'Palestinian refugees' still in camps-why after 70 years?

Have you ever asked yourself or wondered why after almost 70 years there are still “Palestinian” refugee camps? Have you ever wondered why there are still “Palestinian refugees”? I have asked myself the same questions. Apparently this one issue has been a constant stumbling block in finding a resolution to this horrific situation between the “Palestinians” and the Israeli government. So, I started to do a little research. It was easy using Google Chrome as my search engine, I was able to find a wealth of information.

To begin with, you have to go back to the beginning. Duh? Too often, researchers do not do that. They only go back as far as they deem necessary to make their point. Here’s what I found. The United Nations created a separate organization just for the “Palestinian” refugees. It is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency or UNRWA. The UNRWA was established in 1948 and began operation in 1950 for the sole benefit of the “Palestinian” refugees. In fact, it created the unique definition of a “Palestinian” refugee. It has contributed to the welfare and human development of four generations of “Palestine” refugees, defined as “persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.” The descendants of Palestine refugee males, including legally adopted children, are also eligible for registration. “ It should be noted that adoption is not approved under Sharia law.”

This new definition of a refugee totally contradicts International Law. Descendants of refugees are not to be considered refugees, but rather the citizens of the host countries where they live. This is based upon the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. This definition was never included when discussing the situation of non-Palestinian refugees who became refugees at the same exact period of time such as after World War II the German refugees, the Pakistani refugees, the Indian refugees, and the Chinese refugees whose totals far out number those of the “Palestinian” refugees. Interesting that only the “Palestinian” refugees have this unique definition of a “refugee” considering all of the millions of refugees that were created at the same time period. All of these people are no longer refugees after the same length of time of almost 70 years. Neither are they being supported by the United Nations as are the “Palestinian” refugees.

However, there are millions of other non-Palestinian refugees in the world today who are receiving assistance that is truly needed and deserved. These refugees fall under the jurisdiction of a different refugee agency set up by the United Nations—the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. UNHCR was established on Dec. 14,1950. This agency deals with many more millions of refugees, employs much fewer staff than UNRWA, and has a budget that is more realistic to the number of people being assisted.        

UNRWA services are available to all those living in its areas of operations who meet this definition of a “refugee,” who are registered with the agency and who need assistance. When the agency began operations in 1950, it was responding to the needs of about 750,000 Palestine refugees. Today, some 5 million-plus Palestinian refugees are eligible for UNRWA services as a result of the uniqueness of the term “Palestinian refugee” to include the “descendants of Palestine refugee males, including legally adopted children.” This number is highly suspect to begin with. First, only about 1/3 of all the so-called “refugees” live in the “ UNRWA sponsored refugee camps.” These camps are still located in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Gaza, the “West Bank” and East Jerusalem. Secondly, it is to the advantage of both the UNRWA and to the “refugee” family to falsify collected data. For instance, deaths may not be reported, family members may be exaggerated so the family will continue to get UNRWA assistance such as food and financial aid or extra assistance. These qualifications also include the 2/3 of the “Palestinian” refugees not living directly in these specified refugee camps. Talk about fraud !! These are U.S. tax dollars we are talking about. How much the United States pays to support the UNRWA is a tale of woe all into itself. The U.S. State Department should be chastised from North Carolina all the way to Oregon for allowing this to continue!

Let’s move ahead to the next flash point in the tale of woe for the “Palestinian” refugees. The war of 1967 after which, Israel had taken control of Judea-Samaria aka The West Bank. Prior to the “Six Day War” of 1967, those “Palestinians” living in Judea-Samaria were living in lands illegally annexed into Jordan. This annexation was never recognized by any world organization including the Arab League. This area was originally to be part of the new State of Palestine (Israel) under the United Nations Partition Plan. After 1967, the Israeli government recognized the problems within the crowded, slum-like living conditions that the “Palestinian” refugees were forced to live under the UNRWA  set up. The plan of the Israeli government was to remove the refugees from the horrid living conditions by providing them with good, new housing on their own plot of land, live in less crowded conditions with good infrastructure—roads, health care, water, sewer, electricity, etc. Then to tear down the old housing within the “camps” to create a less dense population, improve the infrastructure and improve the living conditions. A total of 10,000 Palestinian families were relocated into these new housing villages within the area of Judea-Samaria.

But wait. FOUL! cried the PLO. FOUL! cried the PA. FOUL! cried the UNRWA, and the loudest FOUL! was cried by the United Nations General Assembly. They immediately passed UNGA Resolution 31/15 on Nov. 11, 1976. Why? What was wrong? Well, apparently neither the PLO, the PA nor the UN wanted Israel to try to make a better life for the “Palestinian” refugees. Why? First, it was a conflict of interest for the PLO, PA and UN. By removing the “refugees” out of the designated “Refugee Camps” the “refugees would no longer qualify to be “refugees”; the PLO, and PA would lose hundreds of millions of dollars received through the UNRWA.

Noting that this did not sit well with many of the “Palestinians,” the United Nations went even further. They again passed another UNGA resolution 34/52 on Nov. 23, 1979. This time they stated that by removing the “refugees” from the UNRWA Refugee camps, Israel, by providing property for new housing, new homes, good infrastructure, etc., was violating the “Palestinian refugees inalienable right of return.” Of course the fact that there were millions of dollars at stake did not really matter. As a result, the previously relocated “refugee” families were forced to move back into the squalid refugee camps so that they could continue to be classified under UNRWA as refugees.

You see, once they moved out of the “refugee camps” into permanent housing outside the “refugee camps” they were no longer “refugees.” To prevent this from becoming a continuing problem for the PA, they threatened to kill anyone who would move out of the camps in to the new homes being offered by the Israeli government.

You see, the plight of the poor Palestinian refugees is really a well thought out scam to keep the proverbial pot boiling to the advantage of not the “Palestinian” refugees, but to the Muslims who don’t want a peaceful Middle East. Yet, the charade goes on and on and on.