Summary of Findings: Badil's Survey of Palestinian Refugees and IDPs 2008
1. Scope of Palestinian Displacement 2008
The Palestinian refugee and IDP population described here comprises
the total estimated number of Palestinians and their descendants
whose “country of origin” is the former Palestine (now divided into
Israel and the OPT), who have been displaced within or outside the
borders of this area, and who do not have access to voluntary
durable solutions and/or reparation, including the right to return
to their homes of origin and the right to repossess their
properties.
By the end of 2008, at least 67 percent (7.1 million) of the entire, worldwide Palestinian population (10.6 million) were forcibly displaced persons.Among them were at least 6.6 million Palestinian refugees and 455,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Only 33% of the entire Palestinian population worldwide have never been displaced. The latter reside in Israel and the OPT.
-
UNRWA-registered refugees 4.7 million
-
Refugees not registered with UNRWA 1.0 million
2. Distribution
Today, Palestinian refugees are living in forced exile in many
parts of the world. Despite the changes in the pattern of
distribution of Palestinian refugees over the last 60 years,
however, the majority of the refugees still live within 100
km of the borders of Israel and the 1967 OPT, where their
homes of origin are located.
Between 1997 and 2007, the proportion of refugees living in the West Bank showed a significant change in certain governorates. For instance, the percentage of refugees in Jerusalem decreased from 40.8% to 31.4%; the refugee population increased in Qalqilya from 39.9% to 47.0%, and in Jenin from 28.8% to 32.8%.
Country
|
Refugees/IDPs
2008
|
Australiaa
|
20,914-31,422
|
Austriaa
|
1,151
|
Belgiuma
|
157
|
Canadaa
|
43,918-52,284
|
Chilea
|
365,987
|
Denmarka
|
24,051
|
Egypte
|
75,706
|
Finlanda
|
1,046
|
Francea
|
1,569-3,142
|
Greecea
|
3,142
|
Germanya
|
146,395
|
Israel(IDPs)g
|
335,204
|
Italya
|
4,183
|
Libyae
|
9,585
|
Iraqf
|
14,937
|
Jordanb
|
2,478,424
|
Kuwaitc
|
43,713
|
Lebanonc
|
460,490
|
The Netherlandsa
|
10,457
|
Norwaya
|
3,137
|
Occupied Palestinian Territories
(IDPs)g
|
128,708
|
Occupied Gaza Stripd
|
1,059,584
|
Occupied West Bankd
|
754,263
|
Other Gulf countriesc
|
137,785
|
Other Arab countriesc
|
7,236
|
Polanda
|
1,046
|
Saudi Arabiac
|
341,770
|
Swedena
|
41,827
|
Syriac
|
488,656
|
United Kingdoma
|
15,685
|
United Statesa
|
225,867-261,420
|
3. Data Sources
There is no single authoritative source for the global Palestinian
refugee and IDP population. Available data on the size of the
Palestinian refugee and IDP populations is uneven and shifting,
primarily due to the absence of a comprehensive registration
system, frequent forced displacement, and the lack of a uniform
definition of a Palestinian refugee.Internal displacement is also
difficult to track because ceasefire lines have changed frequently
and there is no internationally recognized border between Israel
and the 1967 OPT.
BADIL estimates of the Palestinian refugee and IDP populations are calculated based on UNRWA data combined with data from the 2007 PCBS population census in the OPT and population growth projections.
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has registered 1948 Palestine refugees since 1950; its records cover 75% of this group of refugees. UNRWA administers registration of Palestinian refugees as part of its relief and social services program. UNRWA registration data is not statistically valid,as reporting is voluntary. UNRWA has never carried out a comprehensive census of all Palestinian refugees under its mandate.
1. Until 1993, refugees wishing to register with UNRWA had to
meet requirements of need and initial flight in 1948 into a country
where UNRWA operated. Revision of UNRWA's eligibility and
registration criteria in 1993 eliminated these two requirements,
which led to the registration of some previously-undocumented
Palestinian refugees.
2. In 2006, UNRWA issued new consolidated eligibility and
registration instructions. Since then, services were extended to
children of registered refugee women married to non-refugees. These
children, however, are not registered as refugees in UNRWA’s
registration records.
-
In general, the UNHCR has registered only a very minor portion of the Palestinian refugee population. At the end of 2008, only 342,681 Palestinian refugees were registered with the UNHCR as a population of concern. The majority resided in Saudi Arabia (240,025), Egypt (70,174) and Iraq (12,302) and Kuwait (6,000).
-
For political reasons, UNHCR records refer to the country of origin of Palestinian refugees as the “occupied Palestinian territory.” It is not possible, therefore, to identify how many Palestinian refugees registered with UNHCR are 1948 refugees, 1967 refugees, or Palestinians displaced from former Palestine after 1967. Palestinian IDPs in Israel and OPT are not included in the UNHCR data regarding IDPs worldwide.
Census data and population growth projections
represent an additional source of estimates of the refugee and IDP
populations with numerous limitations:
1. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) has
conducted two OPT population censuses in 1997 and 2007 which
include refugees as a category, as well as questions regarding
forced displacement. PCBS, however, has limited access to
Palestinian populations in the OPT, Israel and abroad;
2. Israel (ICBS) publishes little statistical data about its
Palestinians citizens and does not keep separate records of
internally displaced Palestinians;
3. Few Arab host countries carry out a regular census of their
resident refugee population. Some countries, such as Jordan,
include Palestinians as a census category, but this data is not
publicly available.
4. In North America and Europe, Palestinian asylum-seekers are
often included in a general category of “stateless” persons, or
classified according to their place of birth, or the host country
that issued their travel documents.