(Los Angeles, May 15, 2020) – StandWithUs has released a new booklet: “Understanding the Nakba: Refugees of the Arab-Israeli Conflict”. On May 15 of each year, Palestinians observe “Nakba Day.” “Nakba” is Arabic for “catastrophe,” which is how many Palestinians describe the founding of the State of Israel, its victory against invading Arab forces in the 1948 War, and the tragic refugee crisis that followed. “Palestinian leaders and anti-Israel groups reduce complex historical events down to black and white narratives, blaming Israel alone. Our new booklet offers much needed clarity about what actually took place before, during, and after the 1948 War,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs. “We hope this will inspire a more informed and constructive dialogue about the conflict and how to resolve it.” The booklet provides background about the events that led to the 1948 War, delves into the causes of the Palestinian Arab and Jewish refugee crises using scholarly sources, and analyzes why outcomes for these two refugee populations have been so different. It incorporates important context about the UN agencies UNRWA and UNHCR, and how this issue affects the prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Tragically, Palestinian leaders and Arab governments have kept Palestinian refugees and their descendants confined in refugee areas for over seven decades. This unacceptable status quo is perpetuated by the UN, which has separate goals, standards, and agencies serving Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and all other refugee populations in the world (UNHCR). These factors, combined with unjust and unrealistic demands for millions of Palestinians to move into Israel, have helped prevent a just and peaceful end to the conflict. The booklet is available online here. ###
About StandWithUs StandWithUs (SWU) is an international, non-profit and non-partisan Israel education organization that works to inspire and educate people of all ages about Israel, as well as challenge misinformation and fight against antisemitism. Through university fellowships, high school internships, middle school curricula, conferences, materials, social media, educational films and missions to Israel, StandWithUs supports people around the world who want to educate their schools and communities about Israel. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization has chapters, programs and activities on 5 continents, including the U.S., Israel, UK, Canada, South Africa and Brazil. For the last 7 years, SWU has consistently received the highest possible ratings from Charity Navigator (4 stars) and Guidestar (Platinum). www.standwithus.com and www. facebook.com/standwithus and www.twitter.com/standwithus
