Knesset Speaker calls for closure of Palestinian refugee camps

The Speaker of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) has called upon the international community to put pressure on the Palestinian Authority to dismantle and close all of the Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Reuven Rivlin believes that the refugees’ legitimate right of return poses a threat to the existence of the Jewish state. In a meeting of the ruling Likud Party, Mr. Rivlin said that as long as the Palestinians use the refugees as a political tool, a peace agreement will not be reached.

The right of return is on the agenda of the latest round of direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.