The causes and responsibilities of the exodus are a matter of controversy among historians and commentators of the conflict.Shlaim, Avi, "The War of the Israeli Historians." Center for Arab Studies, 1 December 2003 (retrieved 17 February 2009) While historians agree on most of the events of the period, there remains disagreement as to whether the exodus was the result of a plan designed before or during the war or was an unintended consequence of the war.Benny Morris, 1989, The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947–1949, Cambridge University Press; Benny Morris, 1991, 1948 and after; Israel and the Palestinians, Clarendon Press, Oxford; Walid Khalidi, 1992, All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948, Institute for Palestine Studies; Nur Masalha, 1992, Expulsion of the Palestinians: The Concept of "Transfer" in Zionist Political Thought, Institute for Palestine Studies; Efraim Karsh, 1997, Fabricating Israeli History: The "New Historians", Cass; Benny Morris, 2004, The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited, Cambridge University Press; Yoav Gelber, 2006, Palestine 1948: War, Escape and the Palestinian Refugee Problem, Oxford University Press; Ilan Pappé, 2006, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, OneWorld According to historian Benny Morris, the expulsion was planned and encouraged by the Zionist leadership.
The causes and responsibilities of the exodus are a matter of controversy among historians and commentators of the conflictShlaim Avi "The War of the Israeli Historians" Center for Arab Studies 1 December 2003 (retrieved 17 February 2009) While historians agree on most of the events of the period there remains disagreement as to whether the exodus was the result of a plan designed before or during the war or was an unintended consequence of the warBenny Morris 1989 The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem 1947–1949 Cambridge University Press; Benny Morris 1991 1948 and after; Israel and the Palestinians Clarendon Press Oxford; Walid Khalidi 1992 All That Remains The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948 Institute for Palestine Studies; Nur Masalha 1992 Expulsion of the Palestinians The Concept of "Transfer" in Zionist Political Thought Institute for Palestine Studies; Efraim Karsh 1997 Fabricating Israeli History The "New Historians" Cass; Benny Morris 2004 The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited Cambridge University Press; Yoav Gelber 2006 Palestine 1948 War Escape and the Palestinian Refugee Problem Oxford University Press; Ilan Pappé 2006 The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine OneWorld According to historian Benny Morris the expulsion was planned and encouraged by the Zionist leadership