A considerable number of Palestinian refugees continue to live in poor, over populated and under resourced camps in neighbouring states, namely Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. In their host countries, they are often denied civil rights, with limited access to basic services, education or employment opportunities, apart from those provided by UNRWA.
LEBANON
JORDAN
470,000 Palestinian refugees
2M+ Palestinian refugees
Only a small proportion of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have been granted citizenship
370,000 still living in refugee camps
Despite being granted citizenship, refugees living in camps face extreme difficulties, with 67% classified as poor
The vast majority remain stateless and stranded in refugee camps
Palestinian refugees who fled from Syria to Jordan after the 2011 Syrian revolution are extremely vulnerable and almost entirely reliance on UNRWA
Even third generation refugee descendants remain socially and economically disenfranchised
Their widespread discrimination and marginalisation contribute to: high levels of unemployment, low wages, and poor working conditions
Refugee children in public schools often face discrimination and bullying
Only 9% of refugees hold valid work permits (down from 21% in 2021) sharply restricitng access to formal employment, deepening their economic vulnerability.
Poverty is exacerbated by restrictions placed on their access to state education and social services
The Palestinian refugee issue persists, and the right of return for them is denied, because the state of Israel insists on maintaining its Jewish supremacist form. The notion that the return of Palestinians to their historic homeland jeopardises the “integrity” of the state of Israel is the clearest indication of the colonial displacement that lay at the heart of Israel’s establishment, and the colonial war that continues to be waged against the Palestinians as a people.
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