--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Referring to Palestinian refugees: \"We…" description: "\"Referring to Palestinian refugees: \"We must do everything in our power to ensure that they never return.\" — David Ben-Gurion" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bf/david-ben-gurion-9178_immigration_referring-to-palestinian-refugees-we-mus_1831188.jpg" --- # Referring to Palestinian refugees: "We must do everything… ![“Referring to Palestinian refugees: "We must do everything in our power to ensure that they never return.” quote by David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bf/david-ben-gurion-9178_immigration_referring-to-palestinian-refugees-we-mus_1831188.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bf/david-ben-gurion-9178_immigration_referring-to-palestinian-refugees-we-mus_1831188.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bf/david-ben-gurion-9178_immigration_referring-to-palestinian-refugees-we-mus_1831188.jpg) > “Referring to Palestinian refugees: "We must do everything in our power to ensure that they never return.” [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ensuring Palestinian refugees never return is a strategic imperative for national security. **In simple terms:** Preventing refugee return is seen as essential for security. Key Takeaway Consider long‑term humanitarian impacts of displacement policies. Themes politics conflict human rights Mood serious tense Type political controversial When to use this quote - international law - humanitarian aid - regional stability Key Concepts refugee policy national security population displacement Questions to Reflect On - Is permanent displacement morally defensible? - What alternatives exist for security and justice? A Different Perspective Such policies can foster lasting resentment and instability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Palestinian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palestinian/) [Palestinian refugees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palestinian-refugees/) [Referring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/referring/) [Referring Palestinian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/referring-palestinian-2275674/) [Refugee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refugee/) [Refugees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refugees/) [Refugees Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refugees-power-2275673/) [Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return/) ## Related quotes > [ We must do everything to ensure they \[the Palestinian refugees\] never do return ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/we-must-do-everything-to-ensure-they-the-palestinian-refugees-never/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [I have been a long-time advocate for a just Arab-Israeli peace and for Palestinian refugees. Today, as you are aware, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-noor-of-jordan/i-have-been-a-long-time-advocate-for-a-just-arab-israeli-peace-and/) [Queen Noor of Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-noor-of-jordan/) > [If the refugees return to Israel, Israel will cease to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gamal-abdel-nasser/if-the-refugees-return-to-israel-israel-will-cease-to-exist/) [Gamal Abdel Nasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gamal-abdel-nasser/) > [I have been a long-time advocate for a just Arab-Israeli peace and for Palestinian refugees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-noor-of-jordan/i-have-been-a-long-time-advocate-for-a-just-arab-israeli-peace-and-2/) [Queen Noor of Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-noor-of-jordan/) > [For years, Lebanese have known that Palestinian camps like Nahr al-Barid and Ain al-Helwe - hopeless slums crowded with generations of disenfranchised Palestinian refugees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/for-years-lebanese-have-known-that-palestinian-camps-like-nahr-al/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [Today three-quarters of the Palestinian people are displaced: there are 5 million Palestinian refugees throughout the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/today-three-quarters-of-the-palestinian-people-are-displaced-there/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) > [The 21 Arab states that could easily have absorbed the original 650,000 Palestinian refugees in 1948 refused to do so, even though their combined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-price/the-21-arab-states-that-could-easily-have-absorbed-the-original-650/) [Randall Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-price/) > [What cause have we to complain about their fierce hatred to us? For eight years now, they sit in their refugee camps in Gaza,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-dayan/what-cause-have-we-to-complain-about-their-fierce-hatred-to-us-for/) [Moshe Dayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-dayan/) > [Thus, on this World Refugee Day, let us take time to recognize and draw inspiration from these ordinary people who have shown such extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/thus-on-this-world-refugee-day-let-us-take-time-to-recognize-and-draw/) [Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/) > [My parents are Vietnamese refugees; they left Vietnam after the war. They were part of the boat people, and they ended up in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hong-chau/my-parents-are-vietnamese-refugees-they-left-vietnam-after-the-war/) [Hong Chau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hong-chau/) > [Refugees are threatening, not just to Americans, but also in many countries the world over. And it's partially because, unlike immigrants, refugees do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nguyen-viet-thang/refugees-are-threatening-not-just-to-americans-but-also-in-many/) [Nguyen Viet Thang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nguyen-viet-thang/) > [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Educate yourself, learn about what refugees face when they don't have homes, after they have lost everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/educate-yourself-learn-about-what-refugees-face-when-they-don-t-have/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Almost every continent in the world, including our own, has refugees. But how often when we hear the word do we pause to remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-simon/almost-every-continent-in-the-world-including-our-own-has-refugees/) [Scott Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-simon/) > [Europe is creating the flight of refugees that's tearing it apart politically, and leading rightwing nationalist parties to gain power to withdraw from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/europe-is-creating-the-flight-of-refugees-that-s-tearing-it-apart/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) ## More by David Ben-Gurion > [Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/why-should-the-arabs-make-peace-if-i-was-an-arab-leader-i-would-never/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [The assets of the Jewish National Home must be created exclusively through our own work, for only the product of the Hebrew labor can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/the-assets-of-the-jewish-national-home-must-be-created-exclusively/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [Thought is a strenuous art - few practice it, and then only at rare times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/thought-is-a-strenuous-art-few-practice-it-and-then-only-at-rare-times/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [In the land of Israel was born the Jewish