A Cabinet minister said today that Israel will take steps to improve the condition of Arab refugees in the occupied territories, particularly with respect to their living standard, housing conditions and vocational training. Shimon Peres, Minister-Without-Portfolio who is charged with the economic administration of the occupied areas, said in the Knesset that he had talked to certain refugee leaders and they had come forward with a series of requests some of which appeared practicable and will soon be tried. Mr. Peres insisted however that the over-all refugee problem cannot be solved by any one state acting by itself, let alone Israel which he described as “under siege.” He spoke in reply to an agenda motion introduced by the Mapam and Independent Liberal factions. He said that less than half of those classified as refugees actually lived in camps. Mr. Peres blamed the Arab states and the terrorist organizations for perpetuating the refugee problem to serve their own political ends. He said the refugees have grown accustomed to living on UN rations and have developed a social structure side the camps. He said an overall solution cannot be attempted now because it requires a regional context and there is no peace in the region.
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