1 Introduction, methodology, and the status of ex-Gazans Introduction Jordan’s geo-strategic location has placed it at the centre of successive refugee movements from neighbouring countries. It currently hosts millions of refugees, including more than two million Palestinians registered with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Half a century or more after their initial displacement from Palestine, most of these refugees are integrated into the socio-economic life of Jordan, living alongside other Jordanians throughout the Kingdom. The majority of Palestinian refugees’ resident in Jordan exhibit similar demographic and socio-economic traits as other Jordanians. However, the population residing in the Palestinian refugee camps remains different (Tiltnes and Zhang, 2013). Surveys conducted amongst Palestinian refugee households both inside and outside camps have found that income remains substantially lower and poverty significantly higher for those living inside camps (Khawaja and Tiltnes, 2002; Bocco et al., 2007; Tiltnes and Zhang, 2013, 2014). Of the 13 Palestinian refugee camps, conditions in Jerash camp 1 are poorer, although projects led by the Department of Palestinian Affairs (DPA 2) and UNRWA have improved conditions in recent years. Here, despite being more or less on a par with other camp refugees with regards to educational attainment and labour force participation, residents tend to have poorer housing conditions, significantly lower incomes, and much more often rely on transfers, including poverty assistance. Indeed, in 2011, 53% of residents in Jerash camp reported an income below the national poverty line, compared to the overall average of 31% amongst Palestinian refugees residing inside camps, and Jerash residents were more than four times as likely to be amongst the very poorest and most destitute, living on less than 1.25 USD a day (Tiltnes and Zhang, 2013, p. 250). Located close to the city of Jerash in northern Jordan, Jerash camp is unique in terms of having been established for, and still comprising almost exclusively of, Palestinian refugees who arrived from the Gaza Strip during and in the aftermath of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, whether displaced for the first or second time. Unlike the vast majority of Palestinian refugees living throughout Jordan, these ‘ex-Gaza’ Palestinian refugees were generally not eligible for Jordanian citizenship. Whilst often accorded privileged treatment compared to other non-citizens, they and their descendants face restrictions that citizens do not (El-Abed, 2005, 2012; Al-Quds 2009). Jerash camp is commonly referred to as ‘Gaza camp’. The DPA is a governmental body, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, tasked with providing and overseeing activities for Palestinian refugees and displaced persons. This includes the administration, oversight, and supervision of activities inside the Palestinian camps, including physical infrastructure (water, sewerage, electricity etc.) and construction in residential and commercial areas. DPA also facilitates, through letters of recommendation, access for camp residents to other institutions and opportunities outside the camps, such as enrolment in government vocational and technical training institutions and employment in private schools. 1 2 ‘Just getting by’ Ex-Gazans in Jerash and other refugee camps in Jordan 11