Assisting Palestine Refugees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Assisting Palestine Refugees - Essay Example Thus the Palestinian refugees were scattered through the different locations where their presence is still seen today. In June 2002, US President George W. Bush formally committed US support to the creation of an independent Palestinian state that would be established on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This was further bolstered by the pronouncement by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in the 2004 Likud convention, that â€Å"If a new Palestinian Authority is established, free of terror, if the incitement stops, the Israeli government led by the Likud will be prepared to carry out its part to make possible the establishment of an independent Palestinian state† 2 In January 2009, Israel ended a three-week military operation in the Gaza Strip that killed 1,200 Gaza residents and 5,000 wounded. During the military assault, civilian housing, public infrastructure, and most importantly medical facilities suffered serious damage, with thousands left homeless. A subsequent UN fact-finding mission recommended that international legal action be taken against Israel and Hamas for alleged war crimes and what may be crimes against humanity; however, as of the end of 2009, the UN Security Council has not yet acted on the recommendation.3 Meanwhile, Israeli pursued a policy of restricting movement of people and goods through the borders of the Gaza Strip, which has stifled economic activity and impeded territorial reconstruction. Restrictions were slightly relaxed in the West Bank; however, economic progress, settlement building, and reconstruction were all the same impeded, while incidences of settler violence against Palestinians still broke out. 4 It is against this backdrop that the case of Palestinian refugees is to be analyzed. The refugee situation shall be described by assessing the rights and obligations of the host state vis-à  -vis the refugee, the capability and nature of short-term and long-term responses, the role of international civic organizations in refugee response, and the prospects for successful repatriation and reconstruction.