Origins of the One Million Expulsion Claim
A prominent example emerged on May 15, 2020, when the Negotiation Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization published a statement declaring that 957,000 individuals were displaced into refugee status during the events of 1948.
The terminology framing the events as a singular disaster originated in 1948, when Syrian scholar Constantin Zureiq introduced the term in his publication titled The Meaning of the Disaster . Zureiq defined the outcome as an absolute calamity stemming directly from the comprehensive military defeat suffered by Arab forces.
Demographic Realities and Scholarly Scrutiny
For instance, researcher Steven Glazer posited that between 75,000 and 100,000 people were expelled from what he classified as the primary sector of displacement during the conflict.
As documented in historical reviews, Glazer's estimate dramatically exceeded the actual demographic ceiling, claiming an expulsion figure more than double the entire resident population inhabiting that defined territory.
Contrasting Allegations With Archival Evidence
Writing in the scholarly journal Israel Affairs , Karsh analyzed the primary zone where expulsions allegedly took place and demonstrated that the verified number of expelled individuals stood at 35,078. Furthermore, Karsh established that the departure was far from absolute, recording that approximately 2,500 Arab residents remained in place within that exact sector.