The Diaspora concept

       Factors that led to the displacement of the Palestinian people

       Stages of Diaspora

       Palestinians in Refugee Camps

       Sustenance problems from which Palestinian camps suffer

       Palestinian in Arab countries

       Palestinians and the right of return

       Palestinians' conditions in the Diaspora

       The impact of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon on the Palestinians

       Destroyed Palestinian villages

The Diaspora concept

Before defining the Diaspora concept, it's important to identify the historical background which led to the Diaspora. The tragedy of the Palestinian people inside and outside their homeland was caused by two correlated colonialist movements:

The first was the European colonialist movement that had been based on colonial expansion across Asia and Africa, with the aim of destructing the civilizations and cultures of those regions, and then easily dominating their economies and huge wealth in order to promote western economies and transform those countries into a large consuming market for Europe products.

The second was the Zionist colonialist movement that had been based on uprooting the Palestinian people and ousting them from their land, with full assistance from European states.

The convergence of political views between those two movements is evident in the historical document known as the Bilfur declaration, which means expelling the Palestinian people from their land and establishing an entity for the Jews on their account, where the two sides embarked on propagandizing their vicious ideas and the slogan:" A land without people for a people without land".

Now that these states ignore the existence of the Palestinian people on this land, they vindicate the deporting and uprooting of whom they describe as non- Jewish minorities from their land, by every possible means, without considering their right to live on this land and to practice sovereignty over it. On this basis, we ask: Is it true that Arab citizens of Palestine consisted a minority?

By going back to the statistics presented by the British military administration to the League of Nations, we realize that the Arab citizens of Palestine- Muslims and Christians alike- compromised about 95% of the total population at the time of issuing of the Balfor declaration, while the Jews barely comprised 4%.

So, "Diaspora" is a state of massive displacement of roughly half of the Palestinian people, and this people was driven out of their land by military force, and left homeless, without an entity that can host them and protect them, whereas the refugees became scattered over many places inside and outside their homeland.

Factors that led to the displacement of the Palestinian people

The Zionist Israeli terrorism and forceful displacement, whereas Zionist gangs committed many crimes: blowing up houses and storming into isolated and defenseless villages. Some examples of such crimes are:

the Jewish gangs blew up Samiramis hotel, in Qatmoun neighborhood, in Jerusalem, on August 18, 1984, killing 18 Arabs and wounding 20;

These gangs attacked Saa'saa' village, in Galileo, where they killed 11 Arabs.

The Jewish gangs attacked Husseiniya village, and blew up houses in that village, killing 30 Arabs.

   The Jewish gangs stormed into Qalonia village, which is located between Qastal and Jerusalem, south of BeitSurik, and burned down its houses.

The Deir Yassin massacre, perpetrated by the Jewish gangs, led to the evacuation of many villages and towns, in fear of such massacres, where the most repugnant crimes were committed against children, women and aged people.

The policy of land stealing, in many ways, deprived the residents of their source of living, and forced them to seek means of subsistence in Diaspora.

The forced immigration of people from their homes, because of the war which erupted in 1948. When, for example, the Zionist gangs occupied the cities of Lid and Ramla, the Jews announced- through loudspeakers- that the residents were bound to leave to Ramallah. The displaced from these two cities counted fifty thousand Arabs (1).

Many residents left their towns and villages after a heroic resistance, when they ran out of munitions, in the absence of supplies from Arab states. Some old people remember that the Palestinian had no other choice but to sell his jewelry, and even his sumpter, in order to buy a weapon.

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Stages of Diaspora

The Palestinian people witnessed four stages of Diaspora:

The "pre-April 15, 1948 stage", when 414000 Palestinians were forced to evacuate 213 Palestinian villages occupied by Zionist gangs (2).

"The 1948 Nakba stage" during which Jews controlled 4.77% of the area of Palestine, and forced more than 800000 Palestinians to leave 513 Palestinian villages, while the west bank was annexed to Jordan and Gaza strip was subjugated to the Egyptian administration.

"The 1967 stage", during which 200 thousand residents were displaced from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including many who had been displaced in 1948.

