The 1967 Palestinian exodus refers to the flight of around 280,000 to 325,000 Palestinians^[1] out of the territories occupied by Israel during and in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. Their exodus was followed by the demolition of a many Palestinian villages, such as Imwas, Yalo, and Beit Nuba, Surit, Beit Awwa, Beit Mirsem, Shuyukh, Jiftlik, Agarith and Huseirat.^[2] The Special Committee heard allegations of the destruction of over 400 Arab villages, but no evidence in corroboration was furnished to the Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the population of the occupied territories.^[3]

Approximately 145,000 of the 1967 Palestinian refugees were refugees from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.^[4] By December 1967, 245,000 had fled from the West Bank and Gaza Strip to Jordan, 11,000 had fled from Gaza to Egypt and 116,000 Palestinians and Syrians had fled from the Golan Heights further into Syria.^[4]

Before the Six-Day War roughly half of all Palestinians still lived within the boundaries of former British Mandate of Palestine, but after the war the majority lived outside the territory.^[4]

A 1971 United Nations report claimed that the continual pressure applied by Israeli authorities on the Palestinian population created a climate of fear within the civil population leading to a cycle of resistance and Israeli reprisals.^[5] The Israeli Government carried out a policy of the destruction of Palestinian society by harassment (parts of the rural population were transferred from their homes) and arbitrary deportation of leaders and intellectuals from among the inhabitants of the occupied territories (judges, barristers, advocates, doctors, teachers, religious leaders).^[6]

After the psychological warfare unit made a visit to Qalqilya and many of the residents had fled, the UN representative Nils-Göran Gussing noted that 850 of the towns 2,000 houses were demolished.^[7]

The exodus is commemorated annually on Naksa Day.

See also

• Palestinian refugee
• 1948 Palestinian exodus
• Palestinian diaspora
• 1949 to 1956 Palestinian exodus

Notes

References

• Bowker, Robert P. G. (2003). Palestinian Refugees: Mythology, Identity, and the Search for Peace. Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 1588262022
• Gerson, Allan (1978). Israel, the West Bank and International Law. Routledge. ISBN 0714630918
• McDowall, David (1989). Palestine and Israel: The Uprising and Beyond. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 1850432899.
• Segev, Tom (2007) 1967 Israel, The War and the Year that Transformed the Middle East Little Brown ISBN 978-0-316-72478-4