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A Palestinian Victory, The Arab World's Dirty Secret

(Wall Street Journal) Editorial - As Israelis and Palestinians prepare to visit Washington to begin direct peace talks, it's worth recalling what refugees the Palestinians are - in Arab countries. Last week, Lebanon's parliament amended a clause in a 1946 law that had been used to bar the 400,000 Palestinians living in the country from taking any but the most menial jobs. The dirty little secret of the Arab world is that it has consistently treated Palestinians living in its midst with contempt and often violence. For six decades, Palestinians have been forced by Arab governments to live in often squalid conditions so that they could serve as propaganda tools against Israel, even as millions of refugees elsewhere have been repatriated and absorbed by their host countries. This month's vote still falls short of giving Palestinian Lebanese the rights they deserve, including citizenship. But it's a reminder of the cynicism of so much Arab pro-Palestinian propaganda, and the credulity of those who fall for it.
2010-08-30 08:00:40
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