Lecture Notes: Palestinian Refugee Crisis

Key Topics

• Historical overview of Palestinian refugees
• Arab countries' response to Palestinian refugees
• Political dynamics and conflicts involving Palestinian refugees

Introduction

• Speaker: Ken Laort
• Discusses the complexity of the Palestinian refugee crisis.
• Focus on history, Arab countries' response, and current situation in Gaza.

The Beginning of the Crisis

• 1948: Creation of Israel led to 700,000 Palestinians fleeing or being expelled (Nakba).
• Result: Formation of the largest and oldest refugee population, now almost 6 million.
• Arab Countries' Initial Response:
  • Temporary camps set up with expectation of short-term shelter.
  • Refugees not integrated; kept separate, with focus on return to Palestine.

Escalation of the Crisis

• 1967: Six-Day War led to 300,000 more Palestinians fleeing.
• Camps: Became permanent, overcrowded, UN-managed, political pawns.

Reception in Arab Countries

• Jordan: Granted citizenship, but experienced Black September (1970) due to tensions with Palestinian groups.
• Lebanon: Palestinians kept stateless, restricted in camps.
  • Civil war (1975-1990) partly fueled by Palestinian presence.
• Syria and Other Arab Nations: Similar reluctance to integrate Palestinian refugees.

Political and Military Implications

• PLO Emergence: From refugee communities; became a strong political and militant force.
• Arab Countries' Strategy: Using the refugee crisis as leverage against Israel.

Current Situation in Gaza

• Recent Conflicts: Hamas-Israel conflict displaces majority of Gaza residents.
• Arab States' Stance:
  • Egypt and Jordan refuse to accept refugees.
  • Security concerns about extremism and loss of political leverage.
• Palestinian Perspective: Reluctance to leave Gaza seen as surrendering homeland.

Moral and Practical Dilemmas

• Dilemma: Whether keeping Palestinians in Gaza is principled or inhumane.
• Criticism of Arab States: Using Palestinian suffering as a political weapon.

Conclusion

• The situation is complex; solutions remain elusive.