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The Palestinian refugees: right vs reality

By Alon Ben-Meir - posted Monday, 20 August 2018


During this period, by every account Israel became a global power, not only because of its reported possession of nuclear weapons, but because it became a technological giant with a powerful economy, and unprecedented advancement in just about every sphere of life-in science, agronomy, chemistry, military technology, medical breakthroughs, ocean and space exploration, and so on.

I maintain that Palestinians are as creative, as capable, and as resourceful as the Israelis are, and can realize all they aspire for. But why then 70 years later, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are still languishing in refugee camps, living on handouts, and millions of others are poor and despairing? Is it because they are inferior to the Israelis? The answer is categorically NO.

The reason is that while Israel was focusing on building a nation and fighting its enemies on all fronts, the Palestinian leaders were focusing on destroying it. They have betrayed their people by perpetuating the refugee problem for personal political gains while depriving them of every opportunity to utilize their talents, creativity, and resourcefulness to become leaders in their own right in every profession.

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Tens of thousands of Palestinians who left the miserable conditions in Palestine and studied abroad achieved tremendous success in the field of their choice, and are making significant contributions to every institution they are associated with.

There was no occupation before 1967, and not a single Israeli settlement was built in the West Bank or Gaza. The Palestinians leaders had every opportunity to realize statehood, even for many years following the 1967 war. But they misled their people to believe that their salvation rests on Israel's destruction, rather than on building the infrastructure of an independent state that could flourish and grow, which would have also convinced the Israelis that they want to live side-by-side their state in peace.

Instead, they incessantly engaged in misleading, old, and tired public narratives about the right of return. They offer their people excuses to justify their dismal failures instead of focusing on building the infrastructure of a viable state and providing opportunities for economic development, and building schools, medical, scientific, technological, and social institutions.

Hamas in Gaza provides a glaring example of how corrupt and badly misguided leaders continue to waste hundreds of millions of dollars on building tunnels and procuring and manufacturing weapons, while the people, young and old, are despairing and destitute.

While believing that the day of Israel's destruction is near, in the processes they are destroying the social fabric of their own communities, from which they will not recover as long as they continue to hold onto this pipedream.

The prospect of a two-state solution remains the only practical option, based on the 1967 line with significant land swaps. There is nothing new about this solution, but it takes enlightened Palestinian and Israeli leaders to abandon the dark alley of the past, muster the courage, and accept the inevitability of coexistence.

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Sadly, such leaders are currently absent from the political scene, and time is running out.

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About the Author

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.

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