In 1948 there was a massive exodus of up to 750,000 Palestinians out of the state of Israel. Ever since, this population has lived as refugees mostly in neighboring states and regions. Their call for a right of return has been heard multiple times, but as to date there has not been no development on this mater. Israel states that it is not willing to concede to this demand, stressing that the people left out of their own free will and by doing so they forfeited the right of return. Throughout this essay, however, it will be argued that there were deliberate actions by Zionist leaders to commit ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land, and that preparations for such an operation started as early as the early 1940s.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the Palestinian refugee predicament, and answer whether they have a right or not to returning back to their land. It will be argued that not only do Palestinians have the right to return under international law, but also, as demonstrated through an historical analysis, it is historically just for them to do so. After considering the historical developments starting with the creation of the Israeli state, the essay will focus on explaining how the exodus was not only premeditated by the Zionist leaders, but that it was achieved through coercion and collaboration of some Palestinians themselves. Furthermore, different agreements and resolutions of interest relating to this issue will be discussed which will clarify how each failed to achieve any significant outcome. Finally a look into the role history and different international laws which play a role in determining the legality of the refugees’ right of return will add to the argument that Palestinians have the right to go back to their source.
In order to understand the current Palestinian refugee problem, one must first understand the historical developments that led to the current situation. The factors which led to the Palestinian...