[CLPadvocate]

1. Similarly or larger sized military in the region: Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Pakistan - depends a bit on how you're comparing.

2. Having no right to return to the country you fled is pretty common situation in the world and by no way specific to the Middle East. An additional point is that people were not fleeing Israel - they were fleeing e.g. the British Empire and Israel has absolutely no legal obligation to allow the refugees from the British Empire to enter. And, additionally, nowhere else in the world are descendants of refugees, who are born in other countries, are considered refugees. They may be considered illegals, though - which is still a completely different situation.

3. Syria and Lebanon are basically failed states with no real power to expel anyone. Situation with Jordan is even more interesting - the Kingdom of Jordan actually occupied (1948) and annexed (1950) the West Bank, making "Palestinians" in the West Bank actually Jordanians. So calling anyone of them "refugee" is more than questionable.