Updated 1 year ago ago
https://www.quora.com/Why-won-t-Saudi-Arabia-and-other-Arab-countries-accept-refugees-from-Palestine-into-their-countries
In case anyone was wondering, the TL;DR is that it’s because they almost destroyed Jordan and completely wrecked Lebanon, the latter of which was a liberal, peaceful, prosperous, multicultural democracy for hundreds of years.
Thanks to radical Islam, many Arab states are always teetering on the edge of dissolution. Groups like the Wahabists, ISIS, Hamas, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram in Africa, and, to a lesser extent, the Muslim Brotherhood, are not exceptions, but an ever-present threat.
The Baath party and the Pan Arabism were failed reactions to that.
It should be noted here that Palestinians per se are not very religious – proof that the core problem is cultural (see related articles below)
For Arab states, especially, borders matter, even if they were drawn up by Britain and France.
Ironically, the Palestinians’ biggest supporters are far-left Westerners:
Meanwhile, the only vibrant democracy in the region remains Israel, and it could be argued that this was so because many of Israel’s founders were from the West itself. It is so hard for democracy to ever be homegrown from a desert. As we saw in Iraq, democracy is hard work, and takes hundreds of years for institutions to develop.
Best answer:
“This is a multi-factored question. It involves power, money, capabilities, and social/religious views.
The most powerful countries in the Arab world (Such as Saudi Arabia) do not like the Palestinian cause as it threatens the Saudi Royal Family. The Saudi Royal Family retains its power through the use of oppression, fear, and promoting ultra-conserve Islamic views (Wahhabism). Palestinians are more liberal and often reject ultra-conservative interpretations of Islam. They also are a democratic and tend to criticize normal Saudi behavior (treatment of women, child brides, etc…). Even Hamas has dismissed Saudi as being too conservative.
Then you have countries such as Algeria and Jordan, which give Palestine a lot of diplomatic support, however they don’t have enough resources to do much else other than that. Although Lebanon is strapped, it provide moral and diplomatic support to Palestinians, again due to the lack of resources.
Qatar helps with diplomacy and money. However, their military isn’t strong enough nor are their industries developed enough to provide hands-on assistance.
Remember, many of these monarchs fear being dethroned and suppress any resistance in all forms. Their main objective is protecting themselves, not helping others. Until the Arab countries become more democratic, don’t expect help to come from them.”
See also:
Update:
Far-right Dutch politician Wilders slammed for ‘Jordan is Palestine’ claim
He’s wrong. Jordan took in Palestinians in 1948 and 1967, and it destabilized the Hashemite kingdom (and made native Jordanians a minority). The Palestinians tried to assassinate King Hussein and hijacked jets. NO WAY Jordan is going back to that Black September.
Back in my more conservative days, I used to admire Geert Wilders because of his staunch anti-immigration stance, because I still believe Europe went way too far and is in danger of losing its identity and safety by letting in too many people that do not share its liberal values (see Sweden, now the gun crime capital of Europe)
….but this man is a fool, and will eventually suffer the same fate of other outlandish populist loudmouths. You can’t ignore history and facts just to shoehorn in a pithy soundbite.
