April 6, 1950 Arab Refugees

Elizabeth Monroe, a U.S.A. expert of Middle East affairs, reporting on a trip to Jordan and Israel said:

“The other Arab states are uncaring about the ruin of Jordan so long as they are balking Israel.  To an individual refugee, their attitude is compassionate and kind, but they are ruthless about individuals whom they do not see.  They are able, without cost to themselves, to urge the refugees to accept nothing less than return to Israel; to press them not to build themselves shelters, houses, or lives of any permanence, since to do so lessens the chances of return, and to refuse all international offers short of re-adoption of the criss-cross demarcation line that was proposed by the United Nations in 1947; they turn a blind eye to the fact that the prerequisite for this line was an economic union.  For some years, the refugees listened to such talk; today they are more skeptical of it, and many of them, particularly the hopeless people close to the frontier would be glad of a chance to settle elsewhere.  YET THE ARAB GOVERNMENTS, OTHER THAN THAT OF JORDAN, STILL URGE THEM NOT TO FLAG, AND STILL REFUSE TO COOPERATE IN UNRWA EFFORTS TO SETTLE THEM.  THE POLITICAL MOTIVE FOR THIS ACTION IS PLAIN.  THE ARAB GOVERNMENTS DO NOT WANT TO ADMIT TO LOSING THE PALESTINE WAR; they think there is still a chance that Israel will pine and die; they want to keep UNRWA in being and in their service because United Nations’ support for the Arab refugees provides them with satisfying proof that the West admits guilt over the Palestine settlement.  To let matters be affords them many psychological advantages and littler material inconvenience.”

Sources:  73