HOT · History
Why did about 700,000 Palestinians leave in 1948, and may they return?
In brief
Roughly 700,000 Arabs left or were driven from the territory that became Israel during the war of 1947 to 1949, and Israel did not let them return. Historians agree on those facts. They disagree on how much was flight from war, how much was expulsion, and whether any plan lay behind it.
What is claimed
- Palestinians call 1948 the Nakba, the catastrophe. They say their communities were deliberately emptied, villages were destroyed, and the refugees were barred from coming home.
- Historians such as Ilan Pappe argue that the Zionist leadership carried out a planned ethnic cleansing, pointing to Plan Dalet of March 1948 and to expulsions in places such as Lydda and Ramle in July 1948.
What the record shows
- Between about 700,000 and 750,000 Arabs left or were expelled from the territory that became Israel, and hundreds of villages were emptied.
- Israel did not allow the refugees back after the 1949 armistice agreements, and later laws barred the return of absentees.
- UN General Assembly Resolution 194 of December 1948 said refugees who wished to return and live in peace should be allowed to do so at the earliest practicable date, with compensation for the rest. It is a recommendation and not a binding order.
- Around 160,000 Arabs stayed and became Israeli citizens. Roughly 850,000 Jews left or were forced out of Arab states and Iran in the decades that followed.
The case and the answers
The strongest case against
- There were many expulsions, and Israel's refusal to allow return made the displacement permanent.
- Plan Dalet and military orders show intent to clear territory, even if no single written order covers every case.
The best answers
- The war began when Arab leaders rejected the November 1947 partition plan and Arab armies invaded in May 1948.
- The historian Benny Morris, who documented expulsions in detail, found that most Arabs left because of the war and fear and that no master plan for expulsion existed.
- Some Arab leaders urged civilians to leave, a claim historians dispute for most places.
- A mass return would end the Jewish majority of the only Jewish state, and the Jewish refugees from Arab lands were never compensated either.
Key dates
- 29 Nov 1947 UN General Assembly votes to partition Mandatory Palestine.
- Mar 1948 Plan Dalet is drawn up by the Haganah.
- 9 Apr 1948 Deir Yassin, where Irgun and Lehi fighters killed villagers, spreads fear across the country.
- 14 May 1948 Israel declares independence and Arab armies invade.
- Jul 1948 Lydda and Ramle are taken and most of their residents leave or are forced out.
- 11 Dec 1948 UN General Assembly adopts Resolution 194.
- 1949 Armistice agreements end the fighting. Israel refuses return.
Who addresses this
Profiles with articles, videos and podcasts. Open a profile for the full list.
- Einat WilfPalestinian nationalism and the refugee question
- Haviv Rettig GurExplains the 1948 war and its aftermath
- Michael OrenHistorian and former ambassador
- Dan SchueftanArab politics and Israeli security
Direct sources and further study
- Benny Morris, The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited (2004)Israeli historian, documents expulsions and finds no master plan
- Ilan Pappe, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (2006)Argues that expulsion was planned
- Rashid Khalidi, The Hundred Years' War on Palestine (2020)Palestinian historian's account
- Efraim Karsh, Palestine Betrayed (2010)Argues that the flight was largely the result of Arab choices
- Wikipedia: 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flightNeutral overview with the main sources
- Wikipedia: Palestinian right of returnLegal arguments for and against
Related on NOWlej
War of Independence · UN Partition Plan · British Mandate · Jaffa · Haifa
Know a good article, video or podcast on this issue? Send it to us.
Links to outside sources are provided for study and do not imply endorsement. Figures and rulings are described as of the date shown.