"The exile and deportation stage", during which the occupation forces drove many of the national leaderships out of the country.

 Palestinians in Refugee Camps  

After the "dispersed"(3) Palestinians had lost their land and homes, and lived for a long time inside narrow tents and under unhealthy and bad social circumstances, the united nations relief and work agency (for Palestine refugees in the near east) UNRWA constructed residential compounds for the temporary residents of Palestinian refugees, until it is time for their return to their homes and villages. These compounds were called "camps".

Life in West Bank and Gaza Strip camps

At the beginning, the camps were constructed in the form of irregular assemblages of units, each one of them consisted of a single room, made only of sackcloth and tin sheets, based on wooden beams, and roofed with zinc plates. Later, theses residential units were comprised of two or more rooms built with bricks and cement.

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Sustenance problems from which Palestinian camps suffer

Palestinian in refugee camps suffers from many problems in terms of living standards, including:

houses are overcrowded and lack healthful ventilation;

Most houses are roofed with zinc plates and do not provide protection from rain and cold weather;

Refugee camps lack adequate sanitation, sewerage, and drainage systems; a problem which causes the spread of many diseases. In order to mitigate some of these problems , the UNRWA provided the camps' residents with various forms of assistance, including the establishment of elementary schools and health clinics.(4)

It is noteworthy that these camps, in spite of the drastic situation and the hard circumstances under which their residents live, have always been a symbol of steadfastness, challenge, self denial and sacrifice, and all this rendered them fortresses that bred thousands of strugglers and educated men who vowed to regulate life in the refugee camps and change their social and economic reality, and thus the camp have become a symbol of the vitality of the Palestinian cause and the steadfastness of the Palestinian people (5) .

Palestinian in Arab countries

The Palestinian people had been dispersed over many Arab countries, including:

Jordan

The gathering of the Palestinian refugees in Jordan is one of the most sizable gatherings in the region. There, the refugees comprise 68% of the total population, and this certainly reflects the special relations between Palestinians and Jordanians, as a result of the unification of the two banks and the establishment of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, where the Palestinians enjoy citizenship rights and hold Jordanian passports.     

Indeed, the Palestinian refugees have contributed effectively to the building up to the Jordanian economy and the development of its institutions. Some of the most important refugee camp in Jordan: Wahdat, Al- Hussein, Al Zarqa'a, Irbid, and others.

Syria

The total refugee population in Syria amounted to 85000 in 1948, the majority of them had gathered in Yarmouk camp near Damascus. Among other camps, there are the refugee camps of: Khan el Sheikh, Hems, Hamah and Jaramana.

The Syrian state did not grant these refugees the Syrian citizen ship, out of commitment to protect the unique existence of the Palestinian entity, and as a clear indication to its deep concern not to allow the liquefaction of the Palestinian people in their refugee camps.

Lebanon

During the years 1948-49, about 100,000 refugees sought refuge in Lebanon. Today, the total population of these refugees is about 450, 000 persons, 60% of them live in urban centers, and the rest are distributed among camps, such as: Sabra, Shatilla, Burj El-Barajneh, Tal-Ezza'atar, Mar Ilias, Meyi WO Meyi, Rashedeyi, and nahr el bared.

The Palestinian refugees suffered from harsh living conditions in Lebanon, where the sectarian war and the continuous Israeli military aggression against Lebanon and the camps, and then the Israeli incursion in 1982, led to the eviction of the P.L.O from Lebanon, and resulted in what we can describe as a "military siege" imposed on the Palestinian camps in a way that limits their resident's activity and freedom of movement. Consequently, the refugees are now obliged to obtain permits whenever they want to leave the country or return to it (6).

Iraq

The Palestinians who took refuge in Iraq, in 1948, counted less than 5000 persons. They resided in Baghdad, and preserved their identity and unique existence, and the Iraqi state provided them with free university education.

Egypt

In 1948, about 7000 Palestinian refugees in Egypt and resided in the major cities of Cairo and Alexandria, and some of them chose to live in rural regions.

