Transfer
Transfer is a method of resolving an ethnic conflict by transferring the minority population in a mixed-population territory into a territory where it is the majority, and has its own self-government.In the early 20th century, a transfer solution was successfully implemented between Greece and Turkey, where ethnic Greeks living in Turkey were transferred to Greece and vice versa.
In the context of the Israeli-Arab conflict, the idea of transferring Arabs out of the area of a Jewish state has a very long history. Many of the important historical Zionists, including Theodor Herzl and David Ben-Gurion, supported some version of transfer at some stages of their careers while espousing more moderate policy at other stages.
Since 1948, explicit calls for transfer have rarely been an official part of the policies of Israeli political parties, though some individual members of the Knesset have supported it. In the 2003 Knesset, transfer as an official policy was represented by the seven members of the National Union block, which includes the three small parties Molodet, Tkuma and Yisrael Beitenu. The National Union's official position is that transfer should be accomplished by agreement between Israel and the Arab nations which will be willing to give home to the relocated people. The result of an inability to achieve a voluntary agreement are not spelt out, but observers note the Molodet policy to use force in at least some circumstances.
Support for transfer of Arabs amongst the Israeli public varies over time but remains a significant minority opinion. According to a survey conducted by the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University in 2003, 46 percent of Israel's Jewish citizens favor transferring Palestinians out of the territories, while 31 percent favor transferring Israeli Arabs out of the country. These numbers have increased from 38 percent and 24 percent, respectively, in 1991.
The dismantling of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in exchange for the Palestinians giving up the right of return, an idea with considerable support among Israelis, can also be seen as a form of transfer. It is also a common opinion that Jews were already effectively transferred out of Arab countries in 1948, and to complete the solution, Arabs currently living in the Land of Israel (Palestine) should be relocated to Arab lands.
A transfer is a plastic, cloth or paper substrate that has printed on it a pattern that can be moved to another surface upon contact, usually with the aid of heat or water. It is also known as a decal.
See also
- Manhattan Transfer
- Latin words in English
- Transfer
- Electron transfer
