Why are these people still considered refugees?

The myth of “occupation” being the cause of conflict. The very concept of “occupation,” as applied to Gaza and Judea/Samaria (the “West Bank”), is a myth. When the Egyptians were in possession of Gaza for almost twenty years nobody accused them of being occupiers. The Jordanians, who were in possession of Judea/Samaria (the “West Bank”) and much of Jerusalem for the same length of time, were not considered occupiers by the nations of the world and by the inhabitants of the area. The Israelis were considered “occupiers” when, after a war of extermination against them, they prevailed and came into possession of these territories. The oldest rule of warfare is that to the victor belong the spoils. Do people expect France to return Alsace-Lorraine to Germany? Do they expect the Czech Republic or Poland to return the German territories awarded to them after Germany’s defeat in World War II? Of course not!

Of course not! Those countries evicted most of the original inhabitants or caused them to flee. Israel, in contrast, has never evicted a single Arab from these territories. On the contrary, lured by the prosperity the Israelis have created, tens of thousands of Arabs from adjacent Syria and Jordan have come to live there.

Israel’s “occupation” of those territories is a myth. But even so, the hope that Israel’s abandonment of any territory – the same old “land-for-peace” formula – would bring about peace is an illusion and a fallacy. In order to establish peaceful relations with its northern neighbor Lebanon, Israel abandoned the security zone of southern Lebanon. But instead of acknowledgment and gratitude, the result has been never-ending attacks with Katyusha rockets, led by Hizbullah, the “army of God,”

It makes life on Israel’s northern frontier almost unbearable. Israel, unilaterally and in order to appease the Palestinians, the United States and world opinion, vacated Gaza and evicted thousands of Israeli families and abandoned their homes, institutions, extensive agricultural installations, and valuable infrastructure. Not a single Israeli citizen, not a single Israeli soldier, remains in Gaza. But, in the few months since it has abandoned that territory, Israel has been provoked to bloody warfare and has been subjected to daily attacks by Qassam rockets. It is only a matter of time until one of those devices will crash into a school or into a hospital causing untold casualties and destroying vital infrastructure.

Destruction and almost civil war. Instead of using their newly won “liberty from occupation,” the Gazans have engaged in what is practically a bloody civil war and have destroyed most of their meager infrastructure. They have demolished and vandalized the valuable and extensive greenhouse installations that the Israelis had created, which could have been the basis for a prosperous agricultural economy and of substantial export income. But they focus their efforts and their energy on digging tunnels under the wall that separates them from Israel, in order to attack Israeli military, killing and kidnapping their soldiers, and thus bringing added misery upon themselves. Having the disastrous examples of the withdrawal from the southern Lebanon security zone and now from Gaza, it is easy to imagine what would happen if Israel would not have learned from experience and

under pressure from the U.S. and world opinion – would commit the folly of abandoning Judea/Samaria (the “West Bank”). While Gaza is isolated, surrounded by Israel and the sea, the “West Bank” is connected to Syria and Jordan. Within days of Israel’s abandonment of that territory, Syrian tanks, Syrian aircraft, Syrian artillery, and Syrian and perhaps even Iranian troops would be stationed on the ridges of the Judean hills that dominate Israel’s heartland. That heartland is only nine miles wide at its narrow waist. Israel’s population centers, Israel’s military installations, Israel’s industrial capacity, Israel’s utilities, and Israel’s international airport would be in the gunsights of the Arabs, sworn to the destruction of Israel. The attack against Israel, the hoped-for final assault against the hated Jews, would begin within days or weeks and might well be successful.

The Palestinians (A myth to call them that), along with most other Arabs and Moslems, are single-mindedly focused on the destruction of Israel, to “wipe it off the map.” If Israel were pressured into ending the “occupation” of the territories, it would not bring peace. On the contrary, it would bring about bloody warfare, just as in Gaza and Lebanon, and could well be the end of Israel. Those who advocate the ending of the “occupation” do so either out of ignorance or because they have a death wish for Israel.

To Allah Arafat, YOU HAVE no right of return and how come its now 6 million, in 48 there was only 650,000. and those 650,000 should have stayed and become productive citizens living in peace, it serves them right for listening to the Arab leaders at the time who predicted a win for arabs instead of the severe beating they took instead.

To AUSSIE, I think you are totally missing the point ! You said "

They are refugees because they are stateles, pure and simple I am talking about those disspossed in 1948 and ending up in neighbouring countires,"

Well Hello AUSSIE wake up, exactly the point WHY after 60 odd years in neighbouring countires are they still refugees WHY are they not landsmen of then country they are in??? why are there fellow arabs not looking after them properly ?? AND whos fault is it, THEY left where they lived to go to the country's they are now in AT THE URGING of the arab countires they are in. You need to open your eyes and mind.

InquisitiveMind, You state "Crack open a book or two and learn what the word refugee means...

Here I'll even help you, consider it my charity on you.

Per the mariam webster dictionary this is the meaning of refugee:

a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution

Hmm... the historical facts all point to why the Palestinians are considered refugees....They fled to countries that werent theirs' because their lands were pillaged and stolen.."" YOU ARE obviously confused and do not have a clue let me give you a gift, FACT THEY did not flee because their lands were pillaged and stolen, THEY FLED because 3 ARAB ARMIES INVADED and the leaders of those countries told them to get out and that they could come back when the Arab armies had slaughtered every jew ONLY IT DID NOT WORK that way the 3 Arab armies got their rear ends handed to them.

InquisitiveMind, Then you go on and CONTRADICT yourself and actually prove my point you then say "Actually lets get true historical events correct...Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, and parts of Palestinian including the occupied territories were all considered one country called Bilad Al Sham....until the brits came and disected it all" EXACTLY so the arabs got 70% of Palestine and NO LEBANON was never part of it, you need to get at least some facts straight. THIRDLY. "To me what you build, what you pay for is yours, but I guess that doesnt stand true for Jews" and what do you base that stupid statement on, Jews DID build Isreal have you ever seen what Tel Aviv looked like in 1940"s and look at it today, yes Jews built Tel Aviv, they built pretty much all the settlements with hardly any money used but hard work, so your wrong again. YES YOU can mention the GOLAN heights, you forget to mention WHY Isreal took it away from Syria and why they still have it.