Kuwait and the Arab Gulf

The influx of Palestinians to the gulf region began after the 1948 Nakba. Their education and professions helped them receive work contracts there, especially in Kuwait, where they numbered more than 300,000 expatriates in 1990. However, the second gulf war and the American pressures on the Gulf States affected Palestinians in many ways:   

- The expulsion of Palestinians from Kuwait.

- The hindrance of the flow of Kuwait aid to Palestine.

- A significant decrease in the amount of remittances transferred by Palestinian expatriates in the gulf states to their folks in Gaza and the West Bank.

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Palestinians and the right of return

United Nations Resolution (194) concerning the right of return (7):

The General Assembly,

Having considered further the situation in Palestine,

1. Expresses its deep appreciation of the progress achieved through the good offices of the late United Nations Mediator in promoting a peaceful adjustment of the future situation of Palestine, for which cause he sacrificed his life; and extends its thanks to the Acting Mediator and his staff for their continued efforts and devotion to duty in Palestine;

2. Establishes a Conciliation Commission consisting of three States Members of the United Nations which shall have the following functions:

(a) To assume, insofar as it considers necessary in existing circumstances, the functions given to the United Nations Mediator on Palestine by resolution 186 (S-2) of the General Assembly of 14 May 1948;

(b) To carry out the specific functions and directives given to it by the present resolution and such additional functions and directives as may be given to it by the General Assembly or by the Security Council;

(c) To undertake, upon the request of the Security Council, any of the functions now assigned to the United Nations Mediator on Palestine or to the United Nations Truce Commission by resolutions of the Security Council; upon such request to the Conciliation Commission by the Security Council with respect to all the remaining functions of the United Nations Mediator on Palestine under Security Council resolutions, the office of the Mediator shall be terminated;

3. Decides that a Committee of the Assembly, consisting of China, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, shall present, before the end of the first part of the present session of the General Assembly, for the approval of the Assembly, a proposal concerning the names of the three States which will constitute the Conciliation Commission;

4. Requests the Commission to begin its functions at once, with a view to the establishment of contact between the parties themselves and the Commission at the earliest possible date;

5. Calls upon the Governments and authorities concerned to extend the scope of the negotiations provided for in the Security Council's resolution of 16 November 1948 and to seek agreement by negotiations conducted either with the Conciliation Commission or directly with a view to the final settlement of all questions outstanding between them;

6. Instructs the Conciliation Commission to take steps to assist the Government and authorities concerned to achieve a final settlement of all questions outstanding between them;

7. Resolves that the Holy Places - including Nazareth - religious buildings and sites in Palestine should be protected and free access to them assured, in accordance with existing rights and historical practice that arrangements to this end should be under effective United Nations supervision; that the United Nations Conciliation Commission, in presenting to the fourth regular session of the General Assembly its detailed proposal for a permanent international regime for the territory of Jerusalem, should include recommendations concerning the Holy Places in that territory; that with regard to the Holy Places in the rest of Palestine the Commission should call upon the political authorities of the areas concerned to give appropriate formal guarantees as to the protection of the Holy Places and access to them; and that these undertakings should be presented to the General Assembly for approval;

8. Resolves that, in view of its association with three world religions, the Jerusalem area, including the present municipality of Jerusalem plus the surrounding villages and towns, the most Eastern of which shall be Abu Dis; the most Southern, Bethlehem; the most Western, Ein Karim (including also the built-up area of Motsa); and the most Northern, Shu'fat, should be accorded special and separate treatment from the rest of Palestine and should be placed under effective United Nations control;

Requests the Security Council to take further steps to ensure the demilitarization of Jerusalem at the earliest possible date;

Instructs the Conciliation Commission to present to the fourth regular session of the General Assembly detailed proposals for a permanent international regime for the Jerusalem area which will provide for the maximum local autonomy for distinctive groups consistent with the special international status of the Jerusalem area;

The Conciliation Commission is authorized to appoint a United Nations representative who shall cooperate with the local authorities with respect to the interim administration of the Jerusalem area;

9. Resolves that, pending agreement on more detailed arrangements among the Governments and authorities concerned, the freest possible access to Jerusalem by road, rail or air should be accorded to all inhabitants of Palestine;

