'Back to Haunt the Peacemakers'? Palestinian Refugees, Labeling And
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Journal of Palestinian Refugee Studies ‘Back to Haunt the Peacemakers’? Palestinian Refugees, Labeling and the Failure of the Middle East Peace Process Jessica Anderson Displacement in Gaza in Historical Context Manuel Langendorf The Plight of Imagination – Imageless Palestine Dr. Khaleel Isa & Lauriane Pfeffer Discrimination and the Abuse of Human Rights Characterises the Current Plight of Palestinian Refugees from Syria Leah Morrison The Siege of Yarmouk Camp Ibrahim Al-Ali The Lebanese Security Quagmire Kareem Shaheen The New Persecution Age in the Holy Land Ahmad Damen Gaza’s Defenseless Population Fadi N. Skaik The Expansion of Israeli Settlements in the West Bank and their Impact on Displacement Sahdya Darr Volumes 4/5 • Issues 2/1 • Autumn/Spring 2014/15 Journal of Palestinian Refugee Studies General Director: Majed Al Zeer Advisory board Dr. Daud Abdullah Dr. Ghada Karmi Dr. Karma Nabulsi Mr. Martin Linton Editor: Sophia Akram Designer: Omar Kachouch ISSN 2046-7060 (Print) ISSN 2046-7079 (Online) Publisher: The Palestinian Return Centre is an independent consultancy focusing on the historical, political and legal aspects of the Palestinian refugees. The organisation offers expert advice to various actors and agencies on the question of Palestinian refugees within the context of the Nakba - the catastrophe following the forced displacement of Palestinians in 1948 - and serves as an information repository on other related aspects of the Palestine question and the Arab-Israeli conflict. It specialises in the research, analysis and monitoring of issues pertaining to the dispersed Palestinians and their internationally recognised legal right to return. Information for Subscribers: The Journal for Palestinian Refugee Studies is published twice a year with content from international academics, journalists and practitioners. The print version is available to use by organisations and institutions at £35 per annum and £25 per annum for individuals. Please contact [email protected] for details on how to subscribe. Information for authors: Although most articles are commissioned, unsolicited articles are welcome. Please contact [email protected] for submissions. Authors can expect to hear a decision within two months of acknowledgment. Articles should be original and should not be under consideration elsewhere. DISCLAIMER: The Publisher, PRC cannot be held responsible for errors or any consequences arising from the use of information contained in this journal. The views expressed in the Journal of Palestinian Refugee Studies are exclusively that of the writers and PRC does not necessarily ascribe to all the views articulated. Contents From the Director 3 Majed Al-Zeer From the Editor 5 Sophia Akram ‘Back to Haunt the Peacemakers’? Palestinian Refugees, Labeling and the Failure of the Middle East Peace Process 7 Jessica Anderson Displacement in Gaza in Historical Context 15 Manuel Langendorf UNRWA Under Fire 23 Sophia Akram The plight of imagination – Imageless Palestine 29 Dr. Khaleel Isa & Lauriane Pfeffer Discrimination and the Abuse of Human Rights Characterises the Current Plight of 35 Palestinian Refugees from Syria Leah Morrison The Siege of Yarmouk Camp 43 Ibrahim Al-Ali Victims of Torture and Enforced Disappearance, Part Two 49 Action Group for Palestinians in Syria The Lebanese Security Quagmire 65 Kareem Shaheen The New Persecution Age in the Holy Land 69 Ahmad Damen Gaza’s Defenseless Population 75 Fadi N. Skaik The Expansion of Israeli Settlements in the West Bank and their Impact on Displacement 81 Sahdya Darr A Double Burden or Triple Burden for Palestinian Children Residing in Gaza Refugee 89 Camps? Exploring the Role of Diet in Malnutrition, Obesity and Dental Caries Dr. Lamis Abuhaloob Journal of Palestinian Refugee Studies 1 International Conference: World War I Impact on Palestine, 93 A Hundred Year Legacy - 8-9 November 2014 Field Report Book review: Palestine: The Legitimacy of Hope, Richard Falk 97 From the Director International Community Failure on the Question of Palestinian Refugees Majed Al Zeer Welcome to this new edition of the Journal of Palestinian Refugee Studies. This new issue highlights the plight of Palestinians in the Diaspora and attempts to draw a picture of what they encounter and present recommendations for remedial action. Since the establishment of the Palestinian Return Centre in 1996, our mission was very obvious in defending and protecting the Palestinian rights, thus, we have employed media, research, documentaries and academia tools for that purpose. All of which aim to serve our long term vision of envisaging an independent Palestinian state where all Palestinian refugees can return and settle in their homeland. JPRS is one of the finest high calibre tools we use for this purpose. The Palestinian refugees are still suffering whether in the Diaspora or in the occupied Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The International community has again failed in meeting its moral obligations to end the excessive suffering of millions of refugees. The number of Palestinian refugees registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as of January 2014 increased to just over five million(1) and the conflict in Syria, which began in 2011, has significantly contributed to this. According to UNRWA more than half a million Palestinian refugees have been directly affected by the ongoing conflict in Syria.