BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee

50
Survey of Palestinian Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (2006-2007)
Today, Palestinian refugees are living in forced exile in many parts of the world. Despite the changes in the pattern of
distribution of Palestinian refugees over the last 60 years, however, the majority of the refugees still live within 100 km
of the borders of Israel and the 1967-occupied Palestinian territory, where their homes of origin are located. In Syria, for
example, 70% of the registered 1948 refugees are from the Galilee. The number is slightly higher in Lebanon, where 72%
of the registered 1948 refugees are from the Galilee.
Similarly, a large majority of the refugees in the occupied Gaza Strip originate from the adjacent areas of the former Gaza
District. The majority of the refugees from the former Jerusalem District are at present either in the occupied West Bank
or in Jordan. The proportion of Palestinian refugees (6%) within the total combined population of host states in the region
has remained stable since the first wave of massive displacement in 1948. 25
Table 2.3: Distribution of 1948 Registered Refugees, by District of Origin and by Field
District of
Origin
Host Countries/Territory
Jordan West Bank Gaza Strip Lebanon Syria Total (all fields)
Jerusalem 20.0 33.0 0.2 0.5 0.7 13.5
Gaza 17.0 7.0 66.0 0.1 0.4 22.5
Lydda 40.0 30.0 33.0 8.5 7.3 30.0
Samaria 4.0 12.0 0.2 0.1 0.1 3.5
Haifa 10.0 16.0 0.5 18.8 22.0 11.0
Galilee 9.0 2.0 0.1 72.0 69.5 18.5
Source: UNRWA, 2000. The six regions of the British Mandate period were Jerusalem (Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem); Gaza
(Gaza, Khan Younis, Majdal, Isdud, Beersheba); Lydda (Jaffa, Ramle, Lod, Rechovot); Samaria (Tulkarem, Nablus, Jenin, Natanya); Haifa
(Haifa, Hadera, Shafa ‘Amr); Galilee (Nazareth, Beisan, Tiberias, Acre, Safad).
Despite almost 60 years in exile, the village unit has tended to remain to some degree intact even after mass displacement. In
other words, the majority of the residents of a particular village tended to be displaced to the same host country, and often to
the same area within the host country. According to data for Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA, 72% of all 1948
village refugee populations moved to one area, with only 20% moving to two areas. Only eight per cent are distributed between
more than two areas. 26 Distribution according to village of origin is evident in the structure of Palestinian refugee camps, which
are divided into quarters based on the village unit. In Syria, for example, al-Yarmouk camp is divided into quarters based on
the refugee villages of origin of al-Tira, Lubya, Balad ash-Sheik, and ‘Ayn Ghazal.
The same phenomenon is also evident in those Palestinian villages inside Israel that provided refuge for internally displaced
Palestinians in 1948. In many villages, neighbourhoods are named for the origin of the displaced persons who reside in
them. The Palestinian village of ‘Arrabeh, for example, includes the neighbourhood of the Mi’aris (i.e., displaced persons
originating from the village of Mi’ar). Likewise, displaced persons from al-Birwa who took shelter in the village of al-Judeideh
live in the neighbourhood of the Birwanis.
2.2.1 Refugees in Camps
According to records updated to 31 March 2007, 1,321,525 Palestinian refugees reside in UNRWA’s 59 official refugee
camps 27 throughout the 1967-occupied Palestinian territory, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The majority of Palestinian refugees
residing in camps are 1948 refugees (and their descendants). They comprise one-third of the total UNRWA registered refugee
population and about 20% of the total Palestinian refugee population. Approximately 189,000 Palestinian refugees reside in
one of the at least 17 non-official camps in the 1967-occupied Palestinian territory, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
A smaller number of refugees displaced for the first time in 1967 also reside in refugee camps, primarily in Jordan
and Syria. A small but growing number of poor non-refugees, including Palestinians and other Arabs, also reside
in the refugee camps.