Palestine refugee camps

1948 Palestinian exodus Main articles 1948 Palestinian exodus 1947–48 civil war 1948 Arab-Israeli War 1948 Palestine War Causes of the exodus Nakba Day Palestine refugee camps Palestinian refugee Palestinian right of return Present absentee Transfer Committee Resolution 194 Background Mandatory Palestine Israel's declaration of independence Israeli-Palestinian conflict history New Historians Palestine · Plan Dalet 1947 partition plan · UNRWA Key incidents Battle of Haifa Deir Yassin massacre Exodus from Lydda Notable writers Aref al-Aref · Yoav Gelber Efraim Karsh · Walid Khalidi Nur Masalha · Benny Morris Ilan Pappe · Tom Segev Avraham Sela · Avi Shlaim Related categories/lists List of depopulated villages Related templates Palestinians This box: view talk edit

Palestinian refugee camps were established after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War to accommodate the Palestine refugees who were forced, or chose to leave (depending on Israeli/Arab interpretations) Palestine after the creation of Israel. UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) Resolution 194 grants Palestinians the right to return to their homeland if they wish to "live at peace with their neighbors".

The UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) defines a Palestine refugee as:

"Palestine refugees are persons 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 Arab-Israeli War."

Role of UNRWA

UNRWA recognizes facilities in 59 designated refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It also provided relief to displaced persons inside the State of Israel following the 1948 conflict until the Israeli government took over responsibility for them in 1952.

For a camp to be recognized by UNRWA, there must be an agreement between the host government and UNRWA governing use of the camp. UNRWA does not itself run any camps, has no police powers or administrative role, but simply provides services to the camp. Designated refugee camps, which developed from tented cities to rows of concrete blockhouses to urban ghettos indistinguishable from their surroundings, house around one third of all registered Palestine refugees. UNRWA also provides facilities in other areas where large numbers of registered Palestine refugees live outside of recognized camps.

UNRWA's services are available to all those living in its area of operations who meet this definition, who are registered with the agency and who need assistance. UNRWA's definition of a refugee also covers the descendants of persons who became refugees in 1948. The number of registered Palestine refugees (RPR) has subsequently grown from 914,000 in 1950 to more than 4.6 million in 2009.^[1]

List of camps

This lists the current Palestine refugee camps with current population and year they were established.

Jordan

There are ten refugee camps in Jordan.

• • 1955, Amman New Camp (Wihdat), 49,805
  • 1968, Baqa'a, 80,100
  • 1968, Husn refugee camp (Martyr Azmi el-Mufti), 19,573
  • 1968, Irbid camp, 23,512
  • 1952, Jabal el-Hussein, 27,674
  • 1968, Jerash camp, 15,696
  • 1968, Marka refugee camp, 41,237
  • 1967, Souf refugee camp, 14,911
  • 1968, Talbieh refugee camp, 4,041
  • 1949, Zarqa camp, 17,344

Lebanon

The total number of registered refugees in Lebanon is about 422,000.[1] There are 12 official camps with 225,125 refugees.

The Palestinians' Lebanese camps became ghettos as the Palestinians were barred from citizenship, finding certain jobs, or traveling abroad.^[2] Some of these refugee camps, overcrowded and filled with angry refugees, helped seed the beginnings of Yasser Arafat's Fatah group; guerrilla attacks on Israel were launched from some of the Palestinian camps in Lebanon.^[3]

Following major armed conflict in one camp in 2007, the Lebanese government sought greater input into the rebuilding of the camp, and in the camp's ongoing management. The government wanted the ability to intervene in the future, and to exercise police powers there instead of the Palestinian armed forces that had policed the camp previously.^[2]

• • 1955, Beddawi camp, 15,695
  • 1948, Burj el-Barajneh, 19,526[2][3]
  • 1955, Burj el-Shemali, 18,134
  • 1956, Dbayeh, 4,223
  • Tel al-Zaatar, destroyed
  • 1948, Ein el-Hilweh, 44,133
  • 1948, El-Buss, 9,840
  • Jisr el-Basha, destroyed
  • 1952, Mar Elias, 1,406
  • 1954, Mieh Mieh, 5,078
  • Nabatieh camp, destroyed in 1973
  • 1949, Nahr al-Bared, 28,358 destroyed in 2007
  • 1963, Rashidieh, 24,679
  • 1949, Shatila, 11,998
  • 1948, Wavel, 7,357

Syria

Syria has 10 official camps with 119,776 refugees.

