ABC News, 1967. Bob Young reports from a refugee camp in Amman

1:01

Palestinian refugees1967 displacementAmman refugee campIsraeli military operationsForced displacement and village destruction

Size Color BG

Language

In this 1967 ABC News report from Amman, correspondent Bob Young visits the largest Palestinian refugee camp, housing 7,500 people with more arriving daily. The camp population is predominantly women and children; men remain largely out of sight, described as nursing desperation and hatred. Young documents refugees' accounts of forced displacement, including being herded at night, marched with hands raised for miles under gunfire, and witnessing the deliberate destruction of their villages to force evacuation. The refugees express a conviction that the Western world does not want to hear their testimony. They characterize Israel as the 51st state of the United States and attribute their displacement and suffering to American imperialism. Young closes with an observation on the psychological toll: the only growth visible in the camp are what he calls 'seeds of revenge.'

Key Points

ABC News correspondent Bob Young reports from a refugee camp in Amman in 1967, documenting accounts from displaced Palestinians—predominantly women and children—who describe forced displacement, village destruction, and their perception that the Western world ignores their suffering.

Summary

In this 1967 ABC News report from Amman, correspondent Bob Young visits the largest Palestinian refugee camp, housing 7,500 people with more arriving daily. The camp population is predominantly women and children; men remain largely out of sight, described as nursing desperation and hatred. Young documents refugees' accounts of forced displacement, including being herded at night, marched with hands raised for miles under gunfire, and witnessing the deliberate destruction of their villages to force evacuation. The refugees express a conviction that the Western world does not want to hear their testimony. They characterize Israel as the 51st state of the United States and attribute their displacement and suffering to American imperialism. Young closes with an observation on the psychological toll: the only growth visible in the camp are what he calls 'seeds of revenge.'

Key takeaways

The refugee camp in Amman housed 7,500 people in 1967, with a population predominantly of women and children, and continued to receive new arrivals.
Refugees reported being forcibly displaced through night-time roundups, forced marches under armed guard, and gunfire, according to their eyewitness accounts.
Multiple villages were deliberately destroyed to compel residents to leave, as described by displaced Palestinians interviewed in the camp.
Refugees believed their accounts were being deliberately ignored by the Western world and attributed responsibility to American support for Israel.
The psychological impact of displacement and perceived international indifference was reflected in what Young characterized as a climate of deepening resentment in the camp.

Full article

Camp Population and Refugee Composition

Most of the refugees in this camp are women and children. Some of the husbands are present as well, but they remain out of sight, nursing feelings of desperation and hatred and unwilling to be filmed. This largest of the refugee camps has a population of 7,500, with more arriving every day.

Accounts of Displacement and Military Operations

Virtually all of the refugees bring stories of Israeli brutality. They describe being herded together at night, taken part of the way to the river, and made to walk with their hands in the air for miles as Israeli troops hurried them along with bursts of gunfire over their heads. Several of their villages were deliberately destroyed, according to the refugees' accounts, so that they would have to leave.

Perceptions of International Response and Causation

The refugees do not believe that the Western world wants to know their story. They say that Israel is the 51st state of the United States, and they attribute the cause of their misery to American imperialism.

Current Conditions

The only thing growing in this camp are seeds of revenge.

Bob Young, ABC News, Amman

Topics#Palestinian refugees#1967 displacement#Amman refugee camp#Israeli military operations#Forced displacement and village destruction#International response and Western perceptions#Eyewitness testimony

Transcript

Click any row to jump to that moment in the video.

0:00 Most of the refugees here are women and children.

0:03 Some of the husbands are here too, but they're out of sight, nursing feelings of desperation and hatred and not wanting to be filmed.

0:11 Virtually all of them bring stories of Israeli brutality, how they were herded together at night, taken part of the way to the river, made to walk with their hands in the air for miles as Israeli troops hurried them along with bursts of gunfire over their head.

0:26 Several of their villages were deliberately destroyed, they say, so that they would have to move.

0:31 They do not believe that the Western world wants to know that story.

0:34 And they say that Israel is the 51st state of the United States, and American imperialism is the cause of their misery.

0:42 This largest of the refugee camps has a population of 7500, with more coming in every day.

0:49 The only thing growing here are seeds of revenge.

0:54 Bob young, ABC news, Amman.

© MinbarLive · Privacy · Terms · support@minbarlive.com