BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee

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Survey of Palestinian Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (2006-2007)
Yarmouk refugee camp, Syria. © UNRWA Archives.
ThedistributionofPalestiniansdisplaced
from and within the OPT since 1967,
and who are neither 1948 nor 1967
refugees, is difficult to determine given
the lack of a registration system and
frequent displacement over four decades
of military occupation. Estimates of
forced displacement between 1967
and 1986 indicate that some 20,000
Palestinians were displaced per year. 23
More recent studies estimate the rate
of out-migration/displacement to
neighbouring Arab states and further
abroad as being as much as two per cent
of the total population per annum. 24
Changes in the pattern of distribution
of Palestinian refugees across host countries during six decades of forced exile are primarily the result of armed conflicts after
1948 and 1967, during which Palestinian refugees were again expelled or forced to flee host countries in search of safety.
Changes in political regimes and discriminatory policies in host countries, the relationship between the PLO and host country
authorities, and economic push-and-pull factors have also influenced patterns of forced displacement and distribution of the
Palestinian refugee population since 1948 (see Chapter One).
The 1967 war and subsequent Israeli occupation led to a significant decrease in the number of refugees residing in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip, and to a dramatic increase in the refugee population in Jordan after 1967. Over time, the number of
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon has decreased due to internal conflict, conflict between the PLO and Israel in Lebanon, and
legal and political obstacles that have militated against Palestinian refugees’ temporary asylum in Lebanon. During the 1980s,
many Palestinian refugees fled Lebanon to Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.
Higher numbers of Palestinian refugees in the Gulf from the 1950s onward reflect patterns of economic migration, while a
dramatic decrease in the number of refugees in Kuwait occurred as a result of the 1991 Gulf War. Many Palestinians migrated
or were expelled from Gulf states, eventually finding shelter in Canada, Scandinavia, the United States, or other countries in
the Arab world. Currently, many of the Palestinian refugees experiencing persecution in Iraq are fleeing to Syria, Jordan and
other countries, while some have been reported as far as India and Thailand.
Palestinian refugee camp in Jericho. © B.E. Lindroos/ICRC.
Most IDPs in Israel are currently
concentrated in the northern (i.e., Galilee)
region of the country, including Palestinian
cities such as Nazareth and Shafa’amr,
and in cities with a mixed Jewish-Arab
population, such as Haifa and Acre. IDPs
are also located in the south (i.e., Naqab/
Negev). The actual distribution of IDPs
inside Israel is difficult to determine due to
the lack of a registration system, frequent
relocation (three to four times on average
per family) and the government practice
of population transfer. In the OPT, IDPs
are frequently forced to relocate away from
Israeli colonies, related infrastructure (such
as bypass roads), and military zones. More
recently, the Wall and its associated regime
has forced fresh relocations.