The resettlement of Palestinian refugees is the least we can do

Biden Administration This idea emerged recently Resettle a limited number of Palestinian refugees from Gaza to the United States. It’s the least we can do as a nation.

The reported proposal would invite Palestinians with close family ties to the U.S. It is unclear how many Palestinians would qualify, but it would probably be far short of the number needed.

Sounds easy, right? It’s not. The history of the Palestinian refugee problem is complicated.Right of returnThe demand to “return the refugees to their homelands” – currently on Israeli territory or claimed by Israel – has been rejected in various ways by Israel, or has postponed it until such time as it is part of a fictitious comprehensive Middle East peace agreement.

This is one of the reasons why the international community is reluctant to resettle large numbers of Palestinian refugees in other countries, as it would signal that they may never return to their original homes. 6 million Palestinian refugees live in the Middle East, mainly in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Many of the refugees who live outside the occupied territories live in squalid camps in the hope of one day returning to their homeland. Relatively few refugees have been resettled outside the region. For example, the United States has resettled just 600 Palestinians in the past decade.

Now, Israel and Hamas conflict The turmoil in Gaza has once again raised questions about whether large-scale Palestinian resettlement is politically feasible. As of June 5, the United Nations 35,050 Palestinians As of June 3, the number of people killed in the conflict was: One million Palestinians have fled the Rafah settlement in southern Gaza but are left with nowhere to go, and the death toll is likely to rise.

of Hamas attack on October 7 The attacks against Israel are horrific, and Israel, which has lost 1,200 lives in this conflict, has a right to root out the perpetrators, bring them to justice, and rescue the hostages. But Israel’s disproportionate response has Humanitarian Crisis They, the United States, and the international community must address this issue immediately before more innocent lives are lost.

Relocating some of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to the United States or other countries is part of the solution. If the United States resettles the Palestinians, it will help neighboring countries, e.g. Egypt and JordanNot to mention the European Union countries might agree to take a certain number in. The United States and the international community must not only resettle families, but also protect the most vulnerable Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including the elderly, unaccompanied children, and religious minorities (including Christians), who may not be able to survive.

Opponents including Republican presidential candidate Donald TrumpThey claim that Palestinians are a national security threat and that the U.S. would welcome Hamas terrorists into the U.S., but refugees arriving through the U.S. refugee program are likely The most heavily scrutinized immigrantsBefore boarding the plane to the US, I had to go through several interviews and security checks.

Several U.S. presidents, including President Biden, The path to peace Peace in the Middle East is a two-state solution in which Palestinians have a homeland of their own. Saving the lives of Palestinian refugees, who may face starvation, extreme violence and death, would enhance, not jeopardize, that chance.

Ultimately, the United States and the international community have a moral obligation to alleviate the suffering in Gaza. Many have argued that in normal times, Open Air PrisonNow it lies in ruins and is nearly uninhabitable. Thousands of people have died and thousands more are expected to die. The U.S. refugee program was created for situations like this and should be used.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for generations with no end in sight. To have any chance of a real, not just an imaginary, Middle East peace agreement at some point in the future, America’s priority now must be to save lives, not continue to support a conflict that destroys lives.

J. Kevin Appleby is the former director of immigration policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.