Research Study on The Ongoing Influx of Palestinian refugees
The Ongoing Increase of Palestinian Refugees
Florida International University
Fall 2016
INR 3081
Kaylia Taylor
Professor Giral
Introduction
The significant outbreak of IDP’s (internally displaced people) and refugees throughout the world have increased drastically within the past few decades. The United Nations Refugee Agency reported that in 2016 nearly 65.3 million people world wide are considered refugees and more than half of this statistic are under the age of 18. This present year marks the highest level of displacement on record. The underlying strategies to decrease the levels of IDP’s and refugees yearly is a popular question amongst many researchers, political scientists and social scientists, but the search for an answer remains unresolved. One historical event that led to a massive influx of refugees on record consisted of the creation of the Jewish state of Israel in 1948, which led to the Arab-Israeli conflict. This conflict forced millions of native Palestinians to live their lives in refugee camps for almost six decades. Additional conflicts that have resulted in Palestinian migration are the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank, the attacks on Palestinian camps caused by a civil war in Lebanon from 1975-1990, and the conflict in Syria that began in 2011.
According to the United Nations Relief Working Agency (UNRWA), today Palestinian refugees amount to 5 million worldwide. Due to the extensive periods of marginalization, hope for a solution is dissipating as time passes. How does the international community feel about the ongoing Palestinian refugee crisis and what steps are being taken to help solve this crisis? Are many neighboring Arab states actively opening their borders for Palestinian refugees? How does the Syrian conflict affect Palestinians? The questions presented need to be explored in depth in order for the international community to partake in a realistic solution for a crisis that has been ongoing for decades.
This research paper about the continuous increase of Palestinian refugees will be structured in chronological order starting with the history of Palestine and how the Palestinian people gained their independence. Subsequently, I will look into depth the historical relationship between Palestine and Israel and what their relationship entails of today. Thereafter, I will describe the many conflicts that have worsened the Palestinian refugee crisis, which includes the attacks on Palestinian camps caused by a civil war in Lebanon from 1975-1990 and the Syrian conflict in 2011. Moreover, I will present facts about the international community and the humanitarian/foreign aid they have been providing for the Palestinian refugees presently and in the past. Although many believe humanitarian services such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the American Friends Service Committee, etc. main responsibility is to ensure refugees have basic needs for survival, such as clean water, security, and food, they also have a responsibility to strategize plans that will help refugees out of these circumstances and detach themselves from depending on humanitarian aid for the rest of their lives. Extensive research on how the Palestinian refugee crisis began and information on the present status of the crisis is crucial when trying to establish realistic solutions.
The History of Palestine
From 1517-1917 the Turkish Ottomans dominated a massive portion of the Arab lands, including Lebanon, Syria and Palestine (Auld, Hillenbrand, 2000). This empire lasted five-hundred years, until the world began to become consumed in World War I affairs. During this time, Britain saw geostrategic advantages in the Arab lands, thus they strove to destroy the Ottoman Empire in order to have dominion over their territories. In addition, the Arabs felt repressed by the Ottomans, therefore the British tried to pit the Arabs against the Ottomans. The British also promised the Arabs support for independence after World War I (Tessler, p. 147-148). After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Arabs came to realize the British had other plans for the Middle East.
The Sykes Picot Agreement revealed that Britain kept very important information from their former Arab allies. This document showed plans between France and Britain of colonizing the Middle East after they defeated the Ottoman Empire (Tessler, 1994 p. 147-148). This agreement guaranteed France to be in control of Lebanon and Syria, while Britain would gain control over Palestine, Transjordan, and Iraq. This secret agreement opposed the promise of British support of Arab independence only a year prior.
Moreover, the Balfour Declaration was released that undermined the desires of the Arab people, specifically Palestinians. In 1917, the British announced their government was in support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This movement was popularly known as Zionism, which gained support after Jews faced discriminating persecution and marginalization in Russia and Europe.
The country of Palestine during the 1920’s was largely based on agriculture and was politically and socially not as advanced as other Arab communities. However, Jewish immigrants began to flood Palestine and take over politically, socially and economically. Israel eventually declared independence in 1948 (Morris, 1987). Overall, the secret agreements and contradictory promises made by the British is largely the reason for the start of the conflict.
