All the situation of Palestine is really alarming yet the authority forces remain silent. It is not the first time for this happening still there is no peace for Palestinian people.
In order to understand the situation in Palestine and the Israel Palestine conflict only partially, one has to consider a long history of forced migration and displacement. Before the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, the majority of the Palestinians still lived within the “historical” borders of the then “Mandate Territory of Palestine”. Today this area includes the State of Israel and the Palestinian Territory occupied by Israel in 1967 (the West Bank including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip).
The Forced Relocations
Over the past few decades of these forced relocations, the Palestinian refugee problem has become one of the largest in the world – and a solution is nowhere in sight. Out of a total of 11.2 million Palestinians worldwide, an estimated 7.4 million (66 percent) were victims of forced migration at the end of 2013. That number includes 360,000 IDPs in Israel and well over 5 million people registered with the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA).
A common history of displacement
Palestinian society is highly fragmented, with members scattered across the Middle East and around the world. As a result of forced migration on a massive scale, their social fabric has been torn apart; Today’s Palestinian culture and way of life are closely linked to the effects of migration. Even in the occupied Palestinian territory, nearly 50 percent of all Palestinians are refugees.
The Gaza Strip
A look at the Gaza Strip, where the proportion of refugees reaches up to 70 percent of the total population, reveals how absurd it is to see people who have been forced to migrate or displaced as a minority. In the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) the proportion of displaced persons is up to 30 percent. It is important to remember that a person who falls victim to forced migration usually leaves her home with only the most essential belongings. There are also physical and psychological trauma. Integrating such a large proportion of the population and regular “waves” of refugees over decades into the social, economic and political structure was no easy challenge for the Palestinian “host society” ongoing military occupation since 1967, which puts the country in a permanent state of violence.
Palestine Today
Today all Palestinians – whether refugees or not – share a common history of migration and a legacy of displacement. Integrating such a large proportion of the population and regular “waves” of refugees over decades into the social, economic and political structure was no easy challenge for the Palestinian “host society” ongoing military occupation since 1967, which puts the country in a permanent state of violence. Mastering this task must have been almost impossible, especially against the backdrop of the military occupation that has persisted since 1967, which has left the country in a permanent state of violence. Today all Palestinians – whether refugees or not – share a common history of migration and a legacy of displacement.
