The Palestinian Refugees - Essay Example

The Palestinian Refugees Introduction The events of the nineteenth century are remarkable for contributions to the future history of many nations. The century was characterized by slavery, oppression and civil war. From a literal perspective, different aspects of human oppression are considered ‘deviant’ as history records. Such oppression separates and controls the people living in the borderland, thus the people are depicted as lesser humans, and people of lesser right. In line with this, the Palestinian refugee is the most complex and outstanding issue of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Reflecting on the above perspective, this paper critically examines the Palestinian refugees from a broad perspective. With reference to research, it is understandable that the Arab-Israel war started on 1948 (Bowker 38). Since this period, it is now sixty-five years. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were homeless and stateless after the displacement. Palestinian have endured discrimination, insecurity, repeated cycles of displacement and infringement if their basic rights and freedom. One can deduce that facing the above mentioned challenges defines the greatest atrocity known to have been done against humanity. The Palestinians are living examples of such atrocities (Efrat 45).  Lebanon is situated in the South-East of the Mediterranean basin; borders Syria on the North and Israel to the South as reported by Shafie. Beirut is the capital city, and the other major cities are Tripoli, Sidon, Tyre and Zahle (Shafie, Palestinian refugee in Lebanon). France is the country that colonized Lebanon, but it gained its independence in 1943 (El-Rifai & Brynen 37). Muslim constitutes half of the population with Christian and others following suite. With these different religions, there have always been conflicts, which in one way or another are based on religious concerns. Three states that host refugee are Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. They have hosted these refugees since 1948. These have seen their political, economic and social situation affected by the height of indifference of their issues. Jordan’s population has been rising due to refugees settlement. Majority of the people living in the town are Palestinian in origin. Their growth in number has seen them become registered with the country as citizens. Registered refugees now have an opportunity to enjoy full legal representation in the host country. There exist a level of tension between East Bankers (ancient Jordanians with deep roots on the East) and Jordanians of Palestinian origin (those residing on the West side of the Jordan River). The problem arose when they become citizens of the Jordan state. This meant that the state is and is required by law to represent them legally. They are also represented by the PLO and this brings conflict of interest between both parties. Black September is what lead to the distortion of Palestinian and Jordan relation. The battle was between the Jordan army and the PLO. Jordan Annexation of the West bank after 1948 is also what further influenced their relation negatively. Its subsequent disengagement in 1988 and the uncertainty of the kingdom’s future, with the possibility that over half of its population would have to choose their allegiance were a Palestinian state created. These issues come up periodically and cause controversy, especially when associated with rumors of a confederation or a Benelux-type arrangement with Palestine and Israel. The remarks often made by the Israeli government that Jordan is a Palestinian state also cause controversy and raises lots of questions. Jordan state has been integrating the Palestinian refugee and has seen their population rise to millions; positively this has seen economic development of the state. UNRWA has seen the development of schools and health care facilities. However, according to Miller, fears of Jordan becoming a Palestinian state have alarmed the administrative system to limit the citizenship of the Palestinian on the West bank. They have even gone a step further to revoke their nationality if they fail to supply proof of their continuous ties to the West Bank (Miller, 7). Syria refugees constitute a small percentage, of less than 5% of the majority population. They enjoy the same rights as citizens of Syria. In all the states it’s the only one that integrated refugees and blended with them without much hiccups. The refugees live in nine official and nine unofficial camps. The state in spite of their acceptance of the refugees they have not given them citizenship identity. This has not hindered their right being upheld. They can travel in the state with much ease using Syrian travel documents, they also don’t require work permits to work or get employment. The refugees are also expected to undertake compulsory military service. However they are not allowed to own farmland but that was up to 1968. In 2001 Syrian army bombed Latakia camp after an uprising against the regime of Bashar Assad. This event demonstrates the precarious condition of the refugees. They are mostly affected by political upheavals (Miller, 7). Nonetheless Syria is turning out to be very influential in the peace process of Israel and Palestinians. Syria is also the only Arab state with land still occupied by Israel. Syria peace tracts down the 1990s for it were vital in supporting the Palestine’s with negotiations. It also led the opposition of the OSLO process. It organized and sponsored Palestine groups. OSLO process was that the idea was to postpone the difficult issues and discuss them after an interim period designed to build confidence. The five permanent status issues are: Jerusalem, refugees, water, borders and settlements. Of the five permanent status issues, only the refugee issue cannot be discussed or resolved in a purely bilateral context.  