Synopses & Reviews
Morris explores the realities behind the Palestinian exodus of 1948 during the Arab-Israeli war.
Synopsis
In a revised edition of Morris" earlier work, which explored the realities behind the Palestinian exodus of 1948, fresh material considers battles, expulsions and atrocities that contributed to the disintegration of Palestinian communities. The story is harrowing. Refugees now number four million - their cause remains a major obstacle to peace.
Synopsis
This book is the first full-length study of the birth of the Palestinian refugee problem. Based on recently declassified Israeli, British and American state and party political papers and on hitherto untapped private papers, it traces the stages of the 1947-9 exodus against the backdrop of the first Arab-Israeli war and analyses the varied causes of the flight. The Jewish and Arab decision-making involved is described and explained, as is the crystallisation of Israel's decision to bar a refugee repatriation. Throughout the book attempts to describe what happened rather than what successive generations of Israeli and Arab propagandists have said happened, and to explain the motives of the protagonists.
Synopsis
This is a revised edition of Morris' earlier work which exposed the realities of how 700,000 Palestinians became refugees during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The focus remains the war and exodus, but fresh archival material considers what happened in Jerusalem, Jaffa and Haifa, and how events there led to the collapse of urban Palestine. It also sheds light on battles and atrocities that contributed to the disintegration of rural communities. The story is harrowing. The refugees now number four million and their existence remains a major obstacle to peace.
Synopsis
This book is the first full-length study of the birth of the Palestinian refugee problem. Based on recently declassified Israeli, British and American state and party political papers and on hitherto untapped private papers, it traces the stages of the 1947-9 exodus against the backdrop of the first Arab-Israeli war and analyses the varied causes of the flight.
Table of Contents
List of maps; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Maps; Introduction; 1. Background; 2. The first wave: the Arab exodus, December 1947-March 1948; 3. The second wave: the mass exodus, April-June 1948; 4. Deciding against a return of the refugees, April-December 1948; 5. Blocking a return; 6. The third wave: the ten days (9-18 July 1948) and the Second Truce (18 July-15 October); 7. The fourth wave: the battles and exodus of October-November 1948; 8. Clearing the borders: expulsions and population transfers, November 1948-July 1949; 9. Solving the refugee problem, December 1948-September 1949; Conclusion; Appendix I: The number of Palestinian refugees; Appendix II: Biographical notes; Notes; Bibliography; Index.