Palestinian Refugee Camps in the Middle East

Abstract

Beginning in 1948, the Arab-Israeli conflict caused the emergence of a large number of Palestinian refugees. There are three countries in the Middle East that host the majority of Palestinians on their territory. These are Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. In the past 70 years some refugees have been able to assimilate in the host countries’ societies, while others have been living in poverty in the refugee camps. This paper analyzes the lives of refugees in the camps in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria in order to reveal the contrasts between refugee camps in different countries and to compare their living conditions. In order to understand all the similarities and differences, I focus on the Shatila camp in Lebanon, because this camp has a unique history of self-governance. I also focus on the Yarmouk camp in Syria, which has a unique location for commercial purposes, as well as a few of the most known camps in Jordan. Our results showed that refugees’ living conditions in the camps are quite different from each other. The most significant factors that cause this difference are the host countries’ policies toward refugees and their economic opportunities and socio-political status. From a human rights perspective, this study emphasizes the need to pay attention to the Palestinian refugee issue in order to think about possible solutions to the problem.