This semester I am working on a project that involves the
Palestinian refugee camps for the Jerusalem
Institute for Justice.
“Palestinian refugees”
are defined as “persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during
the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of
livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.[1]”
Here are a few questions we should ask before labeling
ourselves as “Anti-Israel” or “Anti-Palestine”:
1. What are the issues?
a. Is this conflict simply about land?
b. Does religion play a role?
2. How many Palestinians fled Israel in 1948?
3. How many Palestinian refugees are there today?
4. Do these refugees have a “right to return”?
a. If not, why?
b. If so, why?
5. Has there been injustice done by both sides?
6. Have any steps been taken to remedy this conflict?
a. Were those steps successful? If not, why?
7. What are some possible solutions?
a. What will be the short-term and
long-term effects of the proposed solutions?
Growing up in New York City, I’ve always heard lots of
Anti-Israel sentiment–including from the Jewish community, and lots of
Anti-Palestine sentiments. The one thing both groups had in common is they
consistently yelled out the atrocities being committed by the other party. All
of the shouting left me confused about my stance. In order to form my own
opinion, I needed to witness more than the mere pointing of fingers. Starting
with the questions above, this project has challenged me to form an informed
opinion for myself. When it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict we want “a
quick fix or at least a defined solution to the prejudice and pain we saw all
around us.”[2] However, this conflict is not simple,
nor are its solutions. I challenge you all to pray for the people living in the
Palestinian refugee camps.
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