Editorial Note
Various posts in the Arab countries, beginning on January 21, replied to the Department’s circular airgram of December 29, 1948 (see Foreign Relations, 1948, volume V, Part 2, page 1696), on the refugee problem. On that day, Jidda reported that “Up to the present, no Arabs from Palestine have sought refuge in Saudi Arabia” (despatch 15).
Cairo advised, on January 28, that the support given to roughly 8,000 refugees was a sizable drain on the Egyptian treasury “although percentage-wise not nearly as formidable as the expense borne by the Lebanese and Syrian Governments.” It noted additionally that “If the roughly 250,000 refugees now in the Egyptian occupied area of Palestine were driven into Egypt the result would be almost catastrophic for Egypt financially.” Cairo concluded that “There is ample evidence that the Egyptian Government has decided that the refugees are not in Egypt to stay. The refugees have been kept isolated in the desert on the far side of the Suez Canal where a strict guard is maintained over their camp. No new refugees have been allowed to come to Egypt since last May and the Government predicates its whole approach on forcing the refugee problem on the Jews and the United Nations to the greatest degree possible” (airgram 102).
Amman informed, on February 3, that the continued presence of 89,000 refugees in Transjordan and 302,000 in Arab Palestine would adversely affect both areas “in serious way through constant drain on almost nonexistent resources” and that the areas under Transjordanian control could only assimilate a “very small number refugees under existing conditions since money, jobs and other opportunities scarce” (telegram 46 and airgram 5).
Beirut, on February 4, stated that “The continued presence of some 90,000 Arab refugees in the Lebanon … would almost undoubtedly be considered unacceptable by the Government and an unbearable burden.” It also gave its opinion that “Prospects of permanently settling any large number of Palestine refugees in Lebanon are very poor,” inasmuch as “(1) Unemployment already exists and present economic conditions do not warrant consideration this possibility [; and] (2) Politically absorption of large number Moslems into Lebanon would upset present sensitive balance which exists between Christians and Moslems” (airgram 35 and telegram 55).
Damascus, on February 4, reported estimates of 80,000 to 100,000 [Page 689] refugees in Syria and that the small cash dole and foodstuffs supplied to them had resulted in “utter demoralization and impoverishment” of practically all of them. Damascus noted also that the “presence of refugees in Syria has constituted economic burden primarily on communities rather than on govt which as early as August, 1948 practically abandoned its relief expenditures as unsupportable budgetary drain” (airgram 30).
Baghdad, on February 5 and 7 noted the presence in Iraq of 5,000 refugees whose maintenance was possible despite the severe economic depression. However, the “Absence demand for labor makes impossible absorb any additional refugees now” (telegram 47 and airgram 54).
All messages cited above are filed under 501.MA Palestine, with the dates of the messages serving as dated enclosures, except for airgrams 35 from Beirut and 54 from Baghdad, which are filed under 501.BB Palestine.