(2) Of the 540,000 Palestinian refugees registered in Syria with UNRWA, over 70,000 have fled to other countries - mainly neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey(3) UNRWA on its part is still enduring a lack of funds as the international community is limiting their contributions, leaving more and more refugees vulnerable. The situation concerning Palestinian refugees has been further compounded by the recent Israeli bombardment of Gaza, which displaced over 485,000 people(4) and generated 1.2 million refugees(5). These events have created a new wave of Palestinian refugees, many of whom have been made refugees once again. However, this time they are risking their lives embarking on dangerous journeys further afield in search of a better future. As a result the Palestinian diaspora has grown and at the end of last year the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reported that the Palestinian diaspora was now 11.8 million, which included 5.2 million living in Arab countries and around 665,000 living in foreign countries.(6) The international community must make a concerted effort to address the humanitarian problems relating to migration; they must respond better to the protection needs of Palestinian migrants who already suffered prior to the Syrian conflict and Israeli bombardment of Gaza because of confusing and Journal of Palestinian Refugee Studies 3 conflicting interpretations of international law causing protection gaps(7); and they must hold those who traffic migrants and mistreat them to account for their actions. As long as conflict and other factors exist Palestinians will continue to flee for their safety and to seek a better future for themselves and their families. Therefore ways must be created for migrants to seek refuge that do not endanger their lives. Governments and states must support peaceful development in migrants’ home countries so that conditions are created where people are not forced to leave their homes. There also needs to be a coordinated response by transit and destination countries to respond to events at sea in order to prevent them from becoming tragedies. The European Union (EU) must revise its immigration policies and better its approach to border control and irregular immigration. The international community must also respond to pleas from neighbouring countries such as Lebanon and Turkey for support in dealing with these huge numbers of refugees. In the Gaza Strip, the population continues to suffer due to a lack of urgent aid and shelter support that it desperately needs and the process of building and construction is slow due to the restrictions that Israel imposes. It is obvious that the people of Gaza are now confronting many challenges, which will intensify over the coming years in the absence of an enabling political environment. If immediate action isn’t taken, the daily lives of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip will become worse due to shortages in safe drinking water, housing, electricity and primary healthcare and the mounting number of poor, disadvantaged and food-insecure Gazans will have increased without humanitarian aid. According to the recently issued UN report “Gaza in 2020”, to ensure that Gaza in 2020 will be “a liveable place”, ongoing efforts by Palestinians and partners in sectors such as energy, health, water and sanitation, need to be accelerated and intensified in the face of all difficulties. It is thus fundamental that the people of Gaza are able to have basic human rights to which they are entitled. They must live safe and secure lives free of the various forms of violence, which are having a dreadful impact. The Gaza population should enjoy access without restrictions to the world and they should have proper healthcare and housing to live a decent life in peace and harmony now and in the near future. The delay in meeting the basic demands of Palestinian populations in Gaza will only exacerbate the human suffering, which will contribute to the continuation of the conflict. An urgent intervention to secure the daily demands and freedom of movement for them should be coupled with a sustainable resolution to the Palestinian question that guarantees their rights notwithstanding the right of refugees to return to their homeland. All in all, the international community has failed in finding a solution for the Palestinian refugee question let alone ending their daily humanitarian suffering. The failure of the EU, the US and other major parties indicates that the suffering of Palestinian refugees will continue for more years to come. Endnotes: (1) UNRWA. 2014. UNRWA in Figures. East Jerusalem: UNRWA (2) UNRWA, Syria Regional Crisis Response 78.