Israel today published the items of a political document drawn up several days ago by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, in which Israel denies the existence of more than five million Palestinian refugees, one of the main issues in negotiations with the Palestinians.
The ministry also claims for the first time that the broad definition of "Palestinian refugees" is a false definition and unfairly imposes on the real refugees in the world.
The document says:
- The "refugees" living in Jordan must settle in the Kingdom.
The document states that "very few Palestinians who meet the legal definition of the refugee, and a few thousand out of the 5.3 million registered in UNRWA are refugees" by increasing the number of registered refugees.
- The document considers that UNRWA's "right of return" request is a benign expression of Israel's destruction.
- Palestinian refugees deserve the same international assistance as other refugees from the United Nations refugee agency, in order to put an end to it, not to maintain its status.
- UNRWA and the allowance for social assistance exacerbate the conflict by exaggerating the number of false refugees and undermining Israel's right to exist, as well as its relations with Hamas.
- UNRWA perpetuates the refugee situation and fuels the cycle of conflict.
- Israel reiterates the previously disclosed information that UNRWA is in contact with Hamas, which is actively assisting in incitement against Israel and Palestinian propaganda against Israel, and provides a long list of evidence supporting these arguments.
"Because of the automatic majority in the United Nations, serious states will take steps to reform UNRWA, and Western countries can not hide behind the UN General Assembly," says the Israeli Foreign Ministry.