The Israeli Initiative: Solve the Palestinian refugee problem

To me, the only way to solve the refugee problem is to allow only those residents who actually lived in Israel at one point to return. This number is relatively small (a few hundred thousand) and old (at least 60). A "right of return" can only be offered to those who themselves once lived in Israel -- not their descendants. This symbolic gesture on Israel's part would technically allow for anyone who actually lived in Israel to return while preserving the Jewish character of Israel.

This article proposes the most obvious, rational solution to the Palestinian problem. The Arabs, obviously, should have done it years ago. However, the UN has been hijacked by the anti-Israel brigade, so expecting a UN body to do anything sensible is probably also a waste of time. If it is feasible at all, the best way might be for Israel to do it bilaterally with potential host countries.

What you suggest is highly ethical, practical and in the best interests of the Palestinians, Israel and the entire middle east. Unfortunately no one is going for it as it takes away the excuse for further conflict. The Palestinaians after all are merely pawns used by the Muslim world to continue the conflict. They will then need another excuse to continue the fight. the greatest victims of this human disaster are the Palestinians and Israelis aren't even a close second in comparison to the poverty of the soul, spirit and the wallet. good luck getting this to happen.

a few billion $ from the USA?

what else is new

sorry we are bankrupt,and most certainly no country wants the kind of people you have described

The solution to the refugee problem is simple. Give them title to all the land that was seized from Jews in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, etc.

I basically agree with everything said here as a presciption for today's situation. But, what of what has not been said?

The historical lynchpin of this essay is: "The refugees have been indoctrinated with the false hope of reclaiming the land that their forefathers abandoned before the War of Independence."

This is a very powerful, and truthful statement, but it is not the full truth. To get closer to the full truth requires acknowledgement of the many who were FORCED off of their land and out of their homes, as well as those who were killed for refusing to leave.

I would like to see the writer, who I believe has the correct prescription for today's situation, offer his thoughts in the framework of un-whitewashed history.

Since when has basic human decency ever played a role in regional politics. The only prevalent interest is the maintenance of the world view holding of Israel's illegitamacy and lack of right of existence. Otherwise the refugee problem would have been solved 40 or 50 years ago. By maintaining the refugees in the camps, mqthe pressure on Israel to disappear is also maintained.

The UNRWA is the original black hole,with one exception, black holes have laws governing there existence the UNRWA has none, 670,000 ( how many are alive today?) could possibly have claim to live in another country the No's today? impossible.There are brothers in the area that have hundreds of thousands of square miles of land that is in better condition than Israel was in 1948, give them a country and see how many take up the offer, unfortunately work is not a word in the Arab language,but intimidation is.

assuring their absorption into the country most compatible for them:

And which country is that?

i am a palestinian, live in usafor 18 years. i agree with the Rabbi that solving the refugees issues will be neccessarty to defeat extremism.

i solute the Rabbi for his courage in calling on to solve this major issure.

go for it Sir

i sloute the Rabbi for his courage in facing one of the delimas in the palestinan cause

Why isn't MK Elon Prime Minister already?

I agree whole heartedly with your assessment. The problem is and is also the reason why so many boycotts are being pushed in the UK is that the issue is being presented as one created by a previous British Government in 1917 and therefore the responsibility of the British people to bully Israel in to concessions that would jeopardize its very existence. This in order to solve the consciences of the British people.

I basically agree with everything said here as a presciption for today's situation. But, what of what has not been said?

The historical lynchpin of this essay is: "The refugees have been indoctrinated with the false hope of reclaiming the land that their forefathers abandoned before the War of Independence."

This is a very powerful, and truthful statement, but it is not the full truth. To get closer to the full truth requires acknowledgement of the many who were FORCED off of their land and out of their homes, as well as those who were killed for refusing to leave.

I would like to see the writer, who I believe has the correct prescription for today's situation, offer his thoughts in the framework of un-whitewashed history.

You are right the Arab refugee problem is the core of the Middle East problems. It still exist because it is a political card by Arab states refusing to absorb their brothers the way Israel absorbed the Jews from Arab land in greater numbers. This exist because Arabs control a major block at the UN. All refugees should have one organization and be absorbed in countries with the same language, the same religion, the same food, their brothers.

Reform the UN or dissolve it.

You are right the Arab refugee problem is the core of the Middle East problems. It still exist because it is a political card by Arab states refusing to absorb their brothers the way Israel absorbed the Jews from Arab land in greater numbers. This exist because Arabs control a major block at the UN. All refugees should have one organization and be absorbed in countries with the same language, the same religion, the same food, their brothers.

