After yesterday's Daniel Finkelstein article on accepting the past, here's a letter in the Times this morning making another crucial point: the denial of citizenship to Palestinians by most Arab states:
Daniel Finkelstein’s poignant reflection on Villa Finkelstein highlights a crucial inconsistency. Under UNRWA’s definition of refugee status, which (unlike the UN high commissioner for refugees definition) includes all descendants in perpetuity, Finkelstein and his children would qualify as refugees from Lviv, despite their successful life in Britain.
This definition has helped to perpetuate rather than resolve the conflict. While Finkelstein accepts historical change, UNRWA’s approach has fostered an illusion of return that impedes efforts to create a lasting peace. Equally troubling is the stark contrast between the Finkelstein family’s integration in Britain and the denial of citizenship to Palestinians by most Arab states. Millions remain in limbo after 75 years.
Lebanon, Syria and others have kept Palestinians in segregated communities, refusing them basic rights while claiming to champion their cause. True solidarity with Palestinians means confronting these uncomfortable realities. A lasting peace requires not only a willingness by Israel to make territorial compromises but also reform of UNRWA and full citizenship rights for Palestinians in Arab countries where they have lived for generations.
Despite all the talk of Arab nationalism, with a shared common culture and language, citizenship for Palestinian refugees has been denied for one reason only: to pressure Israel, and sustain the illusion that the "Zionist state" is a temporary blight which will soon disappear.
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