Quote:
Originally posted by Undertoad
Hmmm, Syc, I'm not sure. The source I had said that a million Jews moved away from Arabic countries and I *think* they were suggesting that the bulk of this happened soon after statehood.
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First off, please understand that I wasn't being sarcastic. I was curious as to the "criteria" for a refugee, given that those who fled to Israel after the Holocaust might be considered refugees.
According to The Department for Jewish Zionist Education, they say there were about 600,000 Jews that fled to Israel from Arab countries, and about 720,000 Arabs fled. Here are some
maps, including those that show the migrations.
The numbers ARE fairly close, although to put it in perspective, the extra 120,000 Arabs are like a city the size of Allentown.
Your point on nationalism is well-taken though. Some Palestinians have been living in refugee camps for over 50 years now. If Palestinians are Arabs, I don't understand why the Arab countries in which many of them are housed don't seem willing to accept them as part of their own countries. I can only suspect that much of it has to do with a) nationalism of the other Arab countries and/or the Palestinians, or b) a good point of grievance the Arabs can make against Israel.
Here's a CBC
article regarding Palestinian refugees from April.