Reform the UN or dissolve it.

Thank you Rabbi Elon for one of the few promising ideas in a world of violent solutions . promising and ethical.

This is a very valid and important point. You are right saying that this is a great injustice. Palestinians need to see that Israelis are concerned when things are not fair, and are willing to provide solution.

This seems like sound thinking!

The Benny Elon Peace Plan is even better.

It makes sense to suggest 'the total dissolution of UNRWA'. This organisation has made an industry out of keeping the Palestinians as dependent refugees. Without UNWRA, out of sheer necessity, the Palestinians might have built up trade and industry and eventually emerged from their cargo-cult mentality of unproductivity and waiting for Israel's destruction.

It is time for courageous and honest people to face the realities of the refugee situation. On the Israeli side Rabbi Elon and Avram Burg appear to have the strength to engage seriously, who will enter this conversation on behalf of the Palestinians?

The insidious role of UNRWA and the U.N. in perpetuating the Palestinian refugee problem is apparent to anyone who understands how every other refugee problem and situation is defined differently by the U.N. than the Palestinian one. The U.N. counts all descendants of any Palestinian refugee as a refugee. And this when in all other cases those counted as refugees are only first generation. This is the clearest indicator of the fact that the U.N. never wanted to solve the problem, but rather worked to perpetuate it in the hope of eventually undermining Israel.

Elon is right in seeing this as a core issue. The question is whether he can ever convince major leaders and countries to adopt and implement his vision.

Stick to God rabbi. In this world it's all about how to make the dispossession work and you'll need every connection you can manage to excuse it.

This is a well written, viable solution to the refugee problem. Too bad the NY Times and WP couldn't have placed it next to the recently published Hamas piece. Much of the payment for the resetlement of the refugees should come from Egypt and the other Arab countries that invaded Israel in 1948 that actually created this problem. Also, the Saudis should use a fraction of their trillions in petro dollars that they now currently use to fund Hamas, Fatah and others to instead solve this problem.

Great idea. Let the world pay, and help Israel grab the remnants of the Palestian's territory for free.

Very clever indeed.

ok. $100k to $250k each, let's see here, that makes $400k to $1m per family of four! I can hear the arms dealers laughing now! With all the funding palestinians received over the years, gaza and the west bank are still two of the largest self created slums in the world.

This is an ethical, rational, and respectful way to resolve the refugee issue.

The rabbi,s solution is correct. One of the reasons for the ongoing refugee problem unlike the resolution of other post ww2 refugee situations(India-Pakistan, ethnic Germans expelled from the Ukraine and Poland,Jews from arab lands fleeing to Israel) is the desire of the arab nations for their own political reasons to keep their arab brothers as showcase victims. It is time to free the grandchildren of the "Palestinian" refugees.

Israel has its share of the blame, not for 1948, but for its inaction. Israel should never have allowed these idiots in land they controlled. Israel held Sinai for 20 years, and never tried to settle refugees there (and outside Israel proper). Held Gaza for 39 years and let the UN run these camps, instead of establishing villages and shutting down the camps.

The camps in Lebanon are in an area that Israel occupied for 18 years. The camps in Judea and Samaria were under Israeli control for a while. The PA should not have been established without breaking up the camps.

Israel should prohibit UNRWA from operating under its jurisdiction, and if Lebanon fires up again, reoccupy southern Lebanon with two goals, ended the camps and settling refugees there.

The right and desire for Jews to settle the land doesn't prevent Israel from rearranging property rights and locations in areas under military control to shut down the UNRWA camps. Let the world whine, but you shouldn't have let this get this bad and shouldn't let it get worse.

Something's missing here. What gives Israel the right to exercise eminent domain over the occupied territories? Are Israelis really so unaware of their own privilege that they can't see through this?

The core issue is the Palestinian and Arab acceptance of the very existence of a Jewish-majority state.The refugee issue is secondary to it. So is Jerusalem and the borders. It's for the Arabs to decide - peace or war.

22 ARAB COUNTRIES KEPT PALESTINIANS IN CAMPS DURING 59 YEARS. THEY HAVE THE MONEY TO RESETTLE THEM IN THEIR COUNTRIES.ISRAEL SHOUDN'T AND CANNOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM THE 300 MILLION ARABS CAN AND SHOULD. LEAH

How can you hope to build a national consensus for real solutions to the problem when even the Likud is married to to the failed policies of Camp David, Oslo, Wye and the rest?