In such a bilateral process there is also a risk that the legitimacy of the PLO’s representation could be compromised. Leading to creation of a more radical Palestinian organization causing more harm Historical Background It is a common understanding that no persons wish to live as refugees whatsoever. According to studies, it is recorded that Palestinians who resided in the northern region were forced to leave their homes. This action was triggered by the Israeli military attack and ethnic cleansing (Hanafi & Gans 58). This happened in 1948, and the northern towns affected were mainly: Haifa, Galilee region, Safad and Acre. Palestinians were rendered homeless and had to seek refuge to save their dear lives. They fled over the border to Lebanon, but others were economically stable; therefore, they travelled to the cities to continue with their lives (Shafie 1). Lebanese farmers received them warmly in the first months. They provided them with the basic requirements like food, water and shelter. International league of the Red Cross society (LRCS) also assisted in their up keep by providing them with tents, some private and public sources also assisted. LRCS due to their support to the refugees, the Lebanese government, offered them free depots, warehouses, security, labor and transport (Perkins & Edward 68). This was done to help them operate efficiently and with ease. The Lebanese government also allocated certain areas for the refugees to settle. A year later the refugees still were camping at Lebanon, the government tried to send some of the refugees to Syria. This did not turn out as they expected for it consequently led to the closure of the Syrian border. Palestinian refugee in the near East a body by the name United Nation Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was established by the United Nation resolution 302. This took place in the year 1949 (EMHRN Mission, 2000: 11). The work agency began its operation in 1953; three years later it decided to exchange the tents with semi-permanent shelters. Social amenities like schools were set-up, and they lived in relative peace and harmony with their host. Initially they had established 16 camps, three were destroyed, and one was evacuated. According to Suleiman, the refugees enjoyed some freedom of expression and political activity (67). Cobban reports that, Sunni politicians gave demands for a greater Muslin role in the Lebanon government. The sunnis support for Nassers calls for Pan-Arabism together with the 1957 staged elections were the sparks that led to devastating civil war (85-95). Resolution 194 of the United General Assembly stated that refugees who opted or were willing to resettle back to their original homes and live in harmony with their neighbors were allowed to do so at the opportune time (Shafie, Palestinan refugee in Lebanon). The refugees who choose not to return would be compensated for the loss incurred through their property being damaged (Bowker 58). This was under the international law and in equity that the authorities should be responsible for their action. From 1959, Israeli government refused to implement the UN general Assembly resolution (Hanafi & Gans 67). This situation also led to the change in attitude of the Lebanese (prothera,Europe and the far East). The Lebanese government started placing harsh restrictions on the refugees. To hinder resettlements, no permanent housing development was permitted (Morris 68). The Palestinians were termed as foreigners and work permits became difficult to obtain. Martial law was also imposed on the refugee camp. All these conditions culminated and ignited the 1969 uprising in the camps. To the large part, the government of Israel has been considered accountable for the suffering the Palestinians have endured for the last years. This is evident since the government failed to support the stop of the conflict among various societies and religions, until recently when it has agreed to end the conflict and cater for the refugees in all ways. In 1967, there was a historic six day war that saw the Egyptian and Syria defeated. The success of this war ignited a wave of support for the Palestinians guerrilla movement in most Arab countries. Cobban reports that, various Lebanese groups as well as, other individuals, demonstrated to have the Lebanese government support the right of the Palestinian’s to mount guerrilla warfare against the Israel from the Lebanese territory (Perkins & Edward 95). First Israel incursion took place in the year 1968. Israel did this to force the Lebanese government to regulate the Palestine guerillas. The subsequent, pro-Palestinian protest that occurred marked the first of the Palestinian related crisis. The catastrophe began to have an adverse effect on the Lebanon