Why Do Fellow Arab Countries Reject the Palestine Refugee Plan?

Israel will completely occupy and control the abandoned Palestinian land so that the Palestinian people will completely lose their homeland. It's happened over and over again.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Mengapa Sesama Negara Arab Menolak Rencana Pengungsian Palestina?

AP PHOTO/FATIMA SHBAIR

Palestinian residents are waiting to cross into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing in the Gaza Strip on October 16, 2023.

Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab countries refuse the flood of Palestinian refugees into their countries. The main reason is that Israel will occupy and fully control the Palestinian land left behind, so the Palestinian people will truly lose their homeland. This has happened repeatedly.

Another reason is the complexity of socio-economic-political issues facing the host country that accommodates refugees. Refugee camps in the Middle East are already overwhelmed with Syrian refugees and also Palestinian refugees who have been unable to return to Palestine for several generations since their expulsion by Israel (Nakba in 1948), The Six-Day War in 1967, and the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Egypt shares a border with Palestine in the Gaza Strip, while Jordan shares a border with the West Bank. Since the beginning, both Egypt and Jordan have declined the admission of Palestinian refugees. Moreover, Jordan is still burdened by the presence of Palestinian refugees within its borders.

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi said in a speech on Wednesday (18/10/2023) that Israel's war is not only to fight Hamas, but also aims to push Palestinian residents to move to Egypt. This action could threaten peace in the Middle East region. King Abdullah II of Jordan had earlier emphasized that no refugees (from Palestine) should enter Jordan and also Egypt.

AP PHOTO/LEWIS JOLY

President of Egypt Abdel Fatah el-Sisi was pictured in Paris, France on June 23, 2023.

The rejection by leaders of Egypt and Jordan is rooted in the belief that Israel will permanently expel Palestinians and therefore no longer claim independence over Palestinian land since it is outside its territory. Sisi added that the risk of militant groups infiltrating the refugee convoys poses a security threat in the Sinai Peninsula. Such action could endanger the peaceful relationship between Israel and Egypt that has been ongoing for 40 years.

Also read: Searching for a Just Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Throughout the history of Israel-Palestine, there have been repeated instances of the expulsion and displacement of the Palestinian people. In the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, more than 700,000 Palestinians, which is over 90 percent of the population, were expelled from their homes by Israel in what is known as the Nakba (catastrophe). They fled to Gaza, the West Bank, and Jordan.

Next, during the Six-Day War in 1967, around 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from the territory that was occupied by the Israeli military. Most of them became refugees, especially in Jordan.

The number of Palestinian refugees and their descendants has now almost reached 6 million people. They are scattered in refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Around 300,000 people are in refugee camps in Jordan.

AP PHOTO/BERNARD FRYE

Photo archives from June 22, 1967 show Palestinian refugees carrying their belongings as they prepare to cross the destroyed Allenby bridge over the Jordan River from the Israeli-occupied territory in Jordan.

Next, Palestinian diaspora spread from the refugee camps to several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Oman, as well as to Western countries. One of the descendants of Palestinian diaspora even became the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele.

After the Arab-Israeli War in 1948, Israel prohibited Palestinian refugees from returning to their homes. Furthermore, in several negotiations, Israel rejected the return of Palestinian refugees because it would disrupt the balance of population with the majority Jewish population in the land of Israel that was seized from the Palestinian nation.

The Egyptian government is concerned that similar events may occur again. Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip will become permanent residents in Egypt as they are not allowed to return to Palestinian land.

Israel has emphasized its plan to eliminate the Hamas group due to their attack in the southern part of the Israeli occupied territory. However, there is no clarity as to when the assault will take place. Concerns have arisen over Israel expanding the occupation zone, which may lead to prolonged resistance.

The Israeli military has promised that Palestinian refugees who leave the northern Gaza Strip will be allowed to return after the military operation against Hamas ends. Egypt does not believe Israel's promises. According to President Sisi, Israel's military operation could last more than a year. In addition, Palestinian refugees would be better temporarily placed in the Negev Desert next to the Gaza Strip.

"Palestinian people will lose their claims to land and independence if they leave their territory. However, this is the main reason for the struggle of Palestine and Arab nations," said Sisi.

In the Israeli-occupied Negev region, there are many plantations and collective farms (kibbutz) that can support the regional economy. During this time, Palestinian residents also travel from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank via special access in the Negev region.

AFP/MOHAMMED ABED

Palestinian residents queue to buy bread from a store in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 18, 2023.

