|
|
|
|
Text Size: |
|
A |
|
A |
|
|
AP: Wrong On "Right"
The Associated Press highly inflates the number of Arabs who fled Israel in 1948.
The claim to a Palestinian refugee "right of return" has
become a sticking point in the effort to relaunch Mideast peace
talks. Israeli Prime Minister Sharon declared that Palestinians must
discard this long-controversial demand, but new Palestinian Prime
Minister Abbas on Tuesday refused to do so.
In its report on this important exchange, the Associated
Press erroneously stated: "Israel has always objected to the
right of return for about 4 million Arabs who fled the war that
followed Israel's creation in 1948, but never made renouncing the
demand a condition for peace talks before."
In fact, no party has ever claimed that 4 million Arabs fled
Israel during its War of Independence. The actual number of Arab
refugees in 1949 was, according to Israeli sources, 538,000. The UN puts the
figure at 720,000, while Palestinians have
claimed up to 850,000.
A later reference in the AP article quotes a more accurate
figure of 700,000. But with its earlier, inflated reference to 4
million, AP misrepresents the historical significance of the refugee
issue and its supposed moral claim - precisely the goal of today's
Palestinian negotiators.
As accurately reported by USA
Today, the 4 million figure has been used by Palestinians and the UN to
approximate the number of refugees and their descendants
since 1949. This includes about 1.5 million Palestinians who have
been absorbed into Jordanian society, and has only been used to
calculate those who may now qualify for some form of UN aid.
Associated Press, supplying news to 15,000 media outlets,
bears special responsibility to report accurately. In this case, the
erroneous figure appeared in newspapers such as The
Toronto Star and Chicago
Tribune.
Comments to AP: feedback@ap.org
Comments to The Toronto Star: lettertoed@thestar.ca
Comments to Chicago Tribune: publiceditor@tribune.com
HonestReporting encourages members to monitor their local
media for the erroneous AP article, and to request a clear and
immediate correction.
--- IS THERE A "RIGHT OF RETURN"? ---
The AP was accurate in one respect - Israel has always
objected to the Palestinian claim to a refugee "right of return" to
property in today's Israel. On what basis has Israel objected?
1) Voluntary flight: As documented by Professor
Efraim Karsh, the vast majority of refugees from the 1948 war
were exhorted to do so by their Arab brethren, who urged them to
make way for oncoming Arab armies intent on driving the Jews into
the sea. Karsh estimates that only 5 to 10 percent were actively
expelled by Israelis.
2) No legal basis: As documented by Professor Ruth Lapidoth,
the claim to a Palestinian refugee "right of return" lacks basis
under a) general international conventions, b) major UN resolutions,
and c) relevant agreements between the two parties.
3) Regional precedent: At the time of the creation of
the State of Israel, a similar number of Jews were expelled and
dispossessed by Arab governments. The Arab states have never made
any effort to compensate these Jews, who were absorbed by Israel.
Despite having tremendous resources to do so, Arab states have
refused to absorb the Palestinian refugees and have often worked to
ensure they remain in poverty so as to use them as a political tool
against Israel.
4) Effective destruction of Israel: Even diehard
Israeli peaceniks such as writer Amos
Oz acknowledge that "implementing the 'right of return' means
eradicating Israel... It will make the Jewish people a minor ethnic
group at the mercy of Muslims, a 'protected minority,' just as
fundamentalist Islam would have it"; Oz's colleague A.B. Yehoshua
states that the end of the Palestinians' tragedy will come when they
cease focusing on returning to their homes in Israel proper and
focus instead on returning to a Palestinian homeland.
|
