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Return of Palestinian refugeesThe POST, Sun, Nov,25, 2007.Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema
While it is difficult to ascertain what criteria has been applied to agree to a figure of 20,000 and what would be the fate of the rest of the Palestinian refugees who were displaced by the advent of Israel, the agreement would appear to be a significant development as Israel accepted the right of return of the uprooted Palestinians. The issue of right of return of the refugees has remained a major stumbling block in arriving at any peace settlement between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The report also referred to Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat’s statement who reportedly stated that the Palestinian and Israeli negotiation teams would conduct intensive rounds of negotiations this week in a bid to hammer out a joint declaration outlining the solution to core issues such as borders, status of Jerusalam, return of refugees, and water before the Annapolis conference. The continuing conflict between the Arabs and Jewish state of Israel has been a principal source of instability in the Middle East. Since the establishment of Israel in 1948, the two sides have fought four wars, each being more devastative than the previous one and unleashing new forces of instability in the region; thus rendering the problem of regional stability more difficult and complicated. The First Arab-Israel War, which broke out immediately after the announcement of the establishment of the state of Israel on May 15, 1948, resulted in the defeat of combined Arab armies of Egypt, Jordan and Syria; and occupation of Arab areas in excess of the areas allotted to the Jewish state by the UN General Assembly. The First Arab-Israel War created permanent tension between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The Arab states refused to recognize the state of Israel and there were continuous border skirmishes involving the Israeli forces and Arab Fadayeen operating from the neighboring Arab countries, particularly Egypt. It was due to this reason that when Britain and France attacked Egypt in October-November 1956 to punish Gemal Abul Nasser for nationalizing Suez Canal, Israel also jumped into the fray and occupied Gaza and Sinai Desert up to the eastern bank of the Suez Canal. Although Israel, as also Britain and France, had to withdraw from the areas they occupied during the war under international border, it led to further deepening of animosity between the Arabs and Israel. The border insecurity was one of the chief reasons behind the outbreak of the Third Arab-Israel (June) War in 1967. In this War, which proved to be largely one sided affair, Israel sought to solve its security problem with the occupation of Gaza, Sinai, West bank, East Jerusalem and Golan heights. At the end of war, Israel proclaimed its determination never to part with Jerusalem and return to pr-June 5, 1967 position of borders. But Israel’s bid for secure borders proved only to be a mirage as (a) there was a greater mobilization of anti-Israel forces not only in the Arab world; but also throughout the Muslim countries. The capture of Jerusalem by Israel, in fact, transformed the Middle East conflict from an Arab issue to a wider problem in which the entire Muslim world became involved. It was in the aftermath of 1967 War and the capture of Jerusalem by Israel that the Muslim countries gathered together at the platform of OIC. The 1973 Arab-Israel (Fourth) War was significant for the following three reasons: One, it ended the myth of invincibility of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and once again proved the vulnerability of the Jewish state to a combined attack of the Arabs from across the borders. It clearly dawned on the Israelis that the doctrine of secure borders and military superiority could not guarantee the security of the Jewish state. In the initial phase of the War, the Israeli forces suffered large-scale casualties and were on the verge of defeat at the hands of advancing Egyptian forces and attacking Syrian troops. The tide was turned only through the massive airlift of US arms and weapons ordered by President Nixon during the second week of October 1973. Two, the War exposed the total dependence of Israel on the United States for its survival. Since its establishment in 1948, the United States has been the principal source of financial and military assistance for Israel. Israel has been the largest recipient of US economic assistance. But the 1973 War demonstrated the total dependence of Israel on the military help from the United States. Three, the War made it clear beyond any doubt that the United States would at no cost allow the defeat of Israel at the hands of neighboring Arab States. The worldwide alert of American forces in response to reported Soviet military movements in Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean and supply of heavy and light arms and weapons to hard-pressed Israeli forces demonstrated the total US commitment to the security of the state of Israel. Fourth, the October 1973 War, paradoxically enough, created a yearning for peace in both Israel and the Arab countries as both sides became convinced that Middle East problem could not be solved through war. This was evident through the peace overtures of President Anwar Sadaat of Egypt that ultimately led to the signing of Camp David Peace Accords and conclusion of Treaty between Egypt and Israel. Although Saddat had to sacrifice his life for historic peace with Israel, the process initiated under Camp David Accords was supported by a number of Arab and Muslim countries; and served as a basis for future peace initiatives in the region.Fifth, the 1973 War led to an enhancement of US diplomatic role in the Middle East. The US diplomacy led to disengagement of forces agreement between Egypt and Israel and also the signing of Camp David Accords. The Middle East peace process came into being after the Arab-Israeli War of 1973. Since then many efforts have been undertaken to secure the advent of peace. Among the notable efforts are included Camp David Accords, Oslo process, Madrid Conference and Prince Abdullah’s peace plan, which secured the blessings of the Arabs. The current roadmap is indeed another product of a desire to secure peace in the Middle East. The current Middle East roadmap devised by a quartet consisting of US, UN, Russia and European Union is another effort to secure the much-desired peace in the area. Three major problems have effectively impeded the progress in the peace process which includes the final border, status of Jerusalem, and the return of the refugees. The latest news that some kind of agreement has been reached over the issue of return of the refugees is indeed a good omen. It could provide the requisite boost to ongoing peace efforts and facilitate some major positive outcome at Annapolis.
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