nation. There came an order to kill the religious and social spirit of the people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/in-the-land-of-israel-was-born-the-jewish-nation-there-came-an-order/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [We must assist the British in the war as if there were no White Paper and we must resist the White Paper as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/we-must-assist-the-british-in-the-war-as-if-there-were-no-white-paper/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [We regard it as our duty to declare that Jewish Jerusalem is an organic and inseparable part of the State of Israel, as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/we-regard-it-as-our-duty-to-declare-that-jewish-jerusalem-is-an/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [You must talk to us as equals, or not talk to us at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/you-must-talk-to-us-as-equals-or-not-talk-to-us-at-all/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [The present map of Palestine was drawn by the British mandate. The Jewish people have another map which our youth and adults should strive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/the-present-map-of-palestine-was-drawn-by-the-british-mandate-the/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [The past is our very being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/the-past-is-our-very-being/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [Let us not ignore the truth among ourselves ... politically we are the aggressors and they defend themselves... The country is theirs, because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/let-us-not-ignore-the-truth-among-ourselves-politically-we-are-the/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [We don't consider manual work as a curse, or a bitter necessity, not even as a means of making a living. We consider it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/we-don-t-consider-manual-work-as-a-curse-or-a-bitter-necessity-not/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [We have preserved the Book, and the Book has preserved us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/we-have-preserved-the-book-and-the-book-has-preserved-us/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [We consider that the United Nations' ideal is a Jewish ideal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/we-consider-that-the-united-nations-ideal-is-a-jewish-ideal/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [If I knew that it was possible to save all the children of Germany by transporting them to England, and only half by transferring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/if-i-knew-that-it-was-possible-to-save-all-the-children-of-germany-by/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [Courage is a special kind of knowledge: the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/courage-is-a-special-kind-of-knowledge-the-knowledge-of-how-to-fear/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) [Explore all 74 David Ben-Gurion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) ## More Immigration quotes > [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/) [Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/) > [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Europe is creating the flight of refugees that's tearing it apart politically, and leading rightwing nationalist parties to gain power to withdraw from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/europe-is-creating-the-flight-of-refugees-that-s-tearing-it-apart/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [We need to fight to prove to people that it is possible to form an E.U. migration policy that is in line with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-orban/we-need-to-fight-to-prove-to-people-that-it-is-possible-to-form-an-e/) [Viktor Orban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-orban/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [A lot of Broadway has that immigrant narrative of America as a place where you can become something else against all odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-kass/a-lot-of-broadway-has-that-immigrant-narrative-of-america-as-a-place/) [Deborah Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-kass/) > [Ed Koch once said that New York City is where immigrants come to audition for America. That's what happened to my parents; that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/ed-koch-once-said-that-new-york-city-is-where-immigrants-come-to/) [Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/) > [“If all the developed countries would let in just 3% more immigrants, the world’s poor would have $305 billion more to spend, say scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/if-all-the-developed-countries-would-let-in-just-3-more-immigrants/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [“...the haunted always take refuge in stillness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-dodd/the-haunted-always-take-refuge-in-stillness/) [Christina Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-dodd/) > [These men of many nations must be taught American ways, the English language, and the right way to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/these-men-of-many-nations-must-be-taught-american-ways-the-english/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I think what Democrats need to do is they need to work for the country and make sure that not only the southern border…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-tester/i-think-what-democrats-need-to-do-is-they-need-to-work-for-the/) [Jon Tester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-tester/) > [We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-to-remain-a-nation-that-doesn-t-just-welcome-but-that/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [“The next morning, the refugees rose from their agitation to the realization that they were slowly being erased from the world, from its history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-next-morning-the-refugees-rose-from-their-agitation-to-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 4,018 Immigration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Referring to Palestinian refugees: \"We must do everything in our power to ensure that they never return.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Ben-Gurion" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/referring-to-palestinian-refugees-we-must-do-everything-in-our-power/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Immigration" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/referring-to-palestinian-refugees-we-must-do-everything-in-our-power/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bf/david-ben-gurion-9178_immigration_referring-to-palestinian-refugees-we-mus_1831188.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bf/david-ben-gurion-9178_immigration_referring-to-palestinian-refugees-we-mus_1831188.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bf/david-ben-gurion-9178_immigration_referring-to-palestinian-refugees-we-mus_1831188.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Referring to Palestinian refugees: \"We must do everything in our power to ensure that they never return.” — David Ben-Gurion", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Ben-Gurion", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Referring to Palestinian refugees: \"We must...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/referring-to-palestinian-refugees-we-must-do-everything-in-our-power/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/referring-to-palestinian-refugees-we-must-do-everything-in-our-power/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```