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 Although housing and property restitution,
in addition to return and compensation, is increasingly viewed as a
central component of durable solutions for refugees and displaced
persons, it has been largely absent from recent debate and
initiatives regarding the solution of the Palestinian refugee question.
Palestinian rights and claims to property taken by Israel in 1948 have
largely been examined as a matter requiring financial compensation,
although Palestinian refugees are outspoken in their demand for
restitution. The seminar aimed to clarify relevant
international law, review the scope of 1948 Palestinian refugee property
in Israel, the quality of available documentation, Israel’s
expropriation laws and policies, past Palestinian efforts at property
restitution and scenarios for property restitution in the current
Israeli context, examine lessons learned from comparative experience
with housing and property restitution, and develop a set of suggestions
to guide future efforts for the promotion of Palestinian refugees’ right
to housing and property restitution.
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