via elderofziyon.blogspot.com
A couple of days ago, an outgoing UNRWA official said something that was actually useful, for once:
Andrew Whitley, due to soon leave his post as director of the United Nations Refugee and Works Agency’s New York office, told the National Council for US-Arab Relations’ annual conference that...Palestinians must start acknowledging that the refugees will almost certainly not be returning to Israel, so that they can improve their situation.
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| "Right to Return" mural in Al Assria Centre, Jabalia camp, Gaza Strip |
Andrew Whitley said that only a few Palestinians and UNRWA personnel were willing to discuss the issue publicly, but “the right of return is unlikely to be exercised to the territory of Israel to any significant or meaningful extent” (Jerusalem Post website, October 23, 2010).UNRWA says the opinion does not reflect the agency
....probably because opinion of the agency is so low....
85.8% of those polled are suspicious about how UNRWA teaches their kids about human rights;
87% say that teaching about human rights is like poisoning the kids' minds, and undermines the role of the Resistance;
79% think UNRWA is trying to normalize Arab relations with Israel;
70% demanded that UNRWA stop allowing kids to visit Western nations because it goes against their traditions;
80% think that mixing boys and girls in UNRWA programs cause social and ethical problems.
If one doesn’t start a discussion soon with the refugees for them to consider what their own future might be – for them to start debating their own role in the societies where they are rather than being left in a state of limbo where they are helpless but preserve rather the cruel illusions that perhaps they will return one day to their homes – then we are storing up trouble for ourselves. We recognize, as I think most do, although it’s not a position that we publicly articulate, that the right of return is unlikely to be exercised to the territory of Israel to any significant or meaningful extent. It’s not a politically palatable issue, it’s not one that UNRWA publicly advocates, but nevertheless it’s a known contour to the issue,” Whitely said.
– In an official announcement, UNRWA unequivocally distanced itself from the statements made Whitley, saying that “statements in no way reflect the policies or positions of the Agency and are the personal views of Mr. Whitley” (UNRWA website, November 1, 2010).
– Saeb Erekat, head of the PLO’s negotiating department, sent a letter to Robert Serry, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East, expressing the Palestinians’ “deep disappointment” with Whitely’s remarks. He said that the Palestinians would not waive their “right to return” to their homes and lands, and claimed that the “right” was anchored in international law and UN resolutions (Jerusalem Post, October 31, 2010).
via crethiplethi.com
According to a recent survey, more than 1,000,000 'Palestinians' would leave Judea, Samaria and Gaza, and move elsewhere, if they were allowed to do so.
The latest PSR poll asks Palestinian Arabs:Of course not. But read the whole thing.
Do current political, security, and economic conditions lead you to seek emigration abroad?
37% of Gazans, and 24% of West Bankers, say either that they "certainly seek to emigrate" or "seek to emigrate" from the territories.
That comes out to some 1.1 million Palestinian Arabs who do not want to stick around.
Now, imagine what would happen if they were free to emigrate to any Arab country they wanted. After all, the Arab League encourages its members to have liberal naturalization policies for Arabs from any Arab state - except Palestine.
The reason given by the Arab leaders for this explicitly discriminatory policy is that they are helping to preserve Palestinian Arab unity - by keeping them in a stateless limbo. But has anyone asked the Palestinian Arabs themselves what they want to do?
