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Mufri o f Jerusalem, Haj Amin ei–
Husseini , was one of che primary in–
srigarors of rhar " temporary evnc–
uarion" policy. His main objecrivc
was ro clear che way for advancing
Arab columns. Supposedly rhe Arabs
were ro rerurn ro rheir homes in che
wake of the vicrorious Arab armies
and obrain rheir share of abandoned
Jewish properries.
The result of chis unforrunare pol–
icy was che birrh of one of che mosr
agonizing headaches che Middle Easc
has ever seen - che Palescinian refu–
gee
mess.
How Many Refugees?
The estimares of how many refu–
gees were involved have varied from
abouc 500,000 ro 1,300,000, depend–
ing on who compiled che scatistics.
From che oucser, che U
ni
red Na–
rions Relief and Works Agency
(UNRW A) was unable ro separare
che
genuinely
displaced refugees from
rhose who simply wished ro benefic
from relief operarions. And rhere was
no shorrage of candidares - che local
unemployed, che poverry-srricken, in–
digenous population, and che
nomadic Bcdouin. According co che
UNRW A review series (September
1962), "Relief agencies were con–
fronced wirh che problem of false and
duplicare regisrrations from rhe very
inceprion of rheir operations."
In June 1966, giving che number
of refugees as 1,317,749, UNRWA
empbasized: "The above srarisrics are
based on the agency's regiscrarion
records which do nor necessarily re–
Aecc the actual refugee popularion
owing ro factors such as che high rare
of unreported deaths and underected
false regisrration."
The sracisrical discrepancy is fur–
ther poinred up by UNRW A which
esrimared thar che proporcion of ineli–
gibles drawing rations may be as high
as one third co one haJf in sorne hose
councries (89th Hearing Foreign As–
siscance Acc of 1965, page 192).
In 1949 che Economic Survey Mis–
sion ser up by che Conciliarion Com–
mission of che
U.
N. puc che figure
22
ar 718,000. Orher estimares were
500,000 and 600,000.
Dr. Walrer Pinner, in his book
The
Legend ofthe Arab Refugees,
concludes
rhar refugees, according ro rhe official
U. N . definirion, currenrly number no
more rhan 50,000 in Lebanon, 75,000
in Samaria, J udea and T ransjordan,
125,000 in Gaza, and 2,000 in Syria.
The difference berween these fig–
ures and UNRW A sracisrics is ex–
plained by 466,000 self-appoinred ref–
ugees - 15,000 from villages in che
viciniry of che now defuncr Israei-Jor-
THE BALFOUR
DECLARATION
On Novembec
2,
1917, Lord Bal–
fou r , rhcn Bricain's Secrecary of
State for Forcign
Alfairs,
published
a scaccmcnr on poücy
in
the form
of a letrer to Baron Rorhschild. lt
statcd:
..His Majesry·s Govcrnmenr view
witb favour che establishment in
Palestinc of a national home for the
Jewish people, and will use cbcir
bese cndeavours ro facilirate the
achievemen t of chis objecr, it beiog
clearly undcrstood cbat nothing sha ll
be done which may prejudice the
civil and religious rights of existing
non-Jcwish communitics in Pales–
tinc, or tbe righrs and policical Status
enjoycd by Jews in any other
country:·
dan armistice lines, 177,000 unrc–
corded deaths, 109,000 ex-refugees re–
sercled in 1948, and 225,000 ex–
refugees who have become self-sup–
poning since 1948.
Jews and
ARABS
Migrated
ro Palestine
Ir is rhe general assumpcion char all
immigrancs co Palestine in che 1900's
were Jews, buc according ro che
En–
cyclopaedia Britamúca
(1911), chere
were 400,000 inhabitants in Palesrine
on boch banks of che Jordan River.
Given che exrremely high birrh
cate among Arabs, chis popularion
would have doubled from 320,000 ro
640,000 by L946. In reading che vari-
ous repons on rhe census, however,
one norices rhar chere were 1,600,000
Arabs on borh banks of che Jordan
River in 1948. The obvious conclu–
sion is char many thousands of Arabs
in Palesrine in 1947 had immigrared
ro che arca from neighboring coun–
tries berween che years 1911-1947.
The motive for Arab immigrarion
can be amibured ro rhe constant flow
of Jewish capi tal and know-how imo
Palestine.
Wby Refugees?
lt is che general assumpcion rhar
che "poor and miserable rcfugees, vic–
rims of che Zioniscs," are all crowded
inco cenes, helpless and unable ro care
for themselves. Sur che rrurh of che
marcer is far removed from rhese false
assumprions and from groundless
propaganda.
Many Palesrinians have emigrared
ro other cou ntries around che world
and have become successfuJ and pro–
ductive cirizens. Sorne have been ap·
pointed ro cabiner poses in che Arab
governmencs. There are also Palesrin–
ians
in
che Israelí governmenr, such as
che Depucy Minister of Health, Abdel
Aziz Zuibi, a prominent Moslem
Arab from Nazarerh. The Depury
Speaker of rhe Knesser is anochcr ex–
ampJe of a responsible Arab who
scrives co build rather rhan desrroy. A
rotal of six Palescinian Arabs are in
che Knesser (Parliamem of Israel).
There are cens of rhousands of Pales–
cinians in Kuwaic, Lebanon, Jordan,
Egypt, Sourh America, che Unired
Scaces, etc. Manr hold advanced de–
grees in such fields as medicine, engi–
neering, t(-aching, and che sciences.
The Palestinians now living in
wretched camps are there because of
one of rwo reasons, or borh:
l.
They like it
in
che camps.
2. The Arab governments deliber–
ately keep rhem rhere.
It
may sound srrange ro say many
refugees are happy and contenr in
camps, but l can accesr co chis facr,
having talkcd ro hundreds of Palesrin–
ians from many walks of life, having
visited many refugee camps, and hav-
PLAIN TRUTH July 1972