A refugee is a person who is forced to cross an international border to seek safety as a result of war or natural disasters.
In Palestinian discourse, the term refers to anyone who was forced by Zionists to leave their home. Hundreds of thousands of refugees fled to neighbouring Arab states in 1948 and again in 1967 when Israel occupied the rest of historic Palestine. Today, they and their descendants number over seven million, one-third of whom still live in UN-administered refugee camps.
The rights of refugees are enshrined in various articles of international law. The right of return is one of the key Palestinian demands relating to the peace process. The right of return refers to the right of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return to their pre-1948 homes.
UN Resolution 194 of December 11, 1948, states: “Refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so.”