Palestinians (in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and the Occupied Palestinian Territories)

The situation of Palestinian refugees is a unique case of protracted displacement. It is estimated that there are up to seven million Palestinian refugees and displaced persons - comprising around 75 per cent of the entire Palestinian population. Many have been displaced since 1947, and the fourth generation of those displaced is now being born in exile. Moreover, Palestinian refugees are the only group of refugees that is not dealt with by UNHCR, but by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA is responsible for about 5 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory.

In 1948, a mass exodus of Palestinians occurred following a UN General Assembly resolution approving the partition of Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state, the withdrawal of British colonial power, and subsequent conflict between Zionist armed groups and Arab states over the establishment of the state of Israel. It is estimated that around 700,000 Palestinians were displaced at that time, with several thousands more displaced as a consequence of the 1967 war. Since then, the Palestinian population has grown in exile, and a strong nationalist consciousness continues to thrive.

As their country of origin has been transformed into a country based on (Jewish) ethnicity, there are few prospects of Palestinians repatriating. Different than in most other refugee situations, the issue at hand is not whether it will ever be safe for them to return, but whether Israel will ever allow them to do so, as such return would undermine the raison d'être of the Israeli state. Hence few political options are promoted other than their 'return' to places other than their hometowns - places which are in what are currently considered Palestinian Occupied Territories outside of Israeli borders.

Online Resources 

• Abu-Sitta, S. (1997) 'The feasibility of the right to return'.
• Alpher, J. et al. (1998) 'The Palestinian Refugee Problem and the Right of Return'.
• Amnesty International (2007) 'Iraq: human rights abuse against Palestinian refugees'.
• Amnesty International (2007) 'Exiled and suffering: Palestinian refugees in Lebanon'.
• Amnesty International (2002) 'Israel and the Occupied Territories: the heavy price of Israeli incursions'.
• Badil, A.M. 'al-Majdal quarterly magazine'.
• Barber, B. (1998) 'Deeper inside a youth social movement: Gaza's "Children of the Stone"'.
• Besson, Y. (1998) 'The Right of Return and Compensation'.
• Bitar, M. (2009) 'Activism among a new generation of Palestinian exiles'.
• Drake, L. (1997) 'The enclosure of Palestine: the Oslo Process as seen from Washington and Gaza'.
• El Abed, O. (2004) 'FMO Research guide: Palestinian Refugees in Jordan'.
• El Abed, O. (2004) 'FMO Research guide: Palestinian Refugees in Egypt'.
• 'FMO Research guide (2001) 'Lessons Learned Report: Children and Adolescents in Palestinian Households'.
• Goodwin-Gill, G. (1990) 'Nationality and Statelessness, Residence and Refugee Status: Issues Affecting Palestinians'.
• Hart, J. and Lo Forte, C. (2010) 'Protecting Palestinian Children from Political Violence: The role of the international community', RSC Forced Migration Policy Briefing 5.
• Humanitarian Policy Group (2009) 'Losing ground: Protection and livelihoods in the Occupied Palestinian Territory'.
• Institute for Palestinian Studies, The Institute for Palestine Studies Library.
• Masalha, N. (1996) 'Israel and the Palestinian Refugees: An Historical Overview, August 1948-1966'.
• Masriyeh Hazboun, N. (1999) 'From Displacement to Dispersion: UNRWA, Israeli Resettlement Policy and Palestinian Refugees in Gaza Strip, 1967-1994'.
• Refugee Studies Centre (2011) 'Palestinians in Libya' (Popcast, recorded at the 'North Africa in Transition: Mobility, Forced Migration & Humanitarian Crises' workshop, May 2011).
• Shafie, S. (2003) 'FMO Research guide: Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon'.
• Shafie, S. (2003) 'FMO Research guide: Palestinian Refugees in Syria'.
• Shiblak, A. (1993) 'In Search of a Durable Solution: Residency Status and Civil Rights of Palestinian Refugees in Arab Host Countries'.
• Stamatopoulou-Robbins, S. C. (2005) 'Palestine online: an emerging virtual homeland?'
• Rempel, T.M. (2006) 'FMO Research guide: Palestinian Refugees in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip'.
• Palestinians Register: Laying Foundations and Setting Directions [Resource Summary].
• The Palestine Chronicle.
• The Palestine Monitor.
• UNISPAL: United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine.

Offline Resources

• Dumper , M. (2008) 'Palestinian refugees', in Loescher, G. et al (eds.), Protracted Refugee Situations: Political, Human Rights and Security Implications (United Nations University Press, Tokyo), pp. 189-213.
• Roberts, R. (2010) 'Palestinians in Lebanon: refugees living with long-term displacement', London: I. B. Tauris.

Relevant Organisations

• Al-Awda: Palestinian Right to Return Coalition
• BADIL: Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
• International Solidarity Movement
• Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Centre (SHAML)
• Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group
• Palestinian Return Centre (PRC)
• United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)