non-ex-Gazans form part of a household with an ex-Gaza household head, they are, as
mentioned, included in the overall household data.
Of the twelve remaining Palestinian refugee camps, only Hitteen has a sufficiently
sizeable population of ex-Gazans (8,009 individuals, 23% of the camp population, in 1,781
households) for which to run independent analyses and compare with the non-ex-Gaza
Palestinian refugees in the same camp. Broadly similar results were found for ex-Gazans
in Hitteen and ex-Gazans in the remaining 11 other camps (5,922 individuals, 899 households), so we generally combine these indictors and report on all ex-Gaza camp residents
outside Jerash camp. Where significant differences exist between Hitteen and the remaining 11 camps, we reference these in the text.
Finally, we compared data from Jerash camp with Souf camp, also located in Jerash
governorate but with less than 2% ex-Gaza residents, to look at inter-camp differences
within the governorate. Although comprising mostly 1948 refugees (laji’in) displaced for
a second time in 1967 and although located about one kilometre closer in proximity to
Jerash city, we assume that — except for the issues of legal status — the ability of residents
in the two camps to access the local labour market should not differ greatly.
Amongst the camp population in Jordan, the reporting populations for this report are:
• Ex-Gaza Palestinian refugees in Jerash camp;
• Ex-Gaza Palestinian refugees not in Jerash camp, i.e. ex-Gazans in the other 12 camps;
and
• Non-ex-Gaza Palestinian refugees (citizen Palestinian refugees) living in the 12 (nonJerash) Palestinian refugee camps. For ease of reading we refer to this latter group as
‘non-ex-Gazans’ or ‘other Palestinian refugees’ without specifying that they reside in
the other camps.
Before turning to the empirical data, it is necessary to briefly outline the legal situation
of ex-Gazans in Jordan. We do so below, drawing particular attention to instances where
their non-citizen status impacts upon rights and services that are likely to affect overall
socio-economic standing: employment, education, health care and poverty relief.
Background and status of ex-Gazans
Anticipating Jordan’s annexation of the West Bank in 1950, the Kingdom extended citizenship to residents of the West Bank, including hundreds of thousands of refugees who
had fled or been expelled from areas that became Israel 12. Thus, a majority of the estimated 250,000 to 400,000 Palestinians displaced from the Jordanian-ruled West Bank to
the East Bank (present day Jordan) following the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and subsequent
Israeli occupation (De Bel-Air, 2012, p. 5) held, and continue to hold, Jordanian citizenship. A smaller number of refugees from the Gaza Strip also arrived at the East Bank border crossings during and after the 1967 June war. As residents of the formerly Egyptiancontrolled Gaza Strip, these Palestinians, whether refugees who had been displaced to
Addendum No. 56 of 1949 to the [1928] Nationality Law. Art 2 states that: ‘All those who, at the
time when this Law goes into effect, habitually reside in Transjordan or in the Western part [of Jordan] which is being administered by [the Kingdom], and who were holders of Palestinian citizenship, shall be deemed as Jordanians enjoying all rights of Jordanians and bearing all the attendant
obligations’ (cited in Kassim, 2000, p. 207). The 1928 Nationality Law and its 1949 Addendum was
superseded in 1954 by Law No. 6 of 1954 on Nationality (last amended 1987). Article 3(2) stipulates: ‘The following shall be considered Jordanian nationals: […] Any person who, not being Jewish, possessed Palestinian nationality before 15 May 1948 and was a regular resident in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan between 20 December 1949 and 16 February 1954’.
12
Fafo Report 2019:34
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