Since the rebirth of the Jewish State, there has been a plethora of paltering emanating from those whose purpose and goal it is to deny the Jewish people their homeland. One of the greatest falsehoods is that of the ‘palestinian’ refugees and their ‘right of return’.

Misrepresentation of the Palestinian refugee phenomenon is meant to delegitimize Israel and to claim "right of return" as a way to destroy Israel.

Let’s look at some of the REAL facts concerning the ‘refugees’…

First, thousands of wealthy Arabs left in anticipation of a war, thousands more responded to Arab leaders’ calls to get out of the way of the advancing armies, but most simply fled to avoid being caught in the cross fire of a battle.

Israel did NOT exile them and create refugees.

Second, if the Arabs accepted the 1947 UN resolution, not a single Palestinian would have become a refugee. An independent Arab state would now exist beside Israel. The responsibility for the refugee problem rests with the Arabs. AND, 90% of the inhabitants of Jordan are so-called palestinians. Jordan won’t allow them to become citizens. The other Arab countries use these people as a battering ram against Israel…but none of their brethren will help them or allow them to become citizens of their nations. Nothing like brotherly love…

Jonathan Schanzer, of the US-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, has reportedly found that the number of people still living who were actually displaced during Israel’s War of Independence stands at only 30,000.

But the overwhelmingly ‘Palestinian’ staffed UNRWA (United Nations Relief Works Agency), the faction responsible for providing “assistance, protection and advocacy” exclusively for the ‘ Palestinian’ Arab refugees arrives at the number of 5 million “registered Palestine refugees” living in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, Samaria and Judea.

Interestingly enough, UNRWA has a budget of $1.2 billion. The US is the largest single donor, giving about $280 million to the agency yearly.

Here are some interesting facts about UNRWA:

  • US tax dollars given to UNRWA to be used to pay their staff, ended up in the coffers of Hamas (Oopsie!)
  • The agency has done nothing to promote creative resolutions to the ‘ Palestinian refugee’ problem. Instead, it has done everything possible to support the ‘ Palestinians’ “right of return” aspirations. The agency has fermented a policy that seeks to maintain the ‘Palestinians’ refugee status. (Gee, could the $1.2 billion have anything to do with that? Nah.)
  • Certain members of UNRWA’s teaching staff actually carry out jihadist activities themselves. Awad al-Qiq, a respected science teacher and deputy headmaster at the Rafah Prep Boys School run by UNRWA in Gaza. Al-Qiq, who taught at UNRWA schools for eight years, worked by night as a leader of a rocket engineering squad for Islamic Jihad. (Terrorist version of the Nutty Professor? Hmm)

Back to the ‘refugee’ problem…

The ‘right of return’ is false and is simply: A battering ram the Arab/Muslim world hopes will finally destroy the Jewish State evermore. But does Israel owe these people a return to Israel? Harvard Law Prof. Alan Dershowitz explains why Israel doesn’t need to open its doors to Arabs who fled in 1948:

“The “right of return” is a claim made by the Arab nations that Arab residents of Israel who were driven out of their homes in the course of the 1948 Independence War should be allowed to return. But as Michell G. Bard in his work Myths & Facts documents, many Arabs left by choice preferring to adhere to promises of the invading Arab armies that if they evacuated their homes, they would return after the war to their own homes as well as those of their Jewish neighbors.”

One refugee quoted in the Jordan newspaper, Ad Difaa (September 6, 1954), said: “The Arab government told us: Get out so that we can get in. So we got out, but they did not get in.”

The interminable number claimed by UNRWA is seen as counterfeit by the US Representatives as well. The US Senate Appropriations Committee has approved an critical amendment to a bill, which was proposed by Republican Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois. The amendment would change the definition of “Palestinian refugee” so the number of people now given that status would shrink from about 5 million to about 30,000. Kudos to Sen. Kirk…that took righteous chutzpah…

Just imagine for a moment…what would happen to Israel if the false number of ‘refugees’ were allowed into Israel? Columnist Gil Ronen gives a perfect illustration, “The readmission of the refugees would be the equivalent to the admission to the U.S. of nearly 70,000,000 sworn enemies of the nation.”

Indeed, Gil…that’s the idea. The Arab/Muslim nations have never wanted the Jewish State. They have…and still do…make that unequivocal. It’s time for Israel’s closest ally (the American people, not the administration) to stand up. Sen. Kirk is in the vanguard. Who will stand with him?

May we each say “I will!”

Shalom through strength…