Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08STOCKHOLM340
2008-05-07 07:54:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Stockholm
Cable title:
Media Reaction - Israel and Palestinian Refugees
how-toVZCZCXYZ0017 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHSM #0340 1280754 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 070754Z MAY 08 FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3415
UNCLAS STOCKHOLM 000340
SIPDIS
SECSTATE FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/PPD, EUR/NB, EUR/PA, EUR/FO
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO PINS PHUM PREF EUN SW
SUBJECT: Media Reaction - Israel and Palestinian Refugees
On May 7, the independent liberal Stockholm morning daily "Dagens
Nyheter" in a signed editorial by Per Jonsson commented on the 60th
anniversary of Israel and the situation of the of Palestinian
refugees. It was headlined "To Learn From Israel", and said:
"Against the background of the Palestinian refugee disaster there is
an aspect of the establishment of Israel that is worth pondering.
"The fact (is) that more Jews than Palestinian Arabs - slightly more
than 850,000 - were forced to give up homes and property in the
surrounding Arab states, primarily during the years 1948-1950....
"One third of them were received in Europe, Latin America, and North
America. Two thirds of them were absorbed by Israel, where the
authorities managed to integrate them into society....
"One can compare them to their unfairly treated Palestinian brothers
and sisters....
"The neighboring Arab states, with the exception of Jordan, have
done practically nothing to integrate Palestinian refugees in their
societies...Instead, the Arab governments have deliberately made
permanent their refugee status....
"The refugees have quite simply been used as pawns in the political
conflict between the Arab states and Israel.
"But now it is high time to put an end to this systematic
maltreatment of human beings. The EU, the UN, as well as individual
states should forcefully urge Arab governments - including the
Palestinian authority - to actively take care of those Palestinian
refugees who for decades have languished in camps, and give them
full citizenship....
"Palestinians in exile are one of the most inflammatory ingredients
of the Middle East conflict. To integrate them in the societies
where they reside - as one did for Jewish refugees in Israel - is
one of the most urgent matters that can be dealt with to help solve
the conflict in the long run. In this regard everyone has something
to learn from Israel."
WOOD
SIPDIS
SECSTATE FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/PPD, EUR/NB, EUR/PA, EUR/FO
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO PINS PHUM PREF EUN SW
SUBJECT: Media Reaction - Israel and Palestinian Refugees
On May 7, the independent liberal Stockholm morning daily "Dagens
Nyheter" in a signed editorial by Per Jonsson commented on the 60th
anniversary of Israel and the situation of the of Palestinian
refugees. It was headlined "To Learn From Israel", and said:
"Against the background of the Palestinian refugee disaster there is
an aspect of the establishment of Israel that is worth pondering.
"The fact (is) that more Jews than Palestinian Arabs - slightly more
than 850,000 - were forced to give up homes and property in the
surrounding Arab states, primarily during the years 1948-1950....
"One third of them were received in Europe, Latin America, and North
America. Two thirds of them were absorbed by Israel, where the
authorities managed to integrate them into society....
"One can compare them to their unfairly treated Palestinian brothers
and sisters....
"The neighboring Arab states, with the exception of Jordan, have
done practically nothing to integrate Palestinian refugees in their
societies...Instead, the Arab governments have deliberately made
permanent their refugee status....
"The refugees have quite simply been used as pawns in the political
conflict between the Arab states and Israel.
"But now it is high time to put an end to this systematic
maltreatment of human beings. The EU, the UN, as well as individual
states should forcefully urge Arab governments - including the
Palestinian authority - to actively take care of those Palestinian
refugees who for decades have languished in camps, and give them
full citizenship....
"Palestinians in exile are one of the most inflammatory ingredients
of the Middle East conflict. To integrate them in the societies
where they reside - as one did for Jewish refugees in Israel - is
one of the most urgent matters that can be dealt with to help solve
the conflict in the long run. In this regard everyone has something
to learn from Israel."
WOOD