BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee

Al-Tanaf refugee camp at the Syrian-Iraqi borders, 2006. (© source: UNHCR).
From the Nakba to the Present Day – Ongoing Displacement
agencies because of the difficulties of working in Iraq, as well as financial constraints. Some Palestinian refugees
have been reported by UNHCR offices in locations as far afield as India and Thailand. It is estimated that over
15,000 Palestinian refugees are still in Iraq, mainly the most vulnerable, who are unable to flee.
Jordan has refused to allow Palestinian refugees from Iraq to enter its territory, except for a limited number
(approximately 400) married to Jordanian nationals. By the end of 2006, only 97 Palestinian refugees remained
in the Ruweished camp located in Jordan, 50 kilometres from the Iraqi border. The government of Syria has also
allowed entry only to a small number of Palestinian refugees. It has denied entry to the majority of refugees on
the grounds that they do not have proper travel documents, and that the Arab League has not yet taken a decision
regarding their future. The small number of Palestinian refugees officially hosted in Syria are in the Al Hol refugee
camp (around 300 persons), a UNHCR camp serviced by UNRWA. Other groups of Palestinian refugees are
stranded in miserable conditions on the Syrian-Iraqi border at the al-Tanf border crossing point (around 320
persons). Palestinian refugees in the Ruweished camp, Al Hol camp, and al-Tanf fall under the mandate of
UNHCR, although they are located in UNRWA area of operations. 158 Another 356 persons are stranded in the
“no-man’s-land” area between Syria and Iraq, and at least 520 others are stuck in El Waleed area on the Iraqi side
of the border. Their number is increasing as more refugees flee Iraq. An unknown and probably greater number
of Palestinian refugees are also believed to have entered Syria with forged documents.
Israel’s war with Lebanon in the summer of 2006 (12 July to 14 August) led to inflows and outflows of displaced
persons from Palestinian refugee camps. Although the camps were not generally directly targeted, on many
occasions bombing and shelling took place in the immediate vicinity of the camps. On three occasions however,
the refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh was hit by Isreali bombardments and one member of UNRWA staff, as well
as two civilians were killed. 159 Moreover, as many as 25,000 Palestinian refugees residing outside the camps in
the southern villages near the Israeli border faced the same conditions as the Lebanese population. 160 Around
16,000 Palestinian refugees were displaced both within Lebanon and to neighbouring countries. 161 The Palestinian
refugee camps of Rashidieh, al-Buss, Burj al-Shamali, Mieh Mieh, and Ein el-Hilweh hosted internally displaced
Lebanese and Palestinians. 162 The majority of these IDPs returned to their homes after the end of hostilities. The
war exacerbated the vulnerability of Palestinian refugees. 163
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