administrative system (Cobban 109). The state of the refugees improved drastically after the signing of the 1969 Cairo agreement between the Lebanese government and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The agreement gave the Palestine refugee freedom of movement and labor rights. They also received sovereignty of the refugee camps plus the right to carry out armed attacks against Israel targets from Lebanon soil (El-Rifai & Brynen 67). Conversely, the Cairo legislation never became national legislation. Thus, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) existence in Lebanon became known as Fatahland or state within a state as a result of the almost total control of the Arkoub region by Arafats men (Special report, uniformity). PLO became a political power and extended fiscal and military support to the Lebanese left-wing. PLO attacks against Israel forced Israel to hit both parties. The attacks weakened Lebanese effort to help the Palestinians. This led to the buildup of the already existing tension between the various Lebanese administrations and eventually led to the 1975 civil war (Shafie, Palestinian refugee in Lebanon). In 1974, Israel air raid totally destroyed a refugee camp, two years later Christian militias also destroyed three more camps. Tel-El-Zaater, on the refugee camp, was overwhelmed, and upon submission, approximately 3000 of its dwellers who were mostly Palestinian refugees as well as, some Lebanese were exterminated (Khalidi 4). The refugee’s misery was aggravated once again in 1982, when Israel invaded Lebanon. They occupied Beirut and according to Shafie they forced the PLO out of Lebanon. The forceful eviction of the PLO led to their condition deteriorating for the refugees. Refugees in Beirut even those non –combatants who were defenseless were target by the various different groups and notably the Christian militia. This occurred in spite of the US assuring those non- combatants would not be harmed (Shafie, Palestinian refugee in Lebanon). There have been attempts made to close gaps between the Palestine and the Israel. The most essential was the Stockholm Channel spearheaded by the Swedish government. Israel appeared to be in pact on the establishment of a commission to see execution of a refugee deal. Palestine appeal was to: return to Israel, return to a Palestine state West bank of Gaza or resettlement in a developing country. However, these approaches were not appealing to Israel. For it involved compensation and also would see influx of refugees in Israel.  Israel stressed that it could not accept the opinion or right of return of refugees, and that the refugee issue would need to be largely resolved through relocation or a return to a Palestinian state (Enderlin, 157-158). Israel has denied any moral responsibility for the refugee issue, arguing that the blame was the Palestinians and Arab for opposing partition in 1947. It is far from clear that the broader negotiations were really about reaching an agreement at all. For Barak, it was important to signal his commitment to reach a peace agreement whilst in the midst of a stumbling election campaign. For Arafat, it was important to jot down Israeli positions before they could toughen under a different Israeli head of state. Conclusion             Reflecting on the above discussion, it is clear that the Palestinians have suffered a lot, thus their rights have as human beings have been violated. Although the Palestinians were force to leave their lands to leave as refugees, several steps have been put into place to ensure that their rights are respected.         Works Cited Bowker, Robert. Palestinian Refugees: mythology, identity, and the search for peace. New York: McGraw Hill. 2003 Print. Enderlin, Charles. Shattered dreams: Failure of the peace process in the middle East. New York: McGraw Hill Efrat, Moshe. The Palestinian Refugees: the dynamics of economic integration. New York: McGraw Hill El-Rifai, Roula & Brynen, Rex. Palestinian Refugees: Challenges of Repatriation and Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.2007. Print. Hanafi, Sari & Gans, Chaim. Israel and the Palestinian Refugees. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. 2007. Print. Morris, Benny. The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. New York: John Wiley and Sons. 2004. Print. Perkins, Joseph & Edward, Ginat. The Palestinian Refugees: Old Problems-New Solutions. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2004. Print. Scholz, Norbert. U.S. Official Statements: The Palestinian Refugees. New York: McGraw Hill. 2001. Print. Shafie, Sherifa. Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon - Forced Migration Online. Retrieved from; Web. 16 Apr. 2013 http://www.forced migration.org Special Report: Uniformity, State Regulatory Requirement retrieved from Web. 16 Apr. 2013 http://www.sec.gov/news/studies Suleiman, Jaber. Marginalized Community: The case of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon, Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalization and Poverty, 2006. Print. Taba Mideast Web. The Taba Proposals and the Palestine Refugee Problem. Retrieved from; Web. 16 Apr. 2013 http://mideastweb.org Takkenberg, Lex. Ed: The Status of Palestinian Refugees in International Law. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. 2001. Print. Read More