With regard to the United States policy in the Middle East. I wish to make the following point. I am concerned because much of the debate currently surrounding Israel excessively focuses on the West Bank and Gaza. ignoring the historical problems which have resulted from the Arab worlds failure to resettle its refugees. As many recall. when the Arab nations rejected the 1947 U.N. Partition Resolution. two refugee populations were created. one Arab and one Jewish. At that time. some 800.000 Jewish refugees fled from the Arab States. fearing an uncertain future. The majority of those refugees were absorbed by fellow Jews and ultimately became citizens of Israel. Others found sanctuary in the United States. Canada. and Europe. In contrast. nearly 600.000 Arab refugees remained homeless. because the Arab nations refused them sanctuary. Arab governments throughout the Middle East left the task of caring for the refugees to the world community. Since that time. Arab governments have. with the exception of Jordan. denied those refugees the opportunity to participate in the political and economic lives of the countries where they have come to rest. They have been repeatedly told that they will be returned to Tel Aviv. Haifa. or wherever their families had lived in Israel--and today we are speaking of children. grandchildren. even greatgrandchildren. still leit isolated by their Arab hosts in the lands where they have come to live. Those refugees are not going back to Israel. The West Bank and Gaza cannot viably support most of them. The oil rich Arab States can. There can be no Mideast solution until the Arab States deal with their refugee problem the way the Israelis did with theirs. If the PLO is truly serious about recognizing Israel. we must insist that their representatives are asked the question. "How do you and the Arab nations that support you propose to resettle your refugees just as Israel resettled Jewish refugees from the Arab countries?" That question must be answered before there is ever going to be any settlement of the Mideast dispute.
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refugee refugees