In order to resettle the refugees, there must be some willingness to do so by the Arabs. That implies an acceptance by them of some degree of responsibility for having created the problem in the first place, which requires a fundamental change in their condescending attitude towards Infidels and their political rights. Of course, when kosher pigs fly is when we'll see them truly accept the dhimmi state and resettle the refugees.

What the Arabs need is an ultimatun: Tear down those camps! If they refuse, we should send in the bulldozers.

I would gladly do a payroll deduction for a program such as this like we commonly do here in the US for the United Way and March of Dimes. A few dollars a paycheck to help stop the exploitation of Palestinians for political purposes would be well worth it. In Portland, Maine, they even invited Sudanese Refugees to come and liver here and provided jobs and housing for the transition.

Something's missing here. What gives Israel the right to exercise eminent domain over the occupied territories? Are Israelis really so unaware of their own privilege that they can't see through this?

To # 1

Your post is rather confusing.For

Palestinians to have the right of return they must have been born in what is now Israel.Jews,by the same token have no such restriction .They can return even though there is no proof they were displaced 2,000 years ago.

There are so many errors in this article that its hard to know where to start!

First, refugees aren't "interned" in refugee camps--they are free to move out of them, and other than in Gaza (due to space) and Lebanon (due to instability), most have. As several studies have shown, in Jordan, Syria, and the West Bank refugees have a standard of living equivalent to that of non-refugees. The camps have become low-income housing areas for poorer refugees--there's not really any point in demolishing them, since you would only have to rebuild the housing (which would be very expensive).

Second, the differences between UNHCR and UNRWA are overblown (and indeed, many Palestinian refugees, not in UNRWA's area of operations, DO fall under UNHCR). Furthermore, UNHCR's preferred solution to refugee issues is post-conflict return to homeland (as in Mozambique, Angola, Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, etc), not "rehabilitation" in place or third country resettlement. Is UNHCR-style return the model that Elon prefers? That would be a surprise!

Third, given a choice, most refugees would prefer to return to Palestine--not accept visas for elsewhere. Third countries aren't going to absorb the descendants of refugees that were forcibly displaced by Israel in 1948 in any case--especially when the international community believes that they should be free to return to an eventual Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.

Of course, even the Palestinian leadership accepts that there won't be large-scale refugee return to Israel, and hence (in practice) would absorb most refugees in a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. This was the thrust of the Clinton Parameters (2000), the Taba negotiations (2001), and the unofficial Geneva Accords. Indeed, the PA has already undertaken considerable absorption planning for this eventuality.

In contrast to Rabbi Elon's remarkably misinformed comments, Jonathan (#1) does propose something rather practical. The idea of limiting return to first generation refugees was in fact raised by the Israeli side at the 2001 Taba negotiations, but not pursued by the Palestinians (a mistakeon their part, I think).

Finally, its a bid odd to be that Israelis--who built a Jewish state on the basis of millennia of yearning for a return from diaspora to homeland--fail to understand that the Palestinian diaspora too is deeply attached to Palestine.

This is a well written, viable solution to the refugee problem. Too bad the NY Times and WP couldn't have placed it next to the recently published Hamas piece. Much of the payment for the resetlement of the refugees should come from Egypt and the other Arab countries that invaded Israel in 1948 that actually created this problem. Also, the Saudis should use a fraction of their trillions in petro dollars that they now currently use to fund Hamas, Fatah and others to instead solve this problem.

Let's put some real-dollar sense to this good idea. Assume that there are roughly 4.4 million Palestinian "refugees", 1.4 million of whom live in Gaza. UNWRA's annual budget is roughly $440 million (or $100 per person).

Now assume that Hamas, or the rest of the world, decides to declare Gaza a state on its own, that would leave about 3 million refugees who need a permanent home — ironcially, the same number of "refugees" absorbed by Israel from 1948 through 2006. Now, the countries that gave up/lost/pushed out their Jews can take in the remaining Palestinians. Those countries can be responsible to welcome the same number of people who left. The Palestinians can apply to immigrate to any number of countries — including Gaza — because the list of countries that have discarded their Jews is long.

How to finance this? Let's face it: $100,000 to $200,000 per family would total tens of billions of dollars, hardly an amount sitting in any country's petty cash box.

Presently, the Israeli sal klita absorption basket for new immigrants comes to about $20,000 for a family of 6, spread out over about 8 months. This money is used to pay rent, buy food, receive health care, and attend lanugage classes. The idea is that by the time the money runs out, there is hope of getting some sort of job and being self-sufficient.

