This farce of a UNRWA definition of a refugee: http://www.unrwa.org/etemplate.php?id=87 "The operational definition of a Palestine refugee is any person 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." Palestine refugees are persons who fulfil the above definition and descendants of fathers fulfilling the definition." This definition MUST end, it is completely unfair and unrealistic that also descendants get refugee status. This is applied to no other group elsewhere in the world or even in history. The rules that apply to the close to 1 million Jews chased out of their homes in the Arab world, and literally all other refugee groups must now be applied to the palestinians. If you were there during the war in 1948 and did not leave because you heeded calls from Arab armies to leave, then there can be discussion in conjunction with talks about also Israels refugee population from the Arab world. However, if you are a 'descendant' forget about it. It's time for this farce, lie, and abomination to end. The UNHCR definition should be universal, NO EXCEPTIONS.

The dominant minority Jews cannot rule the majority Arabs in the region forever. Israel must start the integration process with the military, then public schools, the workplace, neighborhood, etc, just like in the United States.

...basis to properly claim: There is no such thing as "right" of return to those Arabs who fled their homes and properties in the wake of the Muslim-Arab attack on the tiny Jewish community of the Land. Instead of trying to perpetuate this human tragedy brought about by the Arabs upon themselves, all that the Arab world should do is integrate these people into their own societies. Allow them the right to work, study, reside in any part of the country in which they found refuge. Israel absorbed those Jews expelled from Arab countries during and after the same war, and integrated them into Israel's society. Today these people serve in all walks of life in Israel, and at all levels of government, economy, armed forces, etc. It is time, for the sake of reaching an accommodation of peaceful coexistence between Arab and Jew, between the Muslim-Arabs world and the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel, to cease perpetuating this human tragedy.

Israel brought up in the United Nations the expulsion of the Jewish population (750.000) living in Arab land. And so the two professors in this article as well. What is the government of Israel afraid off. That they will be compensated for their losses.

Unless Israel tells the Palestinians that they are NOT in favor whatsoever EVER to grant them a Palestinian State because there are many Arab countries they can assimilate into (e.g. Jordan, S.A. Iraq), NOT to grant them the Right of Return is sooooooo hypocrytical.

The right of return may apply to people born in present Israel and their children but the grandchildren and later maybe very questionable. Palestinian right of return would apply after peace treaty is signed and that has yet to happen, just a cease fire and later agreements to make it part of final deal. If there was an easy solution it would have been done years ago. It took many Jews 2000yrs to return so unless a fair deal is made it would only lead to problems later.

of some Palestinians (family reunification) to show an openness to peace. However, there is no way the country can absorb the millions the Palestinians want. I would be interested to take the Palestinian case to the World Court to know if this is truly a "right". I am tired of hearing about this right and want it settled.

Any Palestinian who was an adult(over age 21) in 1948 can "return". Of course that means in 2010. they must be a minimum of 83 years old

UNRWA defines a palestinian refugee as Palestine refugees are persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948, who lost both their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab Israeli War. UNRWA define a refugees as an individual who lived in Palestine between 1946 - 1948 but then they also go and say that refugee status is inheritable and it doesn't matter how many generations pass your a refugee with a right of return. If you inherit refugee status how much time has to pass before your no longer a refugee? Its not logical that a pregnant palestinian woman is going to give birth to a refugee with a right to return to the village its great grandparents lived in once. UNRWA is the only UN body that considers refugee status as something you inherit. Its also the only UN body dedicated to look after a single group. Every other refugee group in the world is dealt with by UNHCR and they rehouse the refugees in other countries as soon as possible. UNRWA also have a hugely disproportionate budget to UNHCR. The Knessetl needs to pass a law saying no palestinian right of return for anybody ever. Although it was never written into law division of Jerusalem up until Camp David was a red line we would never cross. Then Barak unilaterally without consulting the Knesset, the cabinet or the advisers he brought with him to Camp David he shocked both Clinton and Arafat and offered to divide the city and give Arafat Temple Mount. Now virtually every Israeli politician on the left says lets divide the city. Something that for 40 years had been non negotiable even Peres & Rabin never offered it. Then one man takes it upon himself to cross the red line because he wants a deal get his place in the history books.. All we need is a politician to take it upon himself to offer right of return and let the genie is out the bottle and we will never be able to put it back.

There is no right of return for any Palestinian, since there is no more refugee, even under Obama or UN demand.

has Prime Minister Mr. Netanyahu lost his mind!

LMAO!!!!

Converts from Russia, Ethiopia and everywhere else can come to Palestine any time, but indigenous Palestinians who their fathers were born in Palestine and forced to save their lifes and left their homes can't. Once some Jews were there in Canaan? And for how long?? Even Abraham was born in Ur, Babylonia and came to Canaan. We don't believe in little zionist god the Golden calf. Get lost already or life in peace in Palestine.

