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The Palestinian "Right of Return" Law Leaves No Room for Political Flexibility
(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Lt. Col. (ret.) Jonathan D. Halevi - Some argue that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will ultimately relinquish its demand for the "right of return" of five million Palestinian refugees and their descendents to the sovereign territory of the State of Israel. Others believe that the Palestinian consensus is intransigent on the issue. They predict that after an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 lines, a future Palestinian state will pursue its struggle for full implementation of the "right of return," which means in fact bringing about the destruction of the State of Israel. In 2008, the Palestinian "right of return" was anchored in legislation passed by the Palestinian Parliament. The law's provisions block any possibilities of compromise and political flexibility for Palestinian negotiators. Understanding the Palestinian political stance is highly important for shaping future Israeli policy. The writer, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, is a former advisor to the Policy Planning Division of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.