There has been a significant refugee problem for the last fifty years.

Do the sources allow you to come to a firm conclusion about who or what

is responsible for the problem?

Question 2

Objectives:

• Understand and be able to explain the meaning of ‘refugee’ and the ‘refugee problem’

• To be able to identify the triggers of the refugee problem and possible reasons why the problem continues

• To use evidence critically to decide who is responsible for the refugee problem

What do we mean by the ‘refugee problem’?

Emotional response Descriptive words

What is a refugee?

The United Nations defines a "refugee" as a person who has fled his/her country of

nationality and who is unable or unwilling to return to that country because of a

"well-founded" fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a

particular social group.

Often refugees lose both their homes and means of

livelihood.

Refugee camps

• A refugee camp is a temporary camp built by a government, the United Nations, international organizations, (such as the Red Cross) to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands or even millions of people may live in any one single camp.

• Since refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu fashion and designed to meet basic human needs for only a short time, when the return of refugees is prevented (often by civil war), a humanitarian crisis can result.

Gaza aid appeal video

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2009/jan/26/dec-gaza-appeal

The Palestinian ‘refugee problem’ refers to………………………….………………………………………………………..…………………………………………..

It is serious because …………………………………….......................................... Use pp.35 of your

green booklet to help you

What triggered the refugee problem?

Source C: A journalist investigates the reasons for the Arab exodus

“I next decided to test the charge that the Arab evacuation orders were broadcast by Arab radio. This could be done thoroughly because the BBC monitored all Middle East broadcasts throughout 1948. The BBC records, and those of a US monitoring unit can be seen at the British Museum. There was not a single order, or appeal, or suggestion about the evacuation from Palestine from Arab radio station inside or outside Palestine in 1948. There are repeated appeals, and even directed orders, to the civilians of Palestine to stay put.”

From an article by Erskine Childers, an Irish journalist, published in ‘The Spectator’, 12th May 1961.

Source D: An extract from comments made by Palestinian refugees on the work of the UN.

“We continued to refuse houses and compensation offered by the UN to settle us in our host countries. We wanted nothing short of a return to our homeland.”

Quoted in ‘The Arab Israeli Conflict’, Rea and Wright, 1997.

Why does the refugee problem still continue?

Source E: Abba Eban, speaking to the UN in 1958

“This refugee problem has been artificially maintained for political motives. Recent years have seen great expansion of Middle East economies, but the Arab governments have so far stopped the refugees from sharing this. The vast Arab world could not find homes for a million refugees.”

Abba Eban was an Israeli ambassador to the UN

Quoted in ‘The Arab Israeli Conflict’, Rea and Wright, 1997.

 

Source G - Palestine Is Still The Source G - Palestine Is Still The IssueIssue

 

“It is not enough for journalists to see themselves as mere messengers without understanding the hidden agendas of the

message and myths that surround it”

– John Pilger

Information or propaganda???Information or propaganda???

John Pilger has been accused of:

• presenting information in a sensationalist sensationalist manner to support a foregone conclusion;

• using emotive languageemotive language to make a political point;

• treating a subject emotionally with disregard for inconvenient detail.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yehzp8ytMp8

For example, Pilger endorses these Israelis as "a group of courageous Israelis united [with Palestinians] in the oldest human struggle — to be free.”

Source G: Palestine is Still the Issue

• part 1• part 2• part 3• part 4• part 5• part 6• part 7

There has been a significant refugee problem for the last fifty years.

Do the sources allow you to come to a firm conclusion about who or what

is responsible for the problem?

Question 2