Refugees into Citizens

Refugees into Citizens: Palestinians and the End of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, a provocative and timely new book by Syracuse University international law professor Donna E. Arzt, offers an unprecedented blueprint for resolving what is often called the "last taboo" in the Arab-Israeli peace negotiations: a just and permanent solution to the problem of over three million Palestinian refugees. This book represents the first comprehensive effort to place the inclusion and dignity of Palestinian refugees at the core of creating viable and lasting peace in the region. Arzt blends traditional academic scholarship with a practical policy prescription: the end of the Middle East conflict can only be achieved when all Palestinian refugees are offered dual citizenship, compensation for lost property, and/or voluntary absorption options in either a future state of Palestine, other Arab states in the region, the broader international community, or on family reunification grounds, repatriation in Israel. Arzt argues that compensation should be based on a "no fault" assumption, and that all involved parties share equal responsibility for refugee absorption.