The forced removal of Palestinians began in the 1948 War, where seven hundred thousand Palestinians were expelled. After the war in 1949, about one hundred and fifty-thousand stayed in the new State of Israel (Alkhateeb, 2013). Remaining Palestinians migrated to neighboring countries, while others moved to areas within the Arab sector. Palestinians working within the field of the government, such as lawyers, doctors, nurses, etc. left Palestine as the occupied forces began to flood these fields within the newly formed Israeli state. As Palestinian forces began to depart, this idea that life for Palestinians in the new Israeli state did not look very promising began to sink in and many more Palestinians migrated. Nearly two-thirds of Palestinian natives in cities, such as Haifa migrated to neighboring countries before Israeli settlers began to occupy the lands in April of 1948 (Gelber, 2005). These historical events that led to the exodus of Palestinians, left the Palestinian people without a sovereign nation of their own. Moreover, these events led to the birth of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has been popular amongst the international community for decades. However, peaceful negotiations for a two-state solution remain far reached.
Events Leading to an Influx of Palestinian Displacement
However, Palestinian displacement was not only due to the Israel Occupation of the West Bank, but the after effects of massive influx Palestinian refugees throughout neighboring countries created issues that led to even more Palestinian displacement. After the 1948 Israeli Occupation that led to an influx of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Their presence was deemed threatening to the economic and political stability of the country (Nayel, 2013). Essentially this created conflict and soon enough Palestinian refugees were under attack in Lebanon since their arrival in 1948 and 1967. Israeli forces and Lebanese military forces began to attack Palestinian refugee camps. A civil war emerged within Lebanon that stemmed from Palestinian and Lebanese movements demanding Palestinians basic rights in Lebanon and the right of return. Since the end of the civil war, progress for social movements regarding Palestinians in Lebanon has remained stagnant (Hudson, 1997, p. 249). In actuality, the ongoing policies implemented by the Lebanese government forbid Palestinian refugees from creating a prosperous life for themselves and families. For instance, Palestinian refugees are not given proper health care, are forbidden from owning property and are not allowed to move freely within Lebanon. These discriminatory laws against Palestinians in Lebanon makes it difficult for the lives of Palestinians within the region to progress. Many Palestinian refugees within Lebanon have existed for nearly five decades, yet they do not hold Lebanese citizenship (Christoff, 2004). Presently, the Lebanese establishment is controlled by politicians that are involved in ceasing all social movements for Palestinians in Lebanon. As hopes for Palestinians to return to Palestine dissipate, their circumstances in refugee camps, such as Lebanon, inhibits progress for Palestinians to become actual citizens and become less dependent on humanitarian aid.
Moreover, the political unrest in the Middle East has created the nationless Palestinian people to migrate to neighboring countries that are in fact involved in their own civil war. After the exodus of the Palestinian people due to the 1948 Israeli war, Palestinians resided in Syria. At this time, Syria had favorable economic decisions that allowed Palestinians to make a prosperous life in Syria. Unfortunately, due to the 2011 Syrian conflict, that is still active, Palestinian refugees have become increasingly vulnerable in Syria. Reports show that over 270,000 Palestinians in Syria, as a result of this conflict, have been displaced inside and outside of the country (Sharqieh, 2014). Palestinians from Syria have been forced to seek haven in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and Turkey. The successful Palestinian community established in Syria since the 1968 occupation has begun to disintegrate. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine has been unable to assist Palestinian refugees with basic needs. According to the UNRWA, Palestinian refugees from Syria have gone from 6% of needed assistance to over 90%. In addition, Palestinians from Syria face many restrictions by neighboring countries when attempting to flee. Countries such as Jordan have even closed off their borders to Palestinians from Syria. This is largely due to the vast amount of refugees already residing in these countries. It is evident that the Syrian conflict has set-back many Palestinians from becoming normal citizens, living lives that doesn’t depend on foreign aid.
