Refugees
During the 1948 war between Israel, the Palestinian Arabs, and the combined forces of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, over 700,000 Palestinians either fled or were expelled from their homes. They and their descendants claim an enduring “right of return” that would allow them to return to what is now Israel and reclaim these homes.
Articles
Israeli Perspectives on the Palestinian Refugee Issue
Orit Gal / Palestine-Israel Journal (2008/2009)
The sense of being overwhelmed, from an Israeli leadership standpoint, over the issue of Palestinian refugees stems from an inability to clearly define Israeli interests, the multiplicity of actors involved, and the high degree of uncertainty concerning consequential outcomes. Read More >
Addressing the Palestinian Refugee Problem
Shibley Telhami / The Brookings Institution (May 8, 2007)
In testimony to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Dr. Telhami articulates five central issues for the resolution of the Palestinian refugee problem. Read More >
The June 1967 War and the Palestinian Refugee Problem
Tom Segev / Journal of Palestine Studies (Spring 2007)
Excerpt from Segev's book on the 1967 war that focuses on the debates within Israel regarding the fate of the Palestinian refugees (particularly in Gaza) who came under Israeli control after the six day conflict. The article also explores official Israeli involvement in soliciting and crafting plans to provoke out-migration of Palestinians from Gaza. PDF >
The Refugee Problem at Taba
Akiva Eldar / Palestine-Israel Journal (Spring 2002)
Interview with Yossi Beilin and Nabil Sha'ath, the main Israeli and Palestinian negotiators at the Taba conference of January 2001, about the Palestinian refugee problem and progress achieved on the issue. Read More >
Audio and Video
Someone Like Me
UNRWA (2011)
Documentary providing a glimpse of life inside Burj Barajneh refugee camp, and the experience of being a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon. Watch Part 1 > (7:17) | Part 2 > (7:56) | Part 3 > (9:17)
Lifta
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly (2011)
"We are Jews. We don't have to save the Palestinian heritage," says Itzik Shweky of the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites. But an American Jew from Brooklyn says the abandoned Palestinian village of Lifta is important for Jews as well as Arabs. (8:41) Watch >
Exile Without End: Palestinians in Lebanon
CBC News (2011)
Portrait of Shatila, a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, that features an interactive, street-level interface allowing the user to follow personal stories from inside the one-square-kilometre camp. Read More >
Sands of Sorrow
Council for the Relief of Palestine Arab Refugees (1950)
American-made documentary from soon after the 1948 war showing the daily life, routines, and struggles of Palestinian refugees. (28:33) Watch >
Books
Compensation to Palestinian Refugees and the Search for Palestinian-Israeli Peace
Rex Brynen and Roula El-Rifai (Ed.) | Pluto Press (2013)
Book Review (AbeBooks) | CampusBooks
1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War
Benny Morris | Yale Pennsylvania Press (2008)
Book Review (The New York Times) | CampusBooks
Palestinian Refugees: Challenges of Repatriation and Development
Rex Brynen and Roula El-Rifai | I. B. Taurus (2007)
Book Review (IDRC) | CampusBooks
Landscape of Hope and Despair: Palestinian Refugee Camps
Julie Peteet | University of Pennsylvania Press (2005)
Book Review (The Middle East Quarterly) | CampusBooks
Official Documents
"Non-Paper": Israeli Private Response on Palestinian Refugees
January 23, 2001
Response from the Israeli negotiating team at Taba to the PLO's statement on refugees on January 22, 2001. Read More >
Palestinian Statement on Refugees
January 22, 2001
Position on refugees, in regard to a final status agreement, presented by the PLO negotiating team at Taba. Read More >
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194
December 11, 1948
Passed in the wake of the 1948 war, this resolution established a Conciliation Commission to facilitate peace between Israel and Arab states and includes articles on access to Jerusalem and its Holy Places, UN control of Jerusalem, and a proposed solution to the Palestinian refugee problem. Read More >
Public Opinion
Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No. 48
Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (June, 2013)
Includes statistics on Palestinian refugee public opinion, as well as Palestinian public opinion on questions related to the refugee issue. Read More >
Refugees' Preferences and Behavior in a Palestinian-Israeli Permanent Refugee Agreement
Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (January - June, 2003)
Poll conducted in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, and Lebanon showing Palestinian public opinion on refugees' socio-economic conditions, peace settlement issues, and expected refugee behavior under a specific peace solution and under various conditions of re-settlement. Read More >
Democratizing the Refugee Issue - Survey Results
IPCRI (August 16, 2001)
Opinions and views of Palestinian refugee issues from surveys conducted in refugee camps in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Read More >
Reports and Data Sources
UNRWA: Statistics
UNRWA (2014)
Up-to-date numbers of Palestinian refugees supported by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), including statistics for individual fields of operation. PDF >| For background on UNRWA, see: UNRWA (Reut Institute) >
UNRWA: Where UNRWA Works
UNRWA (2013)
Interactive map of locations in Gaza, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and the West Bank where UNRWA provides assistance, protection and advocacy for Palestinian refugees. Includes updated information and background on each refugee camp. Read More >
Palestinian & Jews from Arab Countries in U.S. Legislation: 101st‐112th Congresses
Americans for Peace Now (2012)
Comprehensive list of US legislation, from 1998 to 2012, pertaining to Palestinian and Jewish Mizrahi refugees, including relevant quotes from individual bills. PDF >
Implementing a Negotiated Settlement on the Palestinian Refugee Question: The International Dimensions
Chatham House (2012)
Outlines possible international contributions (and implications) to implementing a comprehensive solution to the refugee question based on wide consultations and reflection on existing technical preparatory activities. Read More >