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Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons
(IDPs) are one of the largest and longest-standing displaced populations
in the world today. Approximately
three-quarters of the Palestinian people are displaced.
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Displacement and Expulsion |
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The
majority of Palestinian refugees and IDPs were displaced during armed
conflict and the first Israeli-Arab war in Palestine. More than
750,000 Palestinians were displaced or expelled between late 1947 and
the first half of 1949. Of the roughly 150,000 Palestinians who remained
in that part of Palestine that became the state of Israel
on 15 May 1948 several tens of thousands were internally displaced.
Approximately 400,000 Palestinians were displaced, half for a second
time, during the 1967 Israeli-Arab war. A smaller number of
Palestinians were internally displaced during the war, including
Palestinians expelled from the Old City of Jerusalem. Subsequent
displacement and expulsion of refugees has continued in 1967 occupied
Palestine and in various countries of exile. Today it is estimated that
three-quarters of the Palestinian people are displaced. More than half
are displaced outside the borders of their historic homeland. |
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Denationalization and Dispossession |
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The majority of Palestinian refugees are from villages,
towns and cities inside 1948
Palestine/Israel. They were denationalized under Israel's 1952
Nationality Law and prevented from returning to their homes of origin.
Internally displaced Palestinians became citizens of Israel but were
also prevented from returning to their homes. The government of Israel expropriated land and
properties belonging to these refugees and IDPs to be held in perpetuity for
Jewish use.
The remaining
Palestinian refugees and IDPs are from 1967 occupied Palestine. A small number of refugees were permitted to return from Jordan in
September 1967 under a process facilitated by the Red Cross. All others
were prevented from returning to their homes of origin. Israel considers
Palestinians in 1967 occupied Palestine as resident aliens. Israel
has expropriated or controls for Jewish use approximately two-thirds of
Palestinian owned land in these territories. Before 1948
Palestinians owned more than ninety percent of the land in Palestine.
Today they own or have access to only ten percent.
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Refugee Rights, Participation
and Durable Solutions |
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More than five decades after their initial displacement/expulsion from
their homeland, Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons remain in forced exile. All refugees and displaced persons
have the right to return to their homes and repossess their properties. These rights are affirmed in international law. UN General Assembly
Resolution 194(III) and Security Council
Resolution 237 reaffirmed these rights for Palestinian
refugees and IDPs. Refugee participation in the search for
durable solutions strengthens democratic principles and structures,
lends greater legitimacy to an agreement, and contributes to its
long-term durability.
Israel refuses to allow the
refugees displaced in 1948 to return due to their ethnic, national and
religious origins. Military occupation of the West Bank, eastern
Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip prevents the return of refugees displaced
in 1967 and after. The international community has not exerted
sufficient political will to advance durable solutions for Palestinian
refugees and IDPs that are consistent with international law and
relevant UN resolutions. Refugee rights have therefore been absent from the recent
Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking process that began in Madrid in the
early 1990s and continues until today. Refugees and IDPs themselves have also been excluded from the search for
durable solutions.
Related BADIL Publications:
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