If the UNWRA budget is reallocated for a similar absorbtion package to help host countries take in Palestianian refugees, then each host country could receive $20,000 to help absorb each refugee family of 6. Spread out over 3 years, there would be little added cost to UNWRA.

The balance can go to help the Gazans connect their water and power and other vital services to Egypt. The Gazans will no longer feel "occupied" as they will be totally free to determine their own affairs, and Israel will be free to defend its citizens and its borders as it should.

Mixed Israeli / Palestinian families could win in this situation as well because the Palestinian spouse could have citizenship elsewhere but gain permanent resident status in Israel.

We must move in this direction. It's becoming more clear that Hamas has given the world the 2-state solution. Now it's just a question of where the Palestinians outside Gaza will be hanging their hats and which flag will be waving from their home.

Let's put some real-dollar sense to this good idea. Assume that there are roughly 4.4 million Palestinian "refugees", 1.4 million of whom live in Gaza. UNWRA's annual budget is roughly $440 million (or $100 per person).

Now assume that Hamas, or the rest of the world, decides to declare Gaza a state on its own, that would leave about 3 million refugees who need a permanent home — ironcially, the same number of "refugees" absorbed by Israel from 1948 through 2006. Now, the countries that gave up/lost/pushed out their Jews can take in the remaining Palestinians. Those countries can be responsible to welcome the same number of people who left. The Palestinians can apply to immigrate to any number of countries — including Gaza — because the list of countries that have discarded their Jews is long.

How to finance this? Let's face it: $100,000 to $200,000 per family would total tens of billions of dollars, hardly an amount sitting in any country's petty cash box.

Presently, the Israeli sal klita absorption basket for new immigrants comes to about $20,000 for a family of 6, spread out over about 8 months. This money is used to pay rent, buy food, receive health care, and attend lanugage classes. The idea is that by the time the money runs out, there is hope of getting some sort of job and being self-sufficient.

If the UNWRA budget is reallocated for a similar absorbtion package to help host countries take in Palestianian refugees, then each host country could receive $20,000 to help absorb each refugee family of 6. Spread out over 3 years, there would be little added cost to UNWRA.

The balance can go to help the Gazans connect their water and power and other vital services to Egypt. The Gazans will no longer feel "occupied" as they will be totally free to determine their own affairs, and Israel will be free to defend its citizens and its borders as it should.

Mixed Israeli / Palestinian families could win in this situation as well because the Palestinian spouse could have citizenship elsewhere but gain permanent resident status in Israel.

We must move in this direction. It's becoming more clear that Hamas has given the world the 2-state solution. Now it's just a question of where the Palestinians outside Gaza will be hanging their hats and which flag will be waving from their home.

Let's put some real-dollar sense to this good idea. Assume that there are roughly 4.4 million Palestinian "refugees", 1.4 million of whom live in Gaza. UNWRA's annual budget is roughly $440 million (or $100 per person).

Now assume that Hamas, or the rest of the world, decides to declare Gaza a state on its own, that would leave about 3 million refugees who need a permanent home — ironcially, the same number of "refugees" absorbed by Israel from 1948 through 2006. Now, the countries that gave up/lost/pushed out their Jews can take in the remaining Palestinians. Those countries can be responsible to welcome the same number of people who left. The Palestinians can apply to immigrate to any number of countries — including Gaza — because the list of countries that have discarded their Jews is long.

How to finance this? Let's face it: $100,000 to $200,000 per family would total tens of billions of dollars, hardly an amount sitting in any country's petty cash box.

Presently, the Israeli sal klita absorption basket for new immigrants comes to about $20,000 for a family of 6, spread out over about 8 months. This money is used to pay rent, buy food, receive health care, and attend lanugage classes. The idea is that by the time the money runs out, there is hope of getting some sort of job and being self-sufficient.

If the UNWRA budget is reallocated for a similar absorbtion package to help host countries take in Palestianian refugees, then each host country could receive $20,000 to help absorb each refugee family of 6. Spread out over 3 years, there would be little added cost to UNWRA.

The balance can go to help the Gazans connect their water and power and other vital services to Egypt. The Gazans will no longer feel "occupied" as they will be totally free to determine their own affairs, and Israel will be free to defend its citizens and its borders as it should.

Mixed Israeli / Palestinian families could win in this situation as well because the Palestinian spouse could have citizenship elsewhere but gain permanent resident status in Israel.

