6 February 2000 – “Two Issues, One Objective, Nothing More Important” – Washington Post
Despite their lack of progress last week, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will, at some point this year, affirm Palestinian statehood. Yet this will likely occur without resolving, even in theory, the two most difficult issues they face: Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees. …
1 February 2001 – “A Choice-based Approach to the Right of Return” – Ha’aretz
In recent weeks, some of the best minds on the Israeli left (including Amos Oz, A.B. Yehoshua and David Grossman) issued an open letter to the Palestinian leadership in which they forcefully stated that they would never agree to the return of the refugees to within the borders of Israel. Instead, they affirmed that “the refugees will have the right to return to their homeland, Palestine, and settle there.” …
June 2001 – “Clearing Up the Right-Of-Return Confusion” – Middle East Policy
From the Volume VIII, Number 2 issue of “Middle East Policy” (NO. 68) published by Blackwell Publishers.
A few weeks prior to the February election, some of the best minds on the Israeli left (Amos Oz, A.B. Yehoshua, David Grossman, etc.) issued, in the Israeli press, a letter to the Palestinian leadership. After noting that they have struggled for over 30 years for the two-state solution, the signers forcefully stated that they shall never be able to agree to the return of the refugees to within the borders of Israel. …
20 March 2007 – “Who’s Afraid of 194?” – YNETNEWS
One advantage of accepting the Saudi peace plan is that it places solving the refugee issue within the larger context of achieving an end to the entire Israeli-Arab conflict. This is essential because it is only with the active cooperation of the Arab states that real solutions to the refugee problem will be found. …
Read this article in Hebrew.
Read this article on the YNETNEWS website.
9 July 2008 – “The Refugees’ Right of Return and Israel’s Right to Exist as a Jewish State” – Al-Quds
A widely held Palestinian position is that Israel should first recognize the right of return as a matter of principle, and then Palestinians will work out with them a realistic compromise on implementation. Repeatedly, Palestinian leaders have made clear that they are not seeking the actual return of millions of refugees. …