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The Palestinian refugee issue: A Palestinian perspective

Attachments

By Abbas Shiblak

Summary points

- The quest of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes is not only a legal and moral right but has become a major part of Palestinian identity and symbolizes Palestinian historical narratives. It has been an effective instrument of mobilization that became the political priority of various resistance groups which later formed the Palestine Liberation Organization.

- The PLO embarked on a line of negotiation which sought to reconcile rightist and realist approaches. They sought acknowledgment by Israel of its responsibility for the refugee issue and acceptance in principle of their right of return while showing flexibility and readiness to discuss various formulations of return.

- At the core of the inter-Palestinian debate is the dynamic between the two objectives of achieving statehood and the resolution of the refugee issue. State-building came to be seen not only as a means of reconstructing Palestinian identity but also as a catalyst to resolution of the refugee issue.

- A peace agreement should widen the options for the refugees and address all aspects of the refugee issue including the rights of repatriation to Israel, return to a Palestinian state, compensation, and equality and full citizenship rights in countries where refugees choose to remain.

- A comprehensive peace agreement must include the regional aspects of the refugee issue and all regional actors.

- There is an urgent need to review the current format of negotiations and bring about more balanced and effective international political engagement in the bilateral Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Introduction

This paper gives a personal overview of the Palestinian refugee issue from a Palestinian perspective. It explores how the refugee issue evolved and came to be at the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It considers how statelessness has shaped the experience of Palestinian refugees for the last 60 years. It examines the politics of Palestinians' return to their homeland and the debate within the Palestinian movement between those who uphold international law with little attention to political realities - this may be termed the rightist approach - and those who adopt a more realistic and pragmatic approach when it comes to the implementation of international law - this may be termed the realist approach.(1) The paper examines the moral dilemma of negotiating the refugee issue, the difficulties that still hinder a political settlement and the possibility of finding a durable solution.

It has long been recognized by the international community that the Israeli occupation of territories captured in the 1967 war should cease and a Palestinian state should be established in the West Bank and Gaza (WBG). It is also recognized that a fair solution to the Palestinian refugee issue, based on established UN resolutions, remains an essential part of achieving a just and lasting peace to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

For Palestinians and Israelis alike, the refugee issue touches upon a deeply held historical narrative and thus remains one of the most difficult and sensitive issues in the quest for peace. Palestinian displacement is at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The majority of Palestinians have a deep sense of enforced exile which they see as unjust and contrary to the natural order of life. National identity among Palestinian refugees has been consolidated by the shared experience of 'refugeedom', exile and resistance to attempts to normalize this exiled status.