[Avodah] Halachah and Palestinian Refugees

[Zev Sero]

On 13/09/18 17:35, Micha Berger via Avodah wrote:

> There are interesting implications here. Would the first shitah, which
> the AhS presents as the majority position, imply a justification for
> UNWRA-style inherited refugee status?
> 
> I'm not getting into the politics of whether or not the father had
> a right to consider the land his nachalah to begin with. We all have
> passionate opinions on the subject, and I am betting nearly all of us
> have the same passionate opinion. So why bother going there?
> 
> Just asking if you think halakhah supports the notion that if the father
> is a refugee, so would be the son -- and if not, not.

It's got nothing to do with refugee status.  Care for refugees is not 
based on their having been wronged, or about righting that wrong; it's 
entirely about helping them when they're in need.  Never mind 
descendants' even refugees themselves, if there is no prospect of their 
returning home any time soon, are supposed to be resettled as soon as 
possible, and then they're no longer refugees.  So no, their descendants 
many decades later, when there's been plenty of time to resettle them 
somewhere, are not refugees.

But *if* the land was theirs in the first place, and they maintained 
their claim against all squatters, then of course their children would 
inherit it.  This is precisely why it belongs to *us*, because we *have* 
maintained our claim, serving notice on the world three times a day of 
our intent to repossess it whenever convenient to us, and thus their 
grandparents remained squatters.

-- 
Zev Sero            A prosperous and healthy 5779 to all
zev at sero.name       Seek Jerusalem's peace; may all who love you prosper