Regarding ŇRefugeesÓ
Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, Palestinians are the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own peoplesŐ lands.
Approximately 720,000 Arabs, frightened by the war, encouraged by some Israelis and by their own leaders to leave, fled from what is now Israel between April and December, 1948.
The Arab leaders promised them that they would soon be able to return following IsraelŐs destruction.
In some cases the Jews, including IsraelŐs first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, urged the Arabs to remain, promising that they would not be harmed.
Those who remained became full citizens of Israel (and, while they have certain limitations, even have representatives in IsraelŐs parliament, the Knesset).
Instead of integrating their Arab brothers into the mainstream of their societies, the Arab states kept them in squalid refugee camps and used them as political pawns in their fight against Israel.
In 1945 more than 870,000 Jews lived in Arab countries.
Many of their communities dated back 2,500 years.
Throughout 1947 and 1948 these Jews were persecuted; their property and belongings confiscated.
Anti-Jewish riots occurred in Aden, Egypt, Lybia, Syria, and Iraq, where Zionism was made a capital crime.
Approximately 600,000 Jews sought refuge in the State of Israel. They arrived destitute, but they were absorbed into the society and became an integral part of the state.
In effect, then, a veritable exchange of populations took place between Arab and Jewish refugees. Thus, while the Jewish refugees became full Israeli citizens, the Arab refugees remained ŇrefugeesÓ (pawns) according to the wishes of the Arab leaders.