The Essence of Hypocrisy
Reader comment on item: Palestine 1948: War, Escape and the Emergence of the Palestinian Refugee Problem

Submitted by Jonathan Rick (United States), Feb 23, 2004 at 21:13

Only in the late 60s, with the connivance of their Soviet and Third World supporters, did Arabs begin the U.N. Resolution 194 makeover. Even Benny Morris, the "new historian" who documented instances of expulsion, found that Arab leaders encouraged the Palestinians to leave. And in their memoirs, Haled al–Azm, the Syrian Prime Minister in 1948-49, like Jordan's King Abdullah, reached the same conclusion. Wrote al–Azm: "Since 1948 we have been demanding the return of the refugees to their homes. But we ourselves are the ones who encouraged them to leave. Only a few months separated our call to them to leave and our appeal to the United Nations to resolve on their return."

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