situation. In Palestine the British mandate, along with British support, and the world's support for Zionist immigration into Palestine, caused a number of European Zionists to move into the country. These factors created an agitated atmosphere among Palestinians. Although there was more than one factor in creating a Palestinian-centered Arab Nationalism, the mounting Zionist immigration was among the most prevalent of forces.
During the Israeli War of Independence in 1948 an Arab refugee crisis began, and there is still not a clear answer of what caused it. As inhabitants of Israel Arabs were greatly affected by the establishment of a Jewish State, because their home was governed by others. Nonetheless, the Palestinian Arabs contributed in the making of the refugee crisis. The Arabs were given the choice of becoming equal citizens of Israel and refused. The United Nations came up with Partition Plan for Palestine, but it was rejected. Therefore, instead of having their own country the Arabs fled to neighboring Arab countries to avoid the crossfire of impending war. Arabs were thrown out of their homes by the Haganah (pre-state army), and placed
Refugees do not simply choose to be “refugees.” There are many aspects that go into account when displacement occurs. War is often associated with refugee displacement. Even a simple task of walking in the streets can be dangerous. In an interview with Time magazine, Syrian refugee Faez al Sharaa says that he was held up at gunpoint with three other people in his homeland after soldiers accused him of being a terrorist. "We felt death upon us," Sharaa said (Altman 24). His backyard turned into a battle ground, while young kids were fighting for their lives (Altman 24). War
After centuries of wandering, persecution, and exclusion, 1948 brought the Jewish people a homeland. Democracy sprung forth in the Middle East, and Jews from all corners of the globe began flooding into the small strip of Mediterranean coastland, rooting Israel in the international community. As the fledgling state moved forward, the world witnessed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict unfold, multiple wars ensue, and Israeli innovation lunge into the future. Even so, hidden in the midst of Israel's conflicts and accomplishments lay one of its most grievous offenses – religious persecution and intolerance. Messianic Jews, a sect of Judaism which embraces Jesus Christ as the promised Jewish Messiah, have endured decades of bigotry, hate crimes, and prejudice at the hand of their Jewish brothers. This prejudice, largely concentrated in Israeli immigration policy, has prompted advocates, committed to eradicating this hypocrisy in their culture and government, to raise their voices against this unique form of injustice in Israel.
According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, refugee is a term applied to anyone who is outside his/her own country and cannot return due to the fear of being persecuted on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership of a group or political opinion. Many “refugees” that the media and the general public refer to today are known as internally displaced persons, which are people forced to flee their homes to avoid things such as armed conflict, generalized violations of human rights or natural and non-natural disasters. These two groups are distinctly different but fall ...
The War of 1948, also known as the War of Independence, was fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The war began May 15, 1948 when units from the armies of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq invaded Israel launching a war that lasted until December 1948.# The war resulted in the defeat of the Arab forces and the success of Israel as a newly established state. It is evident that the Arab forces were not successful in the first Arab-Israeli war because the Arab army lacked motivation, education, and proper equipment.# Despite the support from Arab states outside of Palestine, the Arabs were unable to gain enough strength to overcome the Israeli forces. In contrast, the Israeli army was able to succeed because they had unconditional support from the Jewish community, efficient infrastructures, and modern equipment. Israel also used significant strategies that proved lethal against the competing Arab forces. With the Arab communities unorganized attempt to go to war in 1948, it was inevitable that Israel would come out of the war as the victor.
When Yasser Arafat addressed the United Nations General Assembly, he tried to articulate the actions the Palestinian Liberation Organization had taken and to justify those actions. Arafat points out that the struggles with Imperialism and Zionism began in 1881 when the first large wave of immigrants began arriving in Palestine. Prior to this date, the Muslims, Jews (20,000) and Christians all cohabitated peacefully (pop. 1/2 million). In 1917, the Belfour Declaration authorized increased immigration of European Jews to Palestine. 1 From 1917 to 1947, the Jewish population in Palestine increased to 600,000 and they rightfully owned only 6% of the Palestinian arable land. Palestine population at this time was now up to 1,250,000. 1
A refugee is defined as an individual who has been forced to leave their country due to political or religious reasons, or due to a threat of war or violence. There were 19.5 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2014, 14.4 million under the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 2.9 million more than in 2013. The other 5.1 million Palestinian refugees are registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). With the displacement of so many people, it is difficult to find countries willing to accept all the refugees. There are over 125 different countries that currently host refugees, and with this commitment comes the responsibility of ensuring these refugees have access to the basic requirements of life: a place to live, food to eat, and a form of employment or access to education.
The first chapter of the book provides a highly informative background and history to the concept of refugees, as well as their relevance to the modern international political system. The authors importantly point out that defining a refugee is not simply a matter of academic concern because resulting definitions may mean the difference between life and death for people in conflict zones. Defining a refugee involves political and ethical considerations, inevitably creating disagreement regarding the issue. For example, when refugees are defined in a certain way by the United Nations, research will consequently revolve around such definitions and will help support the status quo of the institut...
Sari Hanafi (2011) pointed out have three levels of crisis is very important. First, the national state has a power to change or control whole population, make the people in the state to be stateless people. If this happen in Europe, much of the national state does it after the World War II. Especially in 1948, Israeli policies expelling Palestinians, in Jerusalem the Palestinian just only the temporary residents, they have to prove they are life in city at the time. From Libya (1995), the Palestinian refugees were getting expulsion, because of the absence of civil and socioeconomic right, and stated them to be specific undesirable populace.
A family, living in a war-torn country, is uprooted from their home and community due to a variety of reasons such as political unrest, famine, and threat danger. This family flees their country in order to seek safety in a neighboring, more stable country. These people are considered refugees. Refugees are not travelers or immigrants because they are displaced due to some devastating reason, whether that is war or persecution. Other countries extend money, resources, and even their land to help resettle refugees out of political and humanitarian obligation. The United States is historically notorious for wanting to remain isolated during certain global events such as each world war. However, the United States began to create and build on refugee