AlNaksah
This week between June 5th and June 10th, the allied forces of Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia lost the war of 1967 against the occupying forces of Israel. This loss in the war can be attributed to various factors. Israel had a well-planned and coordinated military strategy, coupled with technological superiority. Additionally, several “political and strategic circumstances” that worked in Israel's favor.
The loss of 1967 meant that the occupying forces are now in control of strategic territories. The outcome of the war exceeded even Israel's own expectations, as it occupied the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan.
As a result of the war, a significant number of Palestinians were displaced from their homes and became refugees. Many Palestinians fled or were forced to leave their homes in the newly occupied territories, seeking safety in other parts of the region, including Jordan, Lebanon, and other Arab countries. The displacement of Palestinians in 1967 added to the existing Palestinian refugee population from the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, known as the Nakba ("catastrophe" in Arabic). The Nakba resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes as Israel was established.
Following the 1967 war, Israel assumed control over the newly occupied territories and established Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. These settlements, considered illegal under international law, have had a significant impact on the lives of Palestinians and have been a major obstacle to the resolution of many Palestinian issues that are hurting the refugee population, and hindering the establishment of peace.
Palestinian displacement, both in 1948 and 1967, remains a central and complex problem of the Palestinian diaspora. The status of the occupied territories, the rights of Palestinian refugees, and the question of a future Palestinian state are all key issues that continue to be discussed and negotiated in the ongoing failing peace process.
