BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee

More documents

Recommendations

Info

138 Survey of Palestinian Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (2006-2007) UNCCP activities related to return During its early years of operation, the UNCCP attempted to facilitate the return of Palestinian refugees displaced in 1948 primarily through inter vention with Israel and preliminary technical work required to craft the return operation. One of the first steps taken by the Commission was to gather basic information about the refugees (including places of origin, professional and occupational background, and living conditions) and the policies and political positions of Arab host countries and Israel. A Palestinians gathering in Ramlah before being expelled,1948 (© source: palestineremembered.com). In June 1949, the Commission established a Technical Committee to investigate methods for determining refugee choices and to collect information related to the issues of return, resettlement, rehabilitation and compensation. 176 The UNCCP also drafted a refugee definition to identify those persons in need of international protection. 177 In meetings with the Israeli government, the UNCCP stressed the important role refugee repatriation might play in contributing to an overall resolution of the conflict. Without prejudice to the right of all refugees to return, the Commission also attempted to promote the safe return of specific groups based on humanitarian considerations. These groups included owners of citrus groves and their labourers, Palestinian farmers who had been cut off from their lands by the 1949 armistice lines, separated families, and religious officials and other clergy. Through the family reunification programme, a small number of refugee dependents were able to return, particularly where the breadwinner remained in Israel. In late 1949 and early 1950, for example, approximately 800 dependents who had been displaced to Jordan and Lebanon were able to rejoin family members inside Israel. In February 1950, 115 refugee dependents were able to cross into Israel from the Gaza Strip. These refugees were regarded, however, as new immigrants rather than returnees (i.e., Israel did not recognize their legal title to their properties). Palestinian inhabitants of two villages cut by the armistice lines, ‘Abasan and Khirbet Ikhza’a, were permitted to cultivate their land in territory held by Israel, through the creation of a special zone. At the same time, however, Israel refused to permit the immediate return of owners of citrus groves and their labourers. Israeli officials rejected UNCCP appeals to abrogate discriminatory property laws and refused to release religious property, particularly that belonging to the Muslim community. The UNCCP ceased protection activities related to return in the 1950s. The Committee noted that the situation envisaged by the General Assembly at the time when the Commission assumed its functions in 1948 “was far from the realities of the problem” which in fact required the active participation of the governments involved; a participation that was not forthcoming primarily due to Israel’s intransigence on the question of repatriation. 178 A last attempt was undertaken in early 1960s by the appointment of a special representative, Joseph E. Johnson, to try to promote a solution to the refugee issue. Defining the fundamental considerations for durable solutions, Johnson noted that the primary focus should be on the refugees as set down in General Assembly Resolution 194(III). Numerous meetings were held with senior government officials in the region, but no progress was made due to Israel’s continued obstruction.
UNCCP activities related to restitution Protection The UNCCP attempted to facilitate restitution of refugee property through calls for reform of Israeli property laws, intervention with relevant authorities, and actual documentation of Palestinian property inside the borders of the new state of Israel. The Commission called upon Israel to abrogate discriminatory legislation, including the 1950 Absentees’ Property Law, used to confiscate refugee property. The Commission also requested that Israel suspend all measures of requisition and occupation of Palestinian Arab homes, and unfreeze waqf property (property endowed for religious purposes under Islamic law). These requests were ignored. The Commission attempted to secure immediate housing and property restitution for especially vulnerable groups of refugees without prejudice to refugee property claims in general. Access to land was particularly critical to refugees in the Gaza sub-district. The mass influx nearly quadrupled the population in the area, while the armistice lines cut off most of the rural population from their lands. The Commission also attempted to facilitate immediate property restitution for owners of citrus groves. The Commission also worked with Israeli officials to facilitate refugee access to blocked savings accounts and assets in banks inside Israel. However, the Israeli government and the Israeli Custodian of Absentees’ Property retained a significant proportion of the monetary value of accounts and assets through the imposition of taxes and administration fees. Table 4.1: UNCCP Summary Schedule of Land Settled by Cadastral Survey and