Immigrants (1990)

Today's Golden Oldie is a Dry Bones cartoon I did 20 years ago this month. Back in June 1990 we were trying to figure out how to absorb a flood of Jews from Russia pouring into the Jewish State. "Jews returning to the Land of Israel" is called "Aliya". It is Hebrew for "Going up". * * * Arab refugees are not welcomed in Arab states the way that Jewish refugees are welcomed by the Jewish state. The Arab world is divided into a set of bickering kingdoms, dictatorships, and theocracies. They are united only through the device of an agreed-upon common enemy; the Jews and the Jewish State. Their lip-service to Arab unity does not extend to welcoming Arab refugees as their brothers and sisters.

Consider the following, from an AFP report out of Lebanon just two days ago:

Palestinian refugees seek basic rights in Lebanon
June 27, 2010

BEIRUT — "Thousands of Palestinian refugees gathered on Sunday outside UN headquarters in Beirut to demand basic civil rights in Lebanon, such as a choice of jobs and ownership of property.

The protest organised by Palestinian and Lebanese non-government organisations was initially due to be held outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut.

"The police outside parliament usually ban any protest there," said Maher Shehadeh, one of the Palestinian organisers. So the protesters gathered instead several hundred metres (yards) away outside the UN headquarters.

Maher said 6,000 people were taking parting in the peaceful protest.

The Palestinians travelled in buses from Lebanon's 12 refugee camps for the Beirut gathering organised by Palestinian and Lebanese non-governmental organisations.

"Working is a right," "We want to live in dignity," read placards carried by the protesters.

"I have the right to own property," said another, summing up the frustration of the tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees who live in dire conditions in Lebanon."

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) lists almost 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, a country of four million inhabitants.

But Lebanese and Palestinian officials say the actual number may be as low as 250,000 as UNRWA does not strike off its list those who move to other countries.

The majority of UNRWA-registered refugees live in dire conditions in the camps across and are denied basic civil rights." -more