Scope of Displacement

1. Scope of Displacement • Jelazoun camp, 2000 (@Badil) and 1956 (@UNRWA) • Palestinian refugees and IDPs: the largest and longest-standing case of displaced persons in the world today.

2. WHO ARE PALESTINIAN REFUGEES?The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA) was established by General Assembly Resolution 302 in December 1950.According to UNWRA, Palestinian refugees are people and their descendants, whose normal place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948, who lost both their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 war and later in 1967. (From UNWRA as of 31 December 2012) The population of 1967 displaced persons stands at approximately one million (many of whom are also 1948 refugees). The overwhelming majority of these are in Jordan. source: http://prrn.mcgill.ca/background/background_resolving.htm

3. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Israel and the Occupied TerritoriesSource: Badil Resource Center 2008-2009 • IDPs in Israel since 1948 335,204 • IDPs in the OPT since 1967 128,708 • Figures reflect estimates according to the best available sources and population growth projections; they are indicative rather than conclusive. • IDPs in Israel since 1948 include: • “Present Absentees” About 30-40,000 in 1948 • An additional 75,000 displaced as a consequence of internal population transfers, land confiscations, house demolitions. • IDPs in OPT since 1967 include those displaced by: • the 1967 war and the assault on Gaza • the construction of the Wall • the forced transfer of Bedouin in the Negev • revocation of residency rights in Jerusalem • home demolitions (94% of building permit applications are denied) • expropriation of Palestinian owned land • harassment by settlers

4. The Situation of Palestinian Refugees Varies Widely • West Bank: Stateless. Live under a combination of Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israeli civil-military administration administration. Three-quarters live outside of camps, and use both UNRWA and PA services. Standard of living is similar to that of the non-refugee population. • Gaza: Stateless. Area is administered by local Hamas-controlled government, but Israel retains direct control over Gaza's airspace, coast, and most of its borders, and severely restricts access. • Jordan: most Palestinians are full citizens; enjoy a standard of living generally equivalent to other Jordanians. Fewer than one in eight Palestinian refugees in Jordan lives in a camp, and most camps have effectively become urban neighborhoods. • Syria: Non-citizens. Prior to the 2011 uprising, Palestinian refugees were provided with full access to employment and social services. Only one quarter of the refugees lived in a camp. Since the end of 2013, Palestinian refugees, particularly the 18,000 in Yarmouk Camp, have been in a state of emergency. • Lebanon: Stateless. Face numerous employment restrictions and are barred from owning property. Consequently, they generally live in adverse circumstances, often in poor and overcrowded refugee camps. Because of this, many have left the country, and the actual number of refugees in Lebanon is likely much lower than UNRWA figures--probably around 250,000. There have been some changes in Lebanese government policy since 2005, and some minor reforms were made to employment restrictions in August 2010. • Palestinian refugees living outside of these areas are dealt with by UNHCR, rather than UNRWA. In Kuwait, most Palestinians fled or were forced to leave after the 1990-91 Gulf war. In 1995, Libya expelled many of its Palestinians in a bizarre protest against the peace process. In Iraq, many refugees faced attacks after 2003, and fled the country. In Egypt and the Gulf states, Palestinians are typically treated as foreign visitors/residents. 4