Author: Sobhi Albadawi
This article investigates Palestinian refugees’ current views regarding blame (responsibility) for their displacement from Palestine in 1948 from both generational and gender perspectives. The Palestinian refugee narrative posits the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland in 1948 (Al Nakba) was a direct result of forced population transfer by the Zionist movement (Kanaana 2000), The aim of this research investigation is to determine if, or the extent to which, this narrative may have changed after many years of displacement. Palestinian refugees views regarding (responsibility) for their expulsion from Palestine in 1948 were captured via a self-completed survey. The survey was completed by 1200 male and female refugees aged between 18 and 75+ years representing four generations living in five refugee camps located in the West Bank in 2013. Participants were recruited from Community Centres, Local Refugees Committee Centres, Health Centres and United Nations offices located in each refugee camp. The findings showed that Palestinian refugees across all age groups and for both genders overwhelmingly continue to blame Jewish forces for the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland in 1948. Based on these findings, the main conclusion drawn in this article is that the Palestinian refugee narrative of Al Nakba which blames the Zionist forces of 1948 remains active across the generations despite many years of displacement.
Keywords: Right of return, refugee, blame, responsibility, Al Nakba, expulsion.
Sobhi Albadawi, Independent Researcher, NSW Sydney, Australia. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
