Why Palestinians Left Their Homes?

The reasons behind approximately 700,000 people becoming refugees during the creation of the state of Israel have been a point of significant contention between Israel, its supporters, and Arab nations. Israeli narratives often assert that Arabs left voluntarily or were encouraged to leave by their leaders to facilitate an Arab invasion on May 15, 1948, and to later claim expulsion by Israel. However, extensive documentation from the 1980s in both Israeli and Western archives has contradicted these "official" narratives, showing that neither explanation fully captures the complexity of the situation.

The refugee crisis was arguably inevitable due to several underlying factors:

• Population Intermingling: The Jewish and Arab populations were geographically intertwined, exacerbating tensions.
• Historical Hostilities: Since 1917, there had been a history of Arab-Jewish friction, which intensified with the political and territorial disputes.
• Rejection of Binational Solutions: Both sides rejected coexistence models that would have allowed shared governance.
• Deep-Seated Animosity: There was significant Arab hostility towards Jewish rule, fueled by fears of domination.

The Palestinian society at the time was particularly vulnerable:

• Lack of Cohesion: Society was poorly organized with little political or social unity.
• Divisions: There were stark divides between rural and urban populations, Muslims and Christians, and various elite clans.
• Leadership Vacuum: The absence of representative leaders and national institutions meant there was no centralized response to the crisis.
• Economic Displacement: By the 1940s, many rural Palestinians had lost their land due to economic changes starting in the mid-19th century, leading to urbanization into shantytowns and slums, disconnecting many from their traditional lands.
• Education and Literacy: With a literacy rate of only 20-30% due to limited educational systems, political awareness and activism were low, particularly among the rural and urban poor.