Of the more than 800,000 Arabs who lived in the lsraeli-held territory before 1948, how many remained after 1948?

1 Answer
Mar 18, 2017

Estimated that 80% of the Arabs were expelled or left. That would mean about 200,000 remained. About 800,000 Arabs became refugees that would make about 1,000,000 to start.

Explanation:

There is extensive survey information on how many Arabs left or were forced out but not much on how many stayed. Arabs in urban areas were pretty much gone. About 90 to 95% of the Arab villages in the Israeli territory were mostly or totally destroyed.

There was a census in 1948 in Israel and that information may be available.

Israeli law and policy made it impossible for refugees to return and were probably made it hard on those Arabs who had remained in Israel.

There was a short termed settlement program after the 1967 War in the newly acquired lands. Various factors ended the program.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Palestinian_exodus#Abandoned.2C_evacuated_and_destroyed_Palestinian_localities