Instructs the Conciliation Commission to report immediately to the Security Council, for appropriate action by that organ, any attempt by any party to impede such access;

10. Instructs the Conciliation Commission to seek arrangements among the Governments and authorities concerned which will facilitate the economic development of the area, including arrangements for access to ports and airfields and the use of transportation and communication facilities;

11. Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible;

Instructs the Conciliation Commission to facilitate the repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation of the refugees and the payment of compensation, and to maintain close relations with the Director of the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees and, through him, with the appropriate organs and agencies of the United Nations;

12. Authorizes the Conciliation Commission to appoint such subsidiary bodies and to employ such technical experts, acting under its authority, as it may find necessary for the effective discharge of its functions and responsibilities under the present resolution;

The Conciliation Commission will have its official headquarters at Jerusalem. The authorities responsible for maintaining order in Jerusalem will be responsible for taking all measures necessary to ensure the security of the Commission. The Secretary-General will provide a limited number of guards for the protection of the staff and premises of the Commission;

13. Instructs the Conciliation Commission to render progress reports periodically to the Secretary-General for transmission to the Security Council and to the Members of the United Nations;

14. Calls upon all Governments and authorities concerned to cooperate with the Conciliation Commission and to take all possible steps to assist in the implementation of the present resolution;

15. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the necessary staff and facilities and to make appropriate arrangements to provide the necessary funds required in carrying out the terms of the present resolution.

Here are some points related to this resolution and its ramifications:

One of the most important results of the 1948 war was the displacement of the bulk of the Palestinian people from their country, whereas 85% of the inhabitants of the land on which the Zionist entity was established became "refugees". According to statistics produced by the Lebanon based Palestinian center for return, the inhabitants of more than 392 Arab villages were displaced, after being attacked and driven out by the Jewish gangs

 The United Nations issued many resolutions that dealt with the Palestinian refugees, including the resolution (194) of December 11, 1948, which requires making allowance for the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes.

The Zionist entity refused to recognize the right of return and the resolutions of the international community, and prevented the return of Palestinian refugees to their country.

The refugees' right of return is sacred , legal, and possible:

Sacred, because it exists in the conscience of every Palestinian, despite the long refuge time.

Legal, because "returning home" is one of the fundamental rights of a human being. It is an individual and collective eternal right that may not be abolished by any occupation, treaty or agreement. Furthermore, the international community supports the right of return, and the United Nations resolution is very clear in this respect, and was affirmed by the U.N general assembly more than 110 times.

Possible, because 78% of the Jews in historical Palestine live on 15% of the lands occupied in 1948, while the rest live on 85% of the land. Besides, the majority of Jews reside in urban centers, while only 2,7% are cultivating the whole stolen Palestinian land, and still live in the Kibbutzim that have become economically bankrupt and deserted by many. About 200000 Jews are cultivating the heritage and legacy of five million Palestinian refugees deprived of return and packed inside the camps. Hence, it is practically possible to reabsorb these refugees in the towns and villages from which they were displaced, without this being necessarily related to the idea of getting rid of the Jews.

Palestinians' conditions in the Diaspora

First: Palestinians in Diaspora and contribution to the building of Arab Societies

The Palestinian people have the right to boast that all the wars and tragedies witnessed in Palestine and the Diaspora could not weaken their will or turn them away from their mission and sacrifices. There is not even a single Arab country that the Palestinians emigrated to –for work or for refuge- that doesn't hold the fingerprints of Palestinians who contributed to the building of Arab societies, especially in Jordan and the Arab Gulf, where they have participated in various aspects of life:

The educational field- Palestinian scientists and intellectuals have participated in drafting educational curricula for schools, colleges, universities and research centers, in Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other countries.

The economic field- Palestinian experts and economists participated in laying the foundations for many economic projects in Jordan and the Arab Gulf. Likewise, Palestinian workers contributed to the building process, benefiting from years of hard work in many economic projects in Jordan, until the contribution of Palestinian capital has constituted an essential pillar to the Jordanian economy.

The field of administration – the Palestinians proved to be highly efficient in administrating various economic projects in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and other Arab countries.