• • 1950, Dera'a, 5,916
  • 1967, Dera'a (Emergency), 5,536
  • 1950, Hama, 7,597
  • 1949, Homs, 13,825
  • 1948, Jaramana, 5,007
  • 1950, Khan Dunoun, 8,603
  • 1949, Khan Eshieh, 15,731
  • 1948, Neirab, 17,994
  • 1967, Qabr Essit, 16,016
  • 1948, Sbeineh, 19,624

Additional unofficial camps in Syria:

• • 1955-6, Latakia camp, 6,534 registered refugees
  • 1957, Yarmouk (Damascus), 112,550 registered refugees
  • 1962, Ein Al-Tal, 4,329 registered refugees[4]

West Bank

The West Bank has 19 official camps with 194,514 refugees.

• • 1950, Aida, 4,151
  • 1949, Am'ari, 8,083
  • 1948, Aqabat Jabr, 5,197
  • 1950, Arroub, 9,180
  • 1950, Askar, 31,894
  • 1950, Balata, 41,681
  • 1950, Beit Jibrin ('Azza), 1,828
  • 1950, Camp No.1 (Ein Beit al-Ma'), 6,221
  • 1949, Deir Ammar, 2,189
  • 1949, Dheisheh, 10,923
  • 1948, Ein as-Sultan, 1,888
  • 1949, Far'a, 11,836
  • 1949, Fawwar, 7,072
  • 1949, Jalazone, 9,284
  • 1953, Jenin, 35,050
  • 1949, Kalandia, 9,188
  • 1952, Nur Shams, 8,179
  • 1965, Shu'fat, 9,567
  • 1950, Tulkarm, 17,259

Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip has eight official camps with 478,854 refugees.

• • 1948, Beach camp (Shati), 76,109
  • 1949, Bureij, 30,059
  • 1948, Deir el-Balah camp, 20,188
  • 1948, Jabalia (Jabaliya), 103,646
  • 1949, Khan Yunis, 60,662
  • 1949, Maghazi, 22,536
  • 1949, Nuseirat, 64,233
  • 1949, Rafah camp, 90,638

See also

• Sahrawi refugee camps

References

External links

• UNWRA Camp Profiles
• Photo Essay: Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon, William Wheeler and Don Duncan World Politics Review, 11 March 2008
• Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon
• Palestinian Refugees in Syria
• Palestinian Refugees in Jordan

Maps

• Map from UNRWA
• Camps in Lebanon
• Camps in the territories

v t e Palestinian refugee camps1 locations and populations as of 2005  Gaza Strip 986,034 refugees  Jordan 2,127,877 refugees  Lebanon 404,170 refugees  Syria 432,048 refugees  West Bank 699,817 refugees Al-Shati (Beach) 76,109 Bureij 30,059 Deir al-Balah 20,188 Jabalya 175,646 Khan Yunis 60,662 Maghazi 22,536 Nuseirat 64,233 Rafah 90,638 Canada Camp disbanded Amman New 390,805 Baqa'a 120,100 Husn 19,573 Irbid camp 35,512 Jabal el-Hussein 100,674 Jerash 30,696 Marka 41,237 Souf 21,911 Talbieh 4,041 Zarqa 180,344 Beddawi 15,695 Burj el-Barajneh 19,526 Burj el-Shemali 18,134 Dbayeh 4,223 Dikwaneh destroyed Ein el-Hilweh 44,133 El-Buss 9,840 Jisr el-Basha destroyed Mar Elias 1,406 Mieh Mieh 5,078 Nabatieh destroyed Nahr el-Bared 28,358 Rashidieh 24,679 Sabra Shatila 11,998 Tel al-Zaatar destroyed Wavel 7,357 Dera'a 5,916 Dera'a (emergency) 5,536 Hama 7,597 Homs 13,825 Jaramana 5,007 Khan Dunoun 8,603 Khan Eshieh 15,731 Neirab 17,994 Qabr Essit 16,016 Sbeineh 19,624 Latakia 6,534 Yarmouk 350,550 Ein Al-Tal 4,329 Abu Dis Aida 3,260 Am'ari 8,083 Aqabat Jabr 5,197 al-'Arrub 9,180 Askar 31,894 'Azza 1,828 Balata 41,681 Deir Ammar 2,189 Dheisheh 10,923 Ein Beit al-Ma' 6,221 Ein as-Sultan 1,888 Far'a 12,836 Fawwar 7,072 Jalazone 9,284 Jenin 35,050 Kalandia 9,188 Nur Shams 8,179 Shuafat (Shu'fat) 9,567 Tulkarm 17,259 1 The UNRWA definition of a "Palestinian refugee" is a person "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 Arab-Israeli conflict ... UNRWA's definition of a refugee also covers the descendants of persons who became refugees in 1948." [5] Palestinian exodus · United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)