And is not even subject to international review. There is no such right, it is illegal under international law to have such a law. The Arabs can go suck an egg

Under US law an asylum/refugee applicant is considered re-settled in another land after a period of months -12 months , in general, but the time period can be less. Further, such applicant is denied even if he/she cannot return to exact place but another area of the authority. Thus a person from Jaffa who left in 1948 can return to 'Palestine' in Gaza, Jordan or ramallah and still be returned to 'Palestine'. The UNRWA definition of refugee seems to include Jews forced out of areas taken by Egypt and Jordan in 1948.

Korea, China, Viet Nam, India, and Palestine divided after WWII with each half increasing an ideological nemesis. The Nationalist Revolutions of 1870 in Germany and Italy were reversed after they followed this path and were conquered. The Islamic Revolutions will soon be reversed. Daniel 2's timeline of dictatorship is ending, crushed by the Rock not made by human hands: Revelations 2:16 mandates Mohamed, so Jews, Christians, and Muslims are brothers and share the same book. Iron majorities and clay minorities will scatter like chaff in the wind. Everyone will travel freely within the United Nations single state.

It is a bloated corrupt,nepotistic, organization,that needs to be dismantled.It's run by people who don't want peace in the ME,they would lose their very well paid jobs if there were to be peace in the ME. ABOLISH UNRWA.

Nor can the Palestinians themselves. The PA, Hamas, Hezobollah: none of them want the refugees to "return": it would destroy the palis altogether. Millions of people from different countries/cultures and beliefs jammed together in a tiny space while they all vie for power??? R U kidding!? They'd kill each other within a year !! The world would C that it was all a farce. What western pali with a great life would "return" to a third world sandpit o ly to risk their rights and lives??? Not one! In fact, the PA and Hamas themselves can't even afford the people they have, not to mention, control the warring factions between them. Hamas would have to cede power to Hezbollah: fatah would go down, mass murders would take place. It's simply inconceivable that there even should be a pestinian state. There never was one to begin with: why now? Why, after the Arabs got Jordan and Syria should the world bow down to a handful of rebelious, murdering liars whose only intent is to destroy a free democracy that the international community helped put back together after 2000 years of abuse and the holocoust? Saudi arabia is massive...why not go there? Or carve out some land in the Sinai? Because NO ONE wants them and NO ONE can afford them. The Palestinians have no rights anywhere because they put themselves into an impossible position and now, everyones hands are tied. Who the hell wants these unruly people who hate even each other? No one. The Assyrians behaved so deplorably when they were in power that the superpowers of the time expelled every single one of them and decreed they should never return. Hence: the Assyrian diaspora: this is a permenant, homeless people with NO hope of ever re-establishing a homeland. In the end game: THIS is exactly what will happen. It's only a matter of time. And rightfully, it should: a people tha led the most productive and world changing nation was partially, unjustly expelled by the Romans and Always had a strong presence there. What have tha Arabs ever done for Jerusalem, aside from letting in fall into a literal garbage dump. They should get the heck out a find a life elsewhere BUT NOT ON JEWISH LAND!!!!!

your guys think you know so much about the middle east, but in reality your view is totally skewed. The jews are not the minority today and even if you incorporated the arabs in gaza/westbank the jews would still be a majoriy or at the least a 50/50 situation.

In 1947 the Palestinians were never mandated and Israeli law of return is BS Palestinians are not est. European pagan khazars, part of the horde of illegal migrants that invaded Palestine and claim a right through conversion, but Palestinians who have lived worshiped and traded on their landfor centuries before the birth of the 'jewish state' c1948.

normal ignorance of the mideast, mideast politics, the sociolgy of the mideast and the psychology of the various collective which abide in the mideast. I suppose you enjoy getting published as a Talkbacker but your credibility is non-existent. Try studying the politics and history of the region. "No." Too much effort for you? I thought so.

What the Israeli right fails to answer is the question, "What're you gonna do wid all dem Arabs?" They can't drive them out, not out of Israel and not out of the West Bank, so they're going to have to come up with an answer with which Jews everywhere can live. The only solution is one of two states, with Arabs living in Israel (as always) and Jews living in Palestine (as they cannot yet come to terms with).

Every meter in Palestine speaks for its people, and comes a polish and a russian to say such useless words?! We are the fourth generation of Palestinians after Nakba, and we still identify ourseleves by the villages where our grand parents came from. We are going back to our homes in Yafa, Haifa, Akka and Yazur whether you russians, polish and flashas like it or not.

you and your ilk are a bunch losers and liars. The vast majority of the 750,000 Jews that left their Arab homelands left on their own accord and did not flee persecution. They chose to abandon their homelands to help with the theft of the Palestinians land. These Arab states sheltered you from the likes of Hitler and the Spanish Inquisitors who were burning you at the stake if you refused to become Catholics. Stop the gross misrepresentation of the facts.

Once there is a Pal state on the west bank maybe Gaza there can not be another situation where these Arab states will not take in their own bretherin. It is not up to Jewish Israel to take in a hostile, high birth rate population that should have at least 22 Arab states from which to choose from.

create another arab-dictatorship? The only solution is the threestate-solution!

The slightest international pressure on Netanyahu and he wil buckle - over anything.