Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-03-13
Quorter-MiIIion Wretched Arub Refugees
Hate Everybody After Years Waiting
BY Merserito Dcbsrt

Here people live under ragged tents
on the bare ground within Q low
wall Of baked mud. Again, more
people are in each inclosure than
seems possible. A few, . very few.
have built themselves mudhouses.
Nobody has planted tree, although
o little bit Of shade would bring
relief from the blistering summer
sun.
But building . mudhouse or
planting q tree implies permanency.
It would mean that the refugees
had accepted the fact of having lost
Israel. They would rather wait pas
sively, aided by a natural inclina-
ton toward inertia, encouraged by
propagandists Of the Arab League.
their human plight disregarded by
their blood brethren.
Relief, Not Work
When the United Nations Relief
and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees was established In 1850 1t
was. a. the name implies. to provide
relief and work. The refugees were
to be helped until they became self
supporting. Work projects were
undertaken such Is construction Of
roads and public buildings. But once
the projects were finished. the refu-
gees went back on relief. UNRWA
found itself spending much more
money, doing free jobs for the host
countries and not achieving its goal
of establishing the refugees.
The Arab governments feel that
the refugees are the responsibility Of
the United Nations and wash their
hands Of them. Their host countries
treat them as undesirable foreigners.
The other Arab countries like Iran,
Iraq, Saudi Arabia are even less in
terested. If that is possible. They
have only one aim. That IL to pre-
serve the living pressure around
Israel, because lessening the tension
would help the Jewish state.
The Arabs hate not only Israel.
but Britain and, most Of all, the
United States Of America for hav-
ing played midwife at the birth Of
the new state. They forget that Rus
STA also voted for the establishment
of Israel. They speak of Hitler with
affection. Their motto is: 1.-THE
enemies Of my enemies are my
friends"
Yet. it would be foolish to say that
the refugees are turning Commu-
mist or that the Arab governments
are pro-Soviet. Actually communism
has no root in these feudal countries
and Moscow is far away.
They are not Communist, but
they are against the West. And to
them the Israeli are Westerners.
They consider them a foreign inva-
sion on Islamic soil, established
there on skinny historical excuses.
unable to exist unless helped from
the outside. They make repatriation
the sine qua non Of peace talks.
Their Homes Exist No More
But then, how could the refugees
go back? Almost as many Jews
have entered the country as Arabs
who were driven, lured or panicked
into fight. 1t Is true that the no.
900 who remained behind. have
proflted by the economic progress Of
the country. Their wages, their in
come have doubled. Sol was told
has the price Of wives.
But they are class B citizens and
it says so Enthusiastically on their
identity card. They live under mill
tary rule, they cannot travel freely
or advance in the civil service, they
have no educational equality. They
have become foreigners on their own
soil.
Israelis will tell you with convic-
ton that they begged the Arabs to
stay during the war; but today they
are just as determined not to take
them back. They do not trust them.
they do not want them and they
have no room for them. While Pal
estine was a home for Arabs and
Jews, Israel is home for Jews.
The Arabs have become refugees
from never never land.