Without warning, Israel has announced that it wants to change the legal status of Palestinian refugees at the United Nations, and that it will demand that the right to return be denied to persons forced to leave Palestine in 1948.

The Israeli announcement was made by Ron Prosor, Israel's UN ambassador, who claimed that the main obstacle to the peace process is the right of return for Palestinian refugees. He said that granting refugee status to their children is misleading, because their legal status has changed throughout history as they became citizens of other countries and lost their original status.

Meanwhile, a small conference was held in Manhattan with the participation of Israeli personalities and experts. The conference addressed the issue of refugees, and deemed it the main issue hindering an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord.

The Israeli announcement coincided with other developments in the region that directly and indirectly affected Palestinians, particularly in light of Syria's revolution and Israel's desire to exploit these events to achieve its historical aspirations and eliminate the dream of Palestinian refugees returning to Palestine.