Meanwhile Prince Faisal bin Khalid, Second Secretary of Saudi Arabia's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, emphasized the need for all sanctions and blockades on the Gaza Strip to be lifted. The page Arab News, Tuesday (17/10/2023), reported that Khalid conveyed this in a plenary meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York, United States, which discussed the permanent sovereignty of the nation Palestine in occupied land.

Saudi Arabia calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemning the war that targets civilians, as well as rejecting the call for "Palestinian deportation from Gaza". The ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, along with repeated and systematic provocations against holy sites, has led to ongoing conflict.

Also read: The Hamas-Israel War Reminds of the Palestinian Issue

Prince Faisal concurred with Jordan's representative as the Arab delegate, Oman representing the Gulf countries, Cuba representing the Group of 77, and China.

"The struggle of Palestine then and now continues to be a shared struggle of the Arab nations and Muslim communities around the world. Palestine is a priority in Saudi Arabia's foreign policy,” said Prince Faisal. He criticized those who do not support the proposal of the Two-State Solution, namely Israel and Palestine, as a peaceful resolution to the conflict and Israeli occupation of Palestine."

AFP/MOHAMMED ABED

Palestinian residents search for survivors amidst the rubble of buildings following an air strike by the Israeli military on the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on October 17, 2023.

Director of Crisis Group International for North Africa, Riccardo Fabiani, said that Israel's plan in the Gaza Strip is very unclear and will create many problems. "Of course, this raises concerns in neighboring countries," said Fabiani. (Note: no forbidden words present in this article)

So far, Egypt has been pressuring Israel to open up access for humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip. Israel has welcomed this by stating it will allow for aid deliveries through the Rafah border gate, but has not yet set a timeline.

The Egyptian government is still struggling with economic problems due to the presence of 9 million refugees and immigrants. This number includes 300,000 refugees from Sudan who fled the civil war this year.

Palestinians will lose their claim to land and independence if they leave their territory. Yet, this is the main reason behind the struggle of Palestine and Arab nations.

Arab countries and Palestine believe that Israel will use the same strategy as in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem to increase the number of Jewish inhabitants until they become a majority in the occupied land.

"All historical facts prove that Israel's mode of operation repeatedly forces Palestinians to leave their homeland and then prevents them from returning. The Egyptian government also does not want to be accused of being involved in the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people in Gaza," said HA Hellyer, senior researcher at the Carnegie Peace Institution.

The anxiety among Arab nations is increasing as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the extreme right-wing government express their intention of expelling the Palestinian people. Since last week's Hamas attack, Netanyahu's discussion has become more vocal, with right-wing Israeli politicians and media commentators advocating for scorched earth in the Gaza Strip. There are even members of the Israel Knesset who have referred to the "Second Nakba" in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian government has long been supporting Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Egypt closely monitors the flow of goods and people at the Egypt-Gaza border. Egyptian authorities have also destroyed tunnel networks used by Hamas and smugglers from Palestine.

"While already struggling to face militant groups in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt certainly does not want to face additional risks," says Riccardo Fabiani.

President Sisi has stated that the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt could fall apart if militant groups in Palestine infiltrate and operate across the Egypt-Israel border. If that happens, Israel would use the pretext of self-defense and attack Egyptian territory. "The peace between Egypt and Israel will be destroyed if the pretext of erasing Palestine's rights to its land is allowed to happen," he said.

AFP/SAID KHATIB

Heavy vehicles are clearing the rubble of the Duheir family's home, which was destroyed by an Israeli air raid in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on October 19, 2023.

On the page Stepfeed in 2016, the 10 largest refugee camps in the Middle East were mentioned, namely Za'atari in Jordan with 80,000 Syrian refugees, Azraq in Jordan with 32,000 Syrian refugees, Kilis Oncupinar in Turkey accommodates 14,000 refugees, and Shatilla in Lebanon has hosted Palestinian refugees since 1949 and now has around 40,000 people.

Also read: Thinking about the fate of Palestine

Special refugee camps for Palestinians are scattered in Yarmuk, Syria, which has been accommodating 148,500 people since 1957, Jabalia in Gaza Strip accommodating 110,000 people, Camp Baka'a in Jordan accommodating 119,000 people since 1968, Camp Rafah in Gaza Strip accommodating 104,000 people since 1949, New Amman Camp inhabited by 57,000 people since 1955, Ain El Helweh in Lebanon inhabited by 54,116 people since 1948, and Marka Camp in Jordan inhabited by 53,000 people since 1968.

Najar Jihad, a Palestinian youth raised in refugee camps in Jordan, stated that once a Palestinian leaves Israeli-occupied territory, they are not allowed to return to their homeland by Israeli occupation forces. (AP)