Right of return no big deal

last updated 8 January 2015

Ramallah, West Bank

A Palestinian political scientist released a poll this week showing that most Palestinians don’t want to return to the homes their grandparents left or were ousted from when Israel was created in 1948. Pollster Khalil Shikaki surveyed 4,500 refugee families in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Jordan. While 95 percent of respondents insisted that Israel should recognize Palestinian refugees’ “right of return” as a moral principle, only 10 percent said they would act on that right and actually move to Israel. Most said they would accept financial compensation instead, and would live in the West Bank or Gaza. The surprising results upset some Palestinian activists, who stormed into Shikaki’s office and pelted him with eggs.