g
g
g
g
g
The refugee camp represents the temporary nature of exile and the preservation of the
individual and collective demand to exercise the right of return;
The presence of the familial and village support structure in the camp;
The lack of financial resources to rent or buy alternative accommodation outside the
camp;
The lack of living space outside the camp due to over-crowdedness;
Legal, political, and social obstacles imposed by host states that force refugees to remain
in the camp; and
Issues concerning physical safety.
Table 2.3: Total UNRWA-Registered Refugees in Official Camps, End of 2021233
Jordan
Lebanon
Syria
West
Bank
Gaza
Strip
Total
Total Registered Refugees (RR)
2,337,780
485,854
576,357
887,009
1,520,653
5,807,653
Registered Refugees in Official Camps
430,994
279,741
203,437
273,485
626,638
1,814,205
Percentage of Registered Refugees
in Official Camps of Total Registered
Refugees
18.4
57.5
35.2
30.8
41.2
31.2
The largest camp-based Palestinian refugee population resides in the occupied Gaza Strip
(626,638 persons as of 2021). Fewer refugees reside in camps in the West Bank (273,485).
The second-highest number of camp-based refugees is found in Jordan (430,994). However,
Jordan is also the host country with the lowest percentage of Palestinian refugees residing in
camps. Only 18.4 percent of the UNRWA-registered Palestinian persons in Jordan reside in
camps. This reflects the Jordanian citizenship status afforded to most Palestinian refugees in
Jordan which grants them almost the same rights as other Jordanian citizens.
In contrast, in Lebanon, approximately 57.5 percent (279,741) of Palestinian refugees are
registered in official camps. The high percentage of refugees residing in camps is directly related
to the legal, administrative, and security restrictions placed on rights to work, obtain property,
and freedom of movement by the Lebanese government,234 the lack of financial resources
available for securing alternative housing outside of the camps, and concerns about physical
safety. Recent data shows that Palestinian refugees compose 72.8 percent of all residents in
Lebanon’s refugee camps, of which 7.4 percent are Palestinian refugees displaced from Syria.
233
Note that data is generally to 30 June of the respective year, except the years 2011-2012 and 2015-2021, where data
is calculated to end of the respective year. For data for 2020-2021, see UNRWA, Statistics Bulletin (n 232); UNRWA,
‘UNRWA in Figures 2020-2021’ (2021) [hereinafter UNRWA, UNRWA in Figures] <https://www.unrwa.org/sites/
default/files/content/resources/unrwa_in_figures_2021_eng.pdf> accessed 3 October 2022.
234
For more information regarding the restrictions on right to work, right to property ownership, and right to social
security in Lebanon, see Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC), ‘Rights’ (LPDC, 2022) <https://lpdc.
gov.lb/rights/> accessed 3 October 2022.
47
Chapter
g
2
Several factors explain why many Palestinian refugees have remained in, or maintained ties
with, the camps after 74 years of exile: