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Name: West Bank and Gaza Strip 1
Capital: East Jerusalem 2
Population: 3.88 million (mid-2006 est.) 3
The Palestinian refugee situation is one of the most protracted cases of forced displacement in the world today (UNHCR, 2006). The largest group of Palestinian refugees originate from areas inside the state of Israel and were displaced during the 1948 Israeli-Arab war. A smaller number of Palestinians remain internally displaced from this period and are citizens of Israel.
The second largest group of Palestinian refugees were displaced during the 1967 Israeli-Arab war and originate from the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Large numbers of Palestinian refugees displaced in 1948 to these areas were displaced for a second time in 1967. A small number of Palestinians were internally displaced as a result of this war.
The third largest group of Palestinian refugees comprise those displaced from the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip since 1967 due to Israel's protracted military occupation. Specific causes of displacement include revocation of residency status, denial of family reunification and deportation. Internal displacement in the 1967 Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) is an ongoing problem due to military occupation (IDMC, 2006).
Estimates of the total size of the Palestinian refugee and internally displaced population vary considerably due to the absence of a universally-accepted refugee definition, lack of a comprehensive registration system, voluntary registration of those eligible for UN assistance, deficiencies in host country statistics, and frequent migration.
Indicative estimates of the total Palestinian refugee population -i.e., all displaced persons and their descendants who are unable to exercise a voluntary durable solution suggest that as many as three-quarters of the Palestinian people have been displaced since 1948 (Boqai & Rempel, 2005). Fewer may be in need of international protection. Half have been displaced outside the borders of their homeland.
Most Palestinians and Israelis do not share a common narrative about the conflict nor do they share a common analysis of the factors leading to Palestinian displacement and its solution. Most Palestinians consider the conflict to be one between an indigenous population and a settler colonial movement. Many Jewish Israelis consider the conflict to be one between two national movements.
Palestinian refugees say they fled out of fear and some were forcibly expelled. They argue for a solution that respects the rights of those wishing to return and repossess property. Many Jewish Israelis argue that Arab states and the Palestinian leadership are to blame for the refugee plight and emphasize that any solution must preserve the Jewish character of the state including a permanent Jewish majority.
The majority of the Palestinian refugee population is located in frontline states and territories that border the state of Israel. The second largest population resides in the 1967 OPTs where refugees comprise over 40 per cent of the total Palestinian population. Around 40 per cent of the refugees in the 1967 OPTs reside in twenty-seven refugee camps.
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