Asian Studies
Contemporary Spanish Studies
Critical Inventions
Demographic Developments
First Nations & Colonial Encounter
Latin American Studies
Peace Politics in the Middle East
Religious Beliefs & Practices
Spanish History
Spirituality in Education

Peace Politics in the Middle East
The Palestinian Refugees
Old Problems – New Solutions

In the series:
Peace Politics in the Middle East

Edited by Joseph Ginat and Edward Perkins
Editor text to follow

Foreword by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan
Preface by David L. Boren, President of the University of Oklahoma

“The editors note that the refugee debate is polarised between the Palestinian/Arab view that all refugees should be allowed to return to their original homes inside Israel, and the Israeli view that no refugees should return to Israel. The editors and contributors argue the case for ‘realistic proposals for solving the refugee problem’, but most of the contributors endorse at least in principle Palestinian maximal demands for a right of return… Shlomo Gazit is willing to financially compensate the refugees, but opposes any return to Israel… Yoav Gelber argues insightfully that the respective Palestinians and Israeli arguments about solutions are based on totally different cultural assumptions. The Israelis favour resettlement, which is the traditional European approach to refugee populations, while the Arabs favour repatriation, which is the traditional pattern in the Middle East.” The Australian Jewish News

There has been little progress on the refugee problem because of official Palestinian public positions, other Arab countries’ approach to the “right of return” of all Palestinian refugees, and the contrasting Israeli public policy of not allowing any refugees to return to Israel. Such polar-opposite approaches can never resolve this difficult and longstanding humanitarian problem. By working collectively, the world’s leading experts from Arab countries, the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Europe and the United States have developed a chessboard of proposed solutions.

The volume in part reflects the polarization that exists on the issue, and in part moves away from the political slogans of both sides, toward concrete proposals for negotiating a comprehensive agreement. Topics include: the historical background; the “right of return”, repatriation, compensation, and resettlement; the Jordanian viewpoint and national identity; the economic capacity of the future Palestinian state to absorb the refugees; the Palestinian refugee problem in the eyes of the Palestinian and Israeli–Jewish publics; and final status negotiations.

Published in association with the University of Oklahoma Press

	List of Contents to follow

Publication Details