CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN POLICY WORKING PAPER NO. 6 STUDIES JULY 2003 Searching for Solutions PALESTINIAN REFUGEES HOW CAN A DURABLE SOLUTION BE ACHIEVED? TANJA SALEM This Working Paper is published by the CEPS Middle East and Euro-Med Project. The project addresses issues of policy and strategy of the European Union in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the wider issues of EU relations with the countries of the Barcelona Process and the Arab world. Participants in the project include independent experts from the region and the European Union, as well as a core team at CEPS in Brussels led by Michael Emerson and Nathalie Tocci. Support for the project is gratefully acknowledged from: • Compagnia di San Paolo, Torino • Department for International Development (DFID), London. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed are attributable only to the author in a personal capacity and not to any institution with which he is associated. ISBN 92-9079-429-1 CEPS Middle East & Euro-Med Project Available for free downloading from the CEPS website (http://www.ceps.be) Copyright 2003, CEPS Centre for European Policy Studies Place du Congrès 1 • B-1000 Brussels • Tel: (32.2) 229.39.11 • Fax: (32.2) 219.41.41 e-mail: [email protected] • website: http://www.ceps.be CONTENTS 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Background...................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Definition – Palestinian refugees and “displaced persons”..................................................... 2 2.2 The narrative – The Palestinian exodus, 1947-48................................................................... 4 3. Refugees and displaced persons: Negotiating solutions .................................................................. 6 3.1 Palestine-Israel........................................................................................................................ 6 3.1.1. The parties’ perceptions of the refugee issue prior to Madrid ................................ 6 3.1.2. Madrid .................................................................................................................... 7 3.1.3. The Oslo accords .................................................................................................... 9 3.1.4. The Taba Non-papers ........................................................................................... 10 3.2 The treatment of refugee issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina ................................................ 13 3.2.1. Return ...................................................................................................................14 3.2.2. Real property restitution ....................................................................................... 14 3.2.3. Safeguards............................................................................................................. 15 3.2.4. Implementation to date ......................................................................................... 17 3.3 Lessons to be learned ............................................................................................................ 18 4. Constraints applying to a resolution of the refugee issue assuming a Taba-type settlement of the conflict ................................................................................................................................ 19 4.1 Political and economic constraints applying under the Clinton Parameters for permanent settlement of refugees.......................................................................................... 20 4.1.1. Israel ..................................................................................................................... 21 4.1.2. West Bank and Gaza Strip.................................................................................... 24 4.1.3. Jordan.................................................................................................................... 26 4.1.4. Syria...................................................................................................................... 27 4.1.5. Lebanon ................................................................................................................ 28 4.1.6. Other Arab countries............................................................................................. 29 4.1.7. Rest of world......................................................................................................... 30 4.2 Citizenship and residency rights of refugees ........................................................................ 30 4.3 What monetary conditions were envisaged to accompany a solution under the Oslo accords? .................................................................................................................. 31 4.3.1. Palestinian claims for compensation..................................................................... 32 4.3.2. What Israel is willing to offer............................................................................... 33 4.3.3. What the international community is willing to offer........................................... 34 4.4 Refugee voices: What solution would find their support? .................................................... 36 4.4.1. The Right of Return as a principle........................................................................ 37 4.4.2. Is it feasible to apply UNGA Resolution 194 for solving the refugee issue? ....... 38 4.4.3. Summary............................................................................................................... 39 5. What the international community can do to help achieve a sustainable solution ........................ 40 5.1 Core issues that the Madrid and Oslo processes have failed to address ............................... 40 5.2 The role of donor funded policy research ............................................................................. 42 5.3 What the international community can do ............................................................................ 43 References ............................................................................................................................................. 45 Appendix A. Summary of Positions regarding Refugees in the Permanent Status Talks ..................... 49 Appendix B. The Dayton Agreement on Refugees and Displayed Persons.......................................... 52 PALESTINIAN REFUGEES HOW CAN A DURABLE SOLUTION BE ACHIEVED? WORKING PAPER NO. 6 OF THE CEPS MIDDLE EAST & EURO-MED PROJECT * TANJA SALEM It is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law. Preamble, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) The upheavals of European history have shown that the protection of national minorities is essential to stability, democratic security and peace in this continent. Preamble, Council of Europe, Framework Convention (1995) 1. Introduction The refugee question is at the core of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Palestinians were first displaced as a direct consequence of the 1948 war and its aftermath. Twenty years later, another wave of Palestinian refugees was created as a consequence of the war during which Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The purpose of the present paper is to: • deliver a critical analysis of past approaches to deal with the refugee issue in the various attempts to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians; • discuss lessons to be learned from the settlement and its implementation mechanisms in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and • propose a direction for a long-term strategy for the international community that avoids past pitfalls and could ultimately lead both parties to an agreement. In the Background section, we will first give a definition of Palestinian refugees, a short summary of how the refugee problem was created, and an indication of their numbers then and today. Section 3 puts the Oslo and Madrid processes in a comparative perspective. First the refugee issue is discussed in the context of the former. Then the treatment of the refugee issue in the case of the Dayton Agreement and its implementation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is summarised and contrasted with the handling of the refugee issue under the Oslo accords. Section 4 gives a summary of the constraints applying to recent proposals from the international community presented within the logical framework set by the Clinton Parameters. Section 5 concludes with a summary of the major flaws identified in past * Tanja Salem is an independent researcher, based in London. She wishes to thank Terry Rempel and Ingrid Jaradat-Gassner at the BADIL Resource Centre and Glen Rangwala, lecturer in politics at Newnham and Trinity Colleges, Cambridge University, for their invaluable comments. She is also grateful for published and unpublished material from Salman Abu-Sitta, conversations with Rex Brynen of Fofognet and the background information available from the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina. She would also like to extend her thanks to the CEPS Middle East research team who have provided funding and intellectual challenge, as well as all the Palestinian and