Broken Promises

Mufid describes a large departure to Lebanon from Israel, which led to the creation of “11 or 15 refugee camps.” He does not place the blame on Israel. As Palestinian Media Watch has previously reported, other recent Palestinian accounts likewise describe a deliberate exit from Israel under orders by Arab leaders, which contradicts the Palestinian leadership’s charge that the hundreds of thousands of Arabs who left in 1948 were expelled by Israel.

Mufid, who left Dir Al-Qasi (Acre region) in 1948, was interviewed on PA TV’s weekly program entitled “Returning.” Each program focuses on a different refugee camp. The following is from the text of the interview with Mufid:

“We headed first from Dir al-Qasi [northern Israel] to Rmaich [Lebanon], considering what they (Arab leaders) said at the time: ‘By Allah, in a week or two, you will return to Palestine.’ The Arab armies entered Palestine, along with the Arab Liberation Army. We left—we and those who fled with us—and we all headed for Lebanon. Some people came to Rmaich and others came to the villages on the border, such as Ein Ibl and also to Bint Jbeil. People scattered. And we have about 11 or 15 [refugee] camps in Lebanon.”