Second: Palestinians in Europe and in North and South America

The percentage of Palestinian immigrants to European and American countries increased after the 1948 Nakba, either for work or education. Most of those immigrants have not lost the links that tie them to their home and relatives. On the contrary, they preserved their heritage, established clubs, leagues, and associations, and contributed to the demonstration of the justice of their cause and to the exposition of the terrorist and oppressive practices perpetrated by the Zionist occupation, and played an essential role in unmasking the policies of American and European states that shunned the Palestinian cause and refused to obligate Israel to implement the United Nations resolutions with regard to ending the occupation and allowing the return of refugees.

Many Palestinians in Europe and America contributed to the establishment and support of Palestinian universities, and bolstered up the Palestinian peoples' struggle, through associations, especially during the first and the second uprisings (1987, 2000 respectively), with the aim of aiding the aggrieved families of martyrs, wounded and detainees, offering medical instruments and assistance, or investing in the various economic projects that created jobs for the unemployed

The impact of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon on the Palestinians

With American coverage, "Israel" claimed that its military operation had aimed at guaranteeing the safety of western Galileo against the Palestinian resistance military operations and keeping away the danger of the resistance at a distance of 40 Km, in order to preventing launching of Katyusha missiles. However, the Israeli forces carried on their offensive, using combat aircrafts, artillery and tanks, until they had laid siege to Beirut, and then demanded the evacuation of the P.L.O forces from Lebanon.

After the legendary steadfastness if the Palestinian Lebanese resistance, for eighty days, and because the occupation forces had deprived the capital, Beirut, of water, electricity, medicine and food supplies, the P.L.O was forced to leave Beirut, with American and European guarantees.

Some results of this war are:

The destruction of the majority of the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

The destruction of many quarters in west Beirut and south Lebanon.

The "phalanx forces", allied with Israel, perpetuated the massacre of Sabra and Shatilla.

The P.L.O forces left Lebanon to Tunisia and some other Arab countries.

The Lebanese south remained under occupation for 22 years, until Israel was forced to withdraw from area, humiliated, under the strikes of the Lebanese Islamic resistance.

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Destroyed Palestinian villages

Jews Domination over the Palestinian lands

Before addressing the subject of the Palestinian villages destroyed in 1948(8), it is important to identify the factors that led to capture of Palestinian lands by the Jews. The most important among these factors are:

The disorder that marked land acquisition and possession at the end of the ottoman era. For example influential families and individuals were ready- at the time- to transfer the ownership of any area of land for a small amount of money, through bribery, and some peasants – ignorant of what they were doing- denied their ownership of some lands to avoid the payment of taxes, especially after the ottoman authorities had enacted the "Land Registration Law" of 1858. (9)

The ottoman state sold the whole lands of many villages in Marj Ibin A'mer to some wealthy people from Beirut. These villages are: Jenjar, Affoula, Khanfees, Tal El shamam, and Tal el adas, Um el Amad, Mass'ha and Sareed.

During the ottoman era, state land properties were transferred to the state of the mandatory administration, in the early 1920's, and when the mandatory government appointed Herbert Samuel as the first high commissioner in Palestine, the Jews were granted 175000 dunoms[i] of the state land near the village of Caesarea, on the coast between Haifa and Jaffe. After that, they were granted another 75000 dunoms on the Dead Sea, for the construction of the Potassium Company, and then the area of the land granted to the Jews reached approximately 1.25 million dunoms.

The result of these policies          

About 1746 families were displaced from their 22 villages, where the Jews embarked on constructing 56 settlements, the most famous of which was Kfar Baroch and Ein- Harour.

In Hula plane, the Lebanese families sold an area of about 165000 Dunoms. Soon after that, the villages of Khan Edwir, Madkhel, Manshiya, Dafan, Mutella, and others were destroyed.

In Acre plane, these families sold the lands of Naharya, Inshirab and Dar El- Byda'a.

The geographical distribution of pattern of the (Arab) villages destroyed before 1948:

Most of these villages are located in the districts of Haifa and Nazareth. They were an extension of Marj Ibn Amer plane. As for the region of Acre plane and Jordan Valley, It was granted to the Jews by the mandatory Authority, as special privileges.

