Registered refugees
Max Kleinman’s op-ed “The infantilization of the Palestinians” (May 24) contains distortions and omits important facts.
Kleinman writes, “Why aren’t Palestinians resettled as citizens in the numerous Arab states in which they have resided for decades, or by their so-called political representatives, the Palestinian Authority (PA)?”
In fact, most of the Palestinians who are registered by UNRWA as refugees have settled in Arab countries, but choose to continue to register as refugees for emotional and patriotic reasons.
Actually, out of the 4.3 million Palestinians registered as refugees, only about 1.5 million continue to live in refugee camps — and most of these camps are in Gaza and the West Bank.
Where should the refugees in these camps, who fled their homes in what is now Israel proper, be resettled?
They live under restrictive military occupation, which does not permit full autonomy, accountability, and unhindered pursuit of economic and civic development.
Mati Marcus
Scotch Plains
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