The Lebanese civil war and the Syrian conflict are only two of the obstacles Palestinians and the international community face in trying to resolve the Palestinian refugee crisis. The initial cause for the exodus of Palestinians after the Israeli war in 1948 has created a rippling effect of Palestinian refugees being subject to discrimination due to them being a minority in several Arab countries and has led to many Palestinians being stagnant in living their lives in refugee camps. Although Palestinians have endured repression from Israeli forces and Lebanese forces, the international community holds accountability in trying to create a solution for the Palestinian refugee crisis.
The International Communities Role on the Palestinian Refugee Crisis
Promptly after the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, the international community has provided assisted through agencies such as the League of Red Cross Societies, the American Friends Service and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Due to the extensive duration of the Palestinian refugee crisis forced the United Nations to hold the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) accountable for providing aid to Palestinians in the five most populated fields of displacement. The five primary fields of displacement include Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (Hanafi, 2010). There are nearly 1.5 million registered Palestinian refugees who live in UNRWA camps (Feldman, 2016). The UNRWA’s primary responsibility is to provide a certain degree of protection for Palestinian refugees. Their role is to address the basic needs for Palestinian refugees and how to improve their circumstances. Due to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Lebanese discriminatory laws against Palestinian refugees and other conflicts such as the 2011 Syrian conflict that is presently ongoing, Palestinian refugees have increased drastically. Several Palestinians have either recently begun to be dependent on foreign aid or have never been able to live independently from humanitarian assistance. According to UNRWA reports, in 2015 they reported to have received 1.24 billion U.S dollars, with Arab donors contributing 204 million U.S. dollars. Although, donations for Palestinian refugees from the international community is ongoing, the UNRWA was short in donations compared to the year prior. This resulted in the agency having to implement strategies that would compensate for the lack of funding. For instance, a reduction in travel, technology, equipment replacement and so forth. As the Palestinian refugee crisis has worsened due to ongoing conflicts, this has put a strain on available resources.
The international community plays an essential role in providing assistance for Palestinian refugees throughout the world. The challenge with humanitarian aid for Palestinian refugees is that a majority of them have lived in refugee camps for decades waiting to return back to their home country, Palestine. Humanitarian actors must learn to better understand the circumstances the Palestinian refugees are in because it is much different then other refugees. Humanitarians must implement ways to help Palestinian refugees move towards independence and prosperity. For instance, more focus on solving the Palestinian refugees should be placed on solving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis so Palestinians can have sovereignty over their own nation, establish their own laws, and so forth. Turning a blind eye towards the peace process only prolongs Palestinian refugees’ dependency on humanitarian assistance.
Conclusion
According to the UNRWA, Palestinian refugees are people who are natives of Palestine and lost their homes due to the conflict in June 1946 to May 15, 1948, resulting in the creation of the state of Israel. Humanitarian agencies, such as the UNRWA was specifically formed in order to alleviate the sufferings of Palestinians since the conflict. Although the international community has implemented humanitarian agencies to better the lives of Palestinian refugees, there has not been substantial improvement since Israel was deemed an official state in 1948.
The ongoing increase of Palestinian refugees is partially due to conflicts (such as the Lebanese civil war and Syrian conflict) that have placed Palestinians in chronic need of humanitarian assistance, but this isn’t the only contributing factor to the crisis. The unresolved peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine have created a massive displacement of Palestinians inside and outside the country. For more than five decades, Palestinian refugees have not been allowed the right to return home due to Israeli forces. In order to solve the Palestinian refugee crisis, the international community has a role to ensure that Palestinians are given the right to return to their homes. This right is emphasized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 12) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 13). The international community’s inability to enforce these laws on Israeli forces keeps the Palestinian people stateless. Furthermore, allowing Israeli forces to continue to settlement enterprise of building Israeli homes in the occupied Palestinian territory, more Palestinians will begin to migrate out of Israel. The hope for a two-state solution is dissipating due to the expansion of Israeli settlement businesses and the lack of international intervention. The Palestinian refugee crisis should be looked at in depth due to its longevity and the international community should also implement strategies to ensure Israel abides by the international law.
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