The Palestinian Diaspora Summary

The reading titled "The Palestinian Diaspora", by authors Felix Dane and Jorg Knocha, discusses the complexity of the matter of displaced Palestinians worldwide. The reading claims that there are more Palestinians living outside the Palestinian territories then there are living within the country. Within the reading, the term "refugee" is applied to all Palestinians who had to leave their homeland against their own will. The trauma of Palestinian refugees began with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has led to the formation of the Palestinian diaspora and the foundation of the state of Israel. The fate of being a refugee and the unsatisfactory conditions in many Arab countries resulted in the unification of the national Palestinian identity. …show more content…
Many refugees were granted Jordanian citizenship, but later on, problems similar to those in Lebanon began to arise. For decades, the Palestinian diaspora has developed and influenced the surrounding community. Palestinians started to forge careers in foreign countries and have a great career by making their way in several areas of specialization. The network of Palestinian Scientists and Technologists Abroad, PALESTA, was established to create links between Palestinians so the advancement of the diaspora could benefit those back home. PALESTA was used to help international awareness of the Palestinian crisis and support the Palestinian territories. According to the authors, refugees have a great political influence that is often misused to politically pressure Israel. However, the Palestinian leadership has failed to talk about the refugee issue and represent the Palestinians to solve the issue. To conclude the article, it states that the activities of Palestinian refugees are greatly linked to those within the territories. The complexity of the Palestinian issue is an influencing factor on the Middle