I see Speaker Gingirch's point

Submitted by Peter Herz (United States), Dec 11, 2011 at 08:25

The real task for American Middle East policy is to politely remind the Arab League and the whole of the easily outraged Dar-ul-Islam that there are 30,000 or so people walking around with US passports, no-questions-asked rights to buy and own property in the USA, US voting rights, and eligibility for public office in the USA who descend from the "Disaster" of 1948. Yet, in the whole Arab world, only the PA, Jordan, and Israel itself (where, I understand, Arabic is also an official language), the descendants of the "Disaster" remain stateless down to the fourth and fifth generations; and the Arab street dares to feel outrage against the USA over their plight. Even our supposed "friends" like Mubarak allowed their state-controlled media to demonize the USA over the plight of the poor, poor Palestinians.

The time is long past due to make it a permanent talking point for US diplomats in the Arab world that in an era which has seen Delhi-born Pervez Musharaf and Lahore-born Manmohan Singh (themselves one-time refugees from a conflict of late q94o's vintage) sit down to discuss the easing of South Asian tensions, the continuing "refugee" status of the Falastin Arabs in the Arab states is simply inexcusable.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".