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DAVID RADLER:
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Understanding the roots of the problem
Wars produce refugees. The humanitarian imperative is
obviously to settle refugees as quickly and as safely as
possible. And yet, in the case of the 650,000 Palestinian
Arabs who left Israel before and during the War of
Independence in 1948, the international community has
colluded with the Arab world in doing the exact opposite:
For the past half-century, there has been a deliberate
refusal to resettle Palestinian refugees within the Arab
world. Instead, the Palestinian and Arab leadership have
condemned these people and their descendants to poverty and
misery in the UNRWA-run camps that offer little hope of a
better life.
This sore and tragic problem can and must be solved,
because the longer it takes to arrive at a solution, the
more its alarming dimensions will multiply.
In this booklet, compiled and written by Eliyahu Tal,
the facts - as opposed to the myths - behind the creation
of the Palestinian refugee question; the fate of the Arab
world's Jewish communities following Israel's creation; and
comparisons with other world conflicts that spawned refugee
problems, are presented in a clear and concise manner.
There is a consensus, spreading from the Israeli Right
to the Left, that there can be no right of return to their
1948 homes for Palestinian refugees, even in the context of
a full peace accord between Israel and the Arab world.
First and foremost, such a return would threaten the
existence of Israel as a Jewish state, as within the space
of one generation, the Jewish majority within Israel would
be lost. As Tal points out, Israel has changed over the
last half century. The villages to which these refugees
demand to return no longer exist.
In the present war in which we find ourselves against
the Palestinians, brought about in no small part by their
refusal to accept that there can be no right of return, it
is important for all to understand the roots of this issue
and the justness of Israel's stance.
We at The Jerusalem Post consider the publication of
this supplement our contribution towards finding a
solution.
David Radler
Chairman of the Board
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