Encompassing history, politics, and political culture, Bowker grapples with fundamental issues of Palestinian identity in the context of the peace process.

The Palestinian refugee question, resulting from the events surrounding the birth of the state of Israel seventy years ago, remains one of the largest and most protracted refugee crises of the post-WWII era. Numbering over six million in the Middle East alone, Palestinian refugees' status varies considerably according to the state or territory 'hosting' them, the UN agency assisting them and political circumstances surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict these refugees are naturally associated with. Despite being foundational to both the experience of the Palestinian refugees and the resolution of their plight, international law is often side-lined in political discussions concerning their fate. This compelling new book, building on the seminal contribution of the first edition (1998), offers a clear and comprehensive analysis of various areas of international law (including refugee law, human rights law, humanitarian law, the law relating to stateless persons, principles related to internally displaced persons, as well as notions of international criminal law), and probes their relevance to the provision of international protection for Palestinian refugees and their quest for durable solutions.

7. Scope of the study

The main goal of this book is to record as much of the Palestinian refugees' political history as possible. The author is becoming increasingly aware of the ebb and flow of general interest in the refugee issue and the strong possibility of subsuming that chapter in the larger Palestinian story. As the PLO itself moved further and further away from the refugee constituency, it became necessary to examine and define the impact of the refugee issue on the larger Palestinian political picture, for indeed, as it turned out, they were always a tremendous influence on the course of Palestinian and Arab history. Although they lost their leadership positions within the PLO, as the latter became increasingly elitist and bureaucratic, the powerless refugees apparently never lost the means to influence the course of Palestinian history. This book relies heavily on early State Department dispatches, Israeli Foreign Office correspondence, early accounts of the stirrings of a refugee movement in Jordan and declarations, statements and studies of the Badil Research Centre and some right of return groups. Also investigated is much of the known literature to emerge from the secretive Oslo negotiations and the reverberations produced by their deliberations throughout the Palestinian diaspora. The resilience of the refugee question should never be questioned or declared until one of two things happened: either the obliteration or dispersal of concentrated refugee communities became a reality or the Palestinian refugees accepted a resolution of some kind or another.

The repatriation of Palestinians is a highly topical issue, and a critical component of any future peace process for Israel/Palestine. Until now, the mechanics of repatriation have not been dealt with in detail. This book explores the notion that the Palestinian refugee case is exceptional through the comparative study of refugee repatriation, and asks: To what extent can the Palestinian case be said to be unique? Where are the divergences, the overlaps and points of similarity with other refugee situations? What lessons can be drawn from these comparisons? How can these lessons inform refugee organizations, the donor community and policy makers? The expert contributors examine the contextual and methodological field, reviewing the trends in forced migration and refugee studies as well as studying the historical and political background of UNHCR and the negotiations around the Palestinian refugee issue. Taking a comparative approach, the book incorporates case studies of specific refugee situations from around the world, revealing key issues in the formulation of repatriation programmes and highlighting lessons to be learnt.

After the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, Palestinian refugees fled over the border into Jordan, which in 1950 formally annexed the West Bank. In the wake of the 1967 War, another wave of Palestinians sought refuge in the Hashemite kingdom. Today, 42 per cent of registered Palestinian refugees live in Jordan. As a result of this historical context, one might expect Palestinian refugee camps to be highly politicised spaces. Yet Luigi Achilli argues in this book that there is in fact a relative absence of political activity. Instead, what is prevalent is a desire to live an 'ordinary life'. It is within the framework of the performing and creating everyday life – working, praying, relaxing, watching football matches, surfing the internet, or idling in barber shops – that Achilli examines nationalism and identity. Palestinian refugees have been traditionally depicted by the Western media as inherently political beings, ready to fight and resist all attempts to quash their nationalist struggle. But except for occasional political demonstrations and events, neither the political turmoil in Gaza and the West Bank, nor the uprisings throughout the Middle East of 2011, have roused refugees out of what they described as the ordinary course of daily life in the camp. Achilli argues instead that refugee daily life in many ways revolves around the practice of suspending the political. The performative and reiterative dimensions of ordinary activities have not, however, precluded refugees from feeling an affinity for many of the meanings, ideals, and values of Palestinian nationalism. Achilli holds that it is through the desire for an 'ordinary life' that these Palestinian refugees are able to assert their own meanings and understandings of national identity against the more inflexible interpretations provided by the political systems in Gaza and the West Bank. Examining the concepts of 'everyday' Islam as well as the construction of masculine identity in the camps, Achilli offers vital analysis of the complexities and ambiguities of camp-dwellers' experience of the political in ordinary times.

This well-established and widely-respected "Yearbook," is a primary source of information on significant and topical legal issues relating to the Palestinian territories. It provides, in a single annual volume, not only leading articles on topics of major interest to the international legal community, but also key legislation, court decisions, legal cases, treaties, reslolutions, special reports, and other relevant legal material translated from the original Arabic or Hebrew into English. The 11th volume of "The Palestine Yearbook of International Law" is devoted specifically to the question of Palestine refugees and includes: - a comparison of the international legal framework designed to protect refugees with the framework already established for the protection of Palestinian Refugees, - an examination of the various pieces of legislation enacted to 'legally' confiscate Palestinian lands, - raising the question as to how the plight of Palestinian refugees may be addressed in the international legal system, - legal precedents regarding refugees, includiing the Dayton accord and UN Resolutions, -various agreements signed over the course of the past year, - a detailed bibliography of books, monographs and articles, - a comprehensive index. This new volume, as with its predecessors, will be an invaluable source of reference and record on the complex legal issues relating to the Palestinian territories, and will be of prime interest to legal practitioners, researchers, scholars and anyone involved in law, politics, human rights or international relations who has an interest in this region.

As violence escalates in the Middle East, a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine seems more elusive than ever. Yet one thing remains clear: without constructive dialogue such an agreement cannot occur. This timely volume presents just such a dialogue. It brings together opinions, perspectives, and research focused on one of the region’s most complex and volatile problems: the Palestinian refugee situation. Based on a 1999 conference at the University of Oklahoma International Program Center, Palestinian Refugees combines contributions from Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, Americans, and Europeans. In addition to focusing on the Palestinian refugees, the essays present various proposals for solving the Palestinian problem. Organized in two parts, the volume presents both scholarly essays and position papers. The scholarly essays place current issues in historical context and explore the Palestinian belief in the "right of return" and questions of appropriate compensation. The position papers focus on policy and offer a variety of perspectives. Concluding the volume is a special essay on public polls that gauge how Palestinians and Israelis view the circumstances of Palestinian refugees and what they feel about possible solutions.

The ongoing Palestinian refugee problem represents one of the largest and most protracted displacements of people in the world. This book tackles the issue of reparations for those affected. Employing a comparative approach, the author examines other precedents for reparations and how these might be employed in the Palestinian case.