There are reports this morning in Israeli media that the USA is going to announce this week that the so called "right of return" for Palestinians is off the table as far as America is concerned. The "right of return" says that in a peace deal, any Palestinian refugee who wants to can return to live in Israel. The Palestinians say that is about five million people. Of course, such a "return" would end the status of Israel as a Jewish state.
Supposedly, according to the same reports, the Trump administration will also announce that it sees Palestinian refugees as only including at most one million people. It is unclear what the US would use as the definition of refugee.
Both of these moves would put American foreign policy closer on the Middle East closer to reality. There is no way the USA can support a "peace" deal that would end the existence of Israel in its current form. That would be like seeking a trade deal with China in which the Chinese agree not to export anything to the rest of the world. It's unrealistic.
As for the so called refugees, even at one million, the number is way too high. Remember, these are refugees from 1948, some 70 years ago. A few hundred thousand Palestinians fled the country at that point. The UN set up a special agency UNWRA to help support those people. Over the years, nearly every Palestinian around the world sought help from UNWRA. The numbers of people on the rolls grew and grew and grew. UNWRA now supports refugees from 1948, their descendants, and millions of other imaginary people who are used to funnel money to crooks who defraud UNWRA. Right now, for example, it is commonly accepted that there are more refugees in Gaza getting aid from UNWRA than there are residents of that region. And remember, people who live in Gaza now and whose grandparents also lived there (the majority of Gaza residents) are not refugees under anyone's definition.
If the moves by the USA reported today are accurate, it would be President Trump's way of telling the Palestinian Authority that reality has to return to peace talks. There will be no peace that ends with the agreed destruction of Israel. Nor will there be any peace that continues UN support for phony refugees.
The sooner the Palestinians return to reality, the sooner there will be any possibility that we could actually see a peace deal.
Supposedly, according to the same reports, the Trump administration will also announce that it sees Palestinian refugees as only including at most one million people. It is unclear what the US would use as the definition of refugee.
Both of these moves would put American foreign policy closer on the Middle East closer to reality. There is no way the USA can support a "peace" deal that would end the existence of Israel in its current form. That would be like seeking a trade deal with China in which the Chinese agree not to export anything to the rest of the world. It's unrealistic.
As for the so called refugees, even at one million, the number is way too high. Remember, these are refugees from 1948, some 70 years ago. A few hundred thousand Palestinians fled the country at that point. The UN set up a special agency UNWRA to help support those people. Over the years, nearly every Palestinian around the world sought help from UNWRA. The numbers of people on the rolls grew and grew and grew. UNWRA now supports refugees from 1948, their descendants, and millions of other imaginary people who are used to funnel money to crooks who defraud UNWRA. Right now, for example, it is commonly accepted that there are more refugees in Gaza getting aid from UNWRA than there are residents of that region. And remember, people who live in Gaza now and whose grandparents also lived there (the majority of Gaza residents) are not refugees under anyone's definition.
If the moves by the USA reported today are accurate, it would be President Trump's way of telling the Palestinian Authority that reality has to return to peace talks. There will be no peace that ends with the agreed destruction of Israel. Nor will there be any peace that continues UN support for phony refugees.
The sooner the Palestinians return to reality, the sooner there will be any possibility that we could actually see a peace deal.
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