The Question of Palestine in the times of COVID-19: Position paper on the situation for Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestine and Syria (No.2) June 2020 This position paper is part of a series that the Global Network of Experts on the Question of Palestine (GNQP) is producing to document the impact of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) on the Question of Palestine, by studying the effect of the pandemic on Palestinian refugees in the region. This brief focuses on Palestinian refugees residing in Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestine and Syria. Purpose of the brief The brief shows how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestine (Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem) and Syria. Following a general background, the paper presents: · · · a summary of available regional and country-specific facts that indicate that COVID-19 is aggravating the humanitarian conditions and vulnerability of Palestinian refugees; a brief overview of applicable legal obligations toward Palestinian refugees; recommendations to ensure that the local, regional and international response to COVID-19 takes into account Palestinian refugees’ specificities and ensures that the rights of this group are fully protected. General background The majority of Palestinian refugees1, numbering today over 7 million, originate from modern-day Israel, from which they were displaced in 1947-9. Seventy years on, most still live where they found refuge: Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestine (Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem) and Syria. Of those, approximately 5.6 million are registered as “Palestine refugees” with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians in the Near East (UNRWA) in Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestine and Syria.2 A smaller number was displaced when Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem in 1967; while these are not officially registered with UNRWA, some receive its services on humanitarian grounds. Less than half of these refugees, including their descendants, live in one of the 58 recognized refugee camps, while an unknown number live in urban and rural (camp) settings across the region. Many of these refugees have progressively moved outside of the original host countries, toward the Middle East and beyond. Palestinian refugees face varying degrees of marginalizing laws and policies in their host countries. In Jordan,3 most Palestinian refugees have citizenship. However, exGazan refugees, added to few hundred West Bankers4 do not have Jordanian national identity cards and are treated as provisional residents. The latter, together with Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS) that crossed the border following the Syria crisis,5 still lack access to most rights and services, including the right to work. Palestinian refugees in Lebanon6 1