We must move in this direction. It's becoming more clear that Hamas has given the world the 2-state solution. Now it's just a question of where the Palestinians outside Gaza will be hanging their hats and which flag will be waving from their home.

Right on. If the UN had not created a special agency for the Palestinians who mainly left the part of Palestine granted the Jews by their own volition egged on by the Arab invaders, there would be no refugees used by Arabs to perpetuate their hate of Israel. One added point. Arab armies invaded Israel after it was created by the UN without provocation by Israel which had accepted the Partition. It is normal in international relations that the fate of such refugees are the responsibility of the aggressor nations. That's why German refugees from the lost East German lands became the responsibility of post-war Germany. That's my the 2 1/2 million Sudeten Germans driven out of Czechoslovakia became the responsibility of post-war Germany. Therefore the refugee problem is the responsibility of the countries who invaded Israel in 1948.

Finally we are getting to the root of the problem. Thank you Rabbi. One added point. Arab armies waged a war of aggression in 1948 against Israel which had accepted the Partition. Most of the 600,000 refugees left the war zones on their own egged on by the Arab invaders. When someone wages a war of aggression, it is normal that the defeated aggressors become responsible for the refugees resulting from the war. Thus, Germany became responsible and accepted that responsibility for the 10 million Germans driven out Eastern Germany. Thus, Germay became responsible for the 2.5 million Sudeten Germans driven out of Czechoslovakia after the Nazi aggression was defeated. It is time that the Arab invaders accept their legal responsibility and help these victims of their aggression. They are swimming in oil profits so they could do it without any sacrifice.

Rafael #45- The only problem with your rationale is that instead of Germany taking on the responsibility for the WWII Jewish refugee situation, the Palestinians were made responsible for solving it. But of course the Zionist ideology called for the world to cough up the country long before Germany began its war of aggression.

This is a well written, viable solution to the refugee problem. Too bad the NY Times and WP couldn't have placed it next to the recently published Hamas piece. Much of the payment for the resetlement of the refugees should come from Egypt and the other Arab countries that invaded Israel in 1948 that actually created this problem. Also, the Saudis should use a fraction of their trillions in petro dollars that they now currently use to fund Hamas, Fatah and others to instead solve this problem.

When will the Jews start thinking about thier own disposessed? Thinking about nurturing vipers born and raised to kill is a waste of time, and all the Jewish Wonderfulness in the universe won't be enough to extinguish the evil bred into these so-called "Palestinians" by their cowardly mullahs. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were driven from their homelands in Lebanon and Egypt and Iran and Transjordan simply because they were Non-muslims. Thousands of Christians were murdered by the Islamics and nobody cared. People shouldn't be so quick to sweep this ugly fact under the rug of "peace-blabber." Nobody gave the dispossessed Jews a free sack full of cash and nobody supported their offspring. Why should the US give more money to support to a group of people who stuffed their faces with candy when their Arab-speaking "brothers" murdered 3000 innocent Americans? We say let the Saudis establish a homeland for their own kind somewhere in the undeveloped empty lands of the Arabian peninsula, far, far away from Israel. If the Kind of Dubai can afford to create islands in the ocean, he can very well afford to pay for the resettlement of these Arabs who suddenly began calling themselves "Palestinians" after a tiny slice of Jewish Palestine was created i n 1948, the same year Jordan was created for the Muslims.

How is it that the Jews have a right to return but the Palestinians do not. The Jews dreamed of returning to their homeland for 2000 years. Do you think the Palestinian refugees will forget about their homeland after 60 years? There will never be peace until either the Palestinian right of return is satisfied or the Muslims find a new Saladin.

this ferry simpel read the thora/tenach. sjalom and hallo from the fam koelewijn

This is a great solution. It is not fair for Palestinians to live in vile conditions with impractical dreams that drive them towards hatred. We should help them build homes and lives outside the walls of despair and allow them to live protected in Arab countries...

We must not fill our hearts with hatred, just because our enemies are hate mongorers. If we become filled with hate, we too will become like those that hate us. Hate consumes all. Do not forget that it is usually the leadership that is rotten and corupt. Billions upon billions have been given to the PA, and their people still live in deplorable conditions; they would rather buy explosives than food for their children. Yes empty this camps as soon as possible. Pray that a pelestinian leader will arise who has character, ethics, and is not filled with hatred, so that an equitable lasting an honest peace for all can be achieved; and not a sellout of Israeli rights.