Recognize the Palestinians’ Right to Return

The recognition of the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland is a make-or-break issue for the Camp David II summit. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will not and cannot concede on this point. This right to return has been enshrined in U.N. Resolution 194, which was approved by the U.N. General Assembly--including the sponsor of the present Camp David II talks, the U.S.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak will do well by agreeing from the start to this inalienable right. Such a recognition would allow the talks to move to the more practical issues of how to exercise this right: how many refugees, from which countries, under what circumstances, within what time frame, etc.

Barak, the Israeli people and the entire Jewish people should understand why the recognition of this right is essential for Palestinians. After 2,000 years of the Diaspora, the founders of the state of Israel felt it necessary to make a law legislating the right of every Jew around the world to the “right to return to Eretz Israel.” This Israeli law of return allows any person in the world with a Jewish mother to pack up and fly to Tel Aviv and become a citizen of Israel. Isn’t it equally important for individual Palestinians who were evicted from their homes 50 years ago and have been denied the right to return to exercise this undeniably basic human right?

Fifty-two years ago, when the state of Israel was created on the basis of a United Nations resolution, an entire people were made refugees. Four hundred Palestinian villages within the borders of today’s Israel were demolished and wiped from the map. Survivors of this catastrophe--called al Nakba by Palestinians--are dispersed in refugees camps in Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Others can be found scattered in the four corners of the world. Much discussion has been made about how many Palestinian refugees will indeed opt to return. In the end, the number of those who want to return is not as important as the need today for a clear and unambiguous recognition that every Palestinian who was forced to leave his land and home or who left during the period of war has the right to return. This means that Israel--not the U.S. or the international community--has to bear the consequences when the Palestinians’ right of return is exercised. While the U.S. and the international community might be willing to help Israel implement this right, it must be an Israeli moral and financial responsibility.

Such a recognition of the right to return by the leader of the state of Israel will be a major step in defusing the tension, hurt and anger that has festered among Palestinians for more than 50 years. Historic reconciliation between Israel and the Arabs cannot start before this important recognition of the wrong done to Palestinians. Recognition will necessarily need to be followed up by a willingness to make room for those wishing to return and to compensate those who prefer to stay where they are.

By recognizing the right of Palestinians to return, Israel will be admitting the injustice done to Palestinians. If this admission is followed by the courageous taking of responsibility for this historic wrong, we would certainly be on the road to real and genuine peace in the Middle East.