Non-settled Land (excl. Beersheba sub-district) in Forms RP/1 and RP/3 (in metric dunums) RP/1 RP/3 Sub-district Settled Non-settled Settled Non-settled Galilee Acre 99,683 408,024 34,763 252,887 Beisan 146,232 935 218,928 - Nazareth 179,444 68,901 230,365 12,232 Safad 221,815 125,895 240,132 109,017 Tiberias 193,493 946 242,725 1,867 Haifa Haifa 352,576 53,004 529,372 37,360 Samaria Jenin 35,031 193,376 5,586 23,219 Nablus - 23,414 - - Tulkarem 257,790 74,781 167,875 3,230 Jerusalem Hebron 7,506 1,137,302 427 17,101 Jerusalem 6,040 215,442 20,222 55,239 Ramallah - 6,240 - - Lydda Jaffa 138,903 1,522 141,762 2,897 Ramle 411,620 158,193 185,557 8,111 Gaza Gaza 670,078 5,905 138,770 684 Sub-total 2,720,211 2,473,880 121,817 523,844 Total 5,194,091 2,680,328 Source: Appendix A/1 to UN Document A/AC.25/W.84 of 28 April 1964. 139
Page 1 and 2:
1948 - 2008: 60 Years of the Palest
Page 3 and 4:
1948 - 2008: 60 Years of the Palest
Page 5 and 6:
Table of Contents Executive Summary
Page 7 and 8:
Chapter Five: Politics and the Ques
Page 9 and 10:
Executive Summary Palestinian refug
Page 11 and 12:
Campaigns for boycott, divestment a
Page 13 and 14:
6. Not to recognize the illegal sit
Page 15 and 16:
Glossary Absentee A person who, at
Page 17 and 18:
Jewish State A term used by Israel
Page 19 and 20:
Refugee Office A sub-office establi
Page 21 and 22:
Voluntariness The Wall and its Asso
Page 23 and 24:
From the Nakba to the Present Day -
Page 25 and 26:
1.1 Background Figure 1.1: Estimate
Page 27 and 28:
1.2 From Mandate to Partition From
Page 29 and 30:
Page 31 and 32:
In September 1947, the UN Special C
Page 33 and 34:
Map 1.3: 1948 Depopulated Palestini
Page 35 and 36:
1.4 Displacement after the 1948 War
Page 37 and 38:
Both The Guardian and The London Ti
Page 39 and 40:
Page 41 and 42:
Page 43 and 44:
Page 45 and 46:
Page 47 and 48:
Al-Tanaf refugee camp at the Syrian
Page 49 and 50:
Page 51 and 52:
Page 53 and 54:
Page 55 and 56:
Page 57 and 58:
Page 59 and 60:
Page 61 and 62:
Page 63 and 64:
Chapter Two ‘Aida refugee camp, o
Page 65 and 66:
2.1 Background Population Numbers,
Page 67 and 68:
Population Numbers, Distribution an
Page 69 and 70:
2.2 Distribution Population Numbers
Page 71 and 72:
Figure 2.3: Estimates of the Number
Page 73 and 74:
Table 2.4: Registered Refugees in O
Page 75 and 76:
Page 77 and 78:
Map 2.1: Palestinian refugee commun
Page 79 and 80:
Table 2.7: Distribution of Palestin
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83 and 84:
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89 and 90:
(hospitals and medical centres). Im
Page 91 and 92:
Table 2.15: Percentage of Children
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Assistance Chapter Three UNRWA Food
Page 101 and 102:
3.1 National, Regional and Internat
Page 103 and 104:
Assistance According to LASC Resolu
Page 105 and 106:
Assistance Table 3.1: Main sources
Page 107 and 108:
UNRWA’s relationship with host go
Page 109 and 110: 3.2 Main Forms of Assistance - Deve
Page 111 and 112: Assistance Palestinian refugees in
Page 113 and 114: Assistance 2005, the Syrian governm
Page 115 and 116: In Syria, the government provided l
Page 117 and 118: UNRWA Funding Assistance UNRWA’s
Page 119 and 120: Assistance and equipment in schools
Page 121 and 122: Table 3.9: Summary of Emergency App
Page 123 and 124: Assistance 27 Luigi De Martino, “
Page 125 and 126: Assistance 78 Report of the Commiss
Page 127 and 128: Protection Chapter Four Israeli sol
Page 129 and 130: Protection Almost 60 years after th
Page 131 and 132: Protection While there is no formal
Page 133 and 134: Protection immediate return of all
Page 135 and 136: 2.2.2 The Right to Restitution Prot
Page 137 and 138: Protection It is clear from the phr
Page 139 and 140: Protection of All Forms of Racial D
Page 141 and 142: Protection Palestinian citizens. Fo
Page 143 and 144: ) The right to protection from pers
Page 145 and 146: Palestinian from the West Bank and
Page 147 and 148: Protection Investigations conducted
Page 149 and 150: Protection six months, unless they
Page 151 and 152: Protection Palestinian refugees in
Page 153 and 154: Protection Palestinian refugees in
Page 155 and 156: Protection In other countries, Arti
Page 157 and 158: Protection rights. If the refugee i
Page 159: 4.6.2 The United Nations Conciliati
Page 163 and 164: Table 4.2: Estimates of Palestinian
Page 165 and 166: Protection the occupied territory [
Page 167 and 168: Protection The UNHCR recognizes 194
Page 169 and 170: Protection the Rights of the Child
Page 171 and 172: Protection realization of the princ
Page 173 and 174: Protection Israel’s compliance wi
Page 175 and 176: Protection and Population Registry
Page 177 and 178: Protection Bank and to those who le
Page 179 and 180: Protection Right to Work in Lebanon
Page 181 and 182: Protection budget, see UNGAOR, 6th
Page 183 and 184: Protection 213 UNHCR, 2005 UNHCR St
Page 185 and 186: Al-’Aqaba, a Palestinian village
Page 187 and 188: 5.1 Refugees/IDPs and Peace Agreeme
Page 189 and 190: Politics and the Question of Palest
Page 195 and 196: The Road Map provides an ambiguous
Page 197 and 198: 5.3.7 The League of Arab States The
Page 201 and 202: Demonstration, London, 9 June 2007
Page 207 and 208: 184 Survey of Palestinian Refugees
show all

BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?