Villages Destroyed during the 1948 war

The 1948 war resulted in the displacement of thousands of Palestinians from their lands and home. About 156000 Arabs came under occupation, and the occupation authority adopted a racist policy against the Palestinians, based on the following:

Continuous attempts to efface the Palestinian identity and fight it in different ways.

The confiscation of Palestinian lands.

The invalidation of the political rights of the Arab Palestinian minority, which led to the falling of many cities and localities under Jewish control.

In an atmosphere of calamity (Nakba), the occupation authorities destroyed hundreds of Palestinian villages (78.4% of the total number of Arab villages that came under Jewish control- 468 of the 598 villages that the Jews had laid hold of). Some of the prominent examples are:

Faluja- this village was located at a distance of about 30 Kms to the northeast of Gaza city. It feels under occupation after a long heroic battle in which the Egyptian army took part. Later, the occupation authorities destroyed this village completely, and constructed the settlements of Qiryat Gat and Nichren on in its ruins.

Yazur- this Arab village was located about 5 Kms southeast the city of Jaffe. The occupation authorities destroyed it and constructed the settlement of Azur in its place.

Deir Yasin- one of the most famous villages that belonged to the district of Jerusalem, (4 km west of the city). In it, the Jews perpetuated a horrible massacre that resulted in the displacement of the inhabitants of many nearby villages, who departed their homes for fear of being subject to similar massacres. After the slaughter, the Jews built the settlement of Giv'at shaul.

Um Khaled- it was located west of Tulkarm, about 14 kms from the Mediterranean coast. After its abolishment, the Zionist city of Netanya was built on its lands.

Villages destroyed after the 1948 war    

The Arab states are partly responsible for the calamity of 1948, since, before the Nakba , the Jews were in control of only 6% of the area of Palestine, at a time when the popular resistance had assumed the leading role in the confrontation with the Zionist greed and British schemes.

If the Jews had destroyed too many villages during the war, they did so even after the war. Some of those destroyed villages were: Iqrat, Kafr Boro'm, Jalam, and other villages of the triangle, and the following is a brief description of the case of each of the above mentioned villages.

The village of Iqrat- an Arab village in the district of Acre, close to the Lebanese border, Iqrat had a population of 500 dwellers. This was before the Nakba, when the Israeli forces occupied the lands of this village in 1948. Under the pretence of protecting the villagers against an imminent assault by the Arab forces, the occupation forces coerced the residents of this village into leaving it. So, the people of Iqrat left to Ramleh, and the occupation forces blew up their houses, in spite of the fact that what was known as "the Israeli court of justice" had issued a verdict allowing them to return.

The village of Kafr bor'om- this Arab Palestinian village was located northwest of Safad, and it belonged to Galileo. Its total population amounted to about one thousand dwellers. In 1948, the occupation forces drove out its residents, who moved to the village of Jash, then destroyed their houses, as was the case of Iqrat, before embarking on the construction of a Zionist settlement in the same place.

Al- Jalama- an Arab Palestinian village to the northeast from Tulkarm. It was other than the Jalama village that belonged to the district of Jenin. In 1948, the occupation forces destroyed this village completely and established a Zionist settlement over its ruins.

Villages destroyed during the 1967 war

During and after the 1967 war, the occupation forces demolished many villages, such as: 'Amwass, Yalo, Beit Noba, Nabi Samuel, and Harat El magareba in Jerusalem, in addition to some other villages in Jordan valley, such as: A'qabat Jabr camp, Ein El sultan, Nuweima, and Meihan, including many mosques. Next we shall present some brief information about these villages:

The village of 'Amwass- this village is located southeast of Ramleh, on the road that runs from Ramleh to Ramallah, through Jafee. In the Islamic era, 'Amwass had been the center of Islamic army. It was conquered by Amr in Al Ass (may God be pleased with him). Its area was about 5000 Dunums. After the Nakba of 1948, it was annexed to the district of Ramllah, and in 1967, the occupation forces coerced its residents (who counted about 2000 people) into leaving it, then destroyed it completely.