What is a refugee ?

The most common definition of a refugee is “a person who fled to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution”
Crisis in various parts of the world are “producing” people who fit into this category non stop and has been doing so constantly throughout the last century.

UNRWA’s, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, has a very different definition when it comes to Palestinian refugees as it also covers the descendants of persons who became refugees in 1948 regardless of whether they live in areas designated as refugee camps or in established, permanent communities. This is what we call a major exception to the normal definition.
We know that approximately 800.000 Arabs fled or were driven out from this area during the war in 1948. Non of them would have had to leave, but the leaders of the Arabs in the region decided not to accept the new born State of Israel and decided to go to war against it. They also encouraged people to leave their homes for as long as the war would last for and then to return when the Jews had been driven out.
The ones who decided to listen to these Arab leaders lost their homes while the ones who decided to stay are still living here. 60 years and some generations later the descendants of those who fled are still considered refugees……????? The reasons for that can best be described with Abba Eban’s words which stated that the Arabs of this region “never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”

As Israel was proclaimed a Jewish state persecution of Jews living in Arab countries was intensifying. Eventually it caused more than 850.000 Jews to flee. They had only one place to flee to and they arrived empty handed as they had to leave both property and belongings behind. Israel’s population is mainly made up from people who were forced to leave the countries in which they had lived for generations. This country can easily be considered as “one big refugee camp”. The number of Jews arriving Israel as refugees is much bigger than the ones who arrived for Zionistic reasons.
Once in Israel what was waiting for them was wars and hard work for them to have a place on earth to call home.

The greatest “blessing” on the Jewish refugees since arrival has been that nobody felt sorry for them. They knew that if they did not do anything to change their situation for the better there would be nobody there to do it for them……

Unfortunately the Arab refugees were not as “fortunate”. Arab hospitality was not practiced on them. They were not received as brothers by any of the surrounding Arab nations but were rather considered a threat. The Arab community consists of tribes and family clans which are not easy to break in to.
The reasons why there still is “a Palestinian refugee problem” has to do with the fact that they have been forced into self pity by the International community as well as by their religious leaders and are being educated to look back and not forward. They are used by Moslem leaders who are bothered by the fact that Muhammad has lost a stronghold in the Middle East.

Elin Elkouby.