Published : 27-12-2017
Conflicts and pergent views arose among many of the researchers and writers specialized in the Palestinian refugees’ affairs, regarding the final results of the "General Population and Housing Census in the Palestinian Camps and Gatherings in Lebanon,” which was performed by the "Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee," in coordination with the Lebanese Central Administration of Statistics and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, as it showed that the number of Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon in general, has significantly decreased, and the Palestinian-Syrians displaced to Lebanon in particular. The General Population and Housing Census showed that the number of Palestinian refugees displaced from Syria to Lebanon is 18601 people, while the number of Palestinian refugees from Syria in Lebanon, according to UNRWA’s statistics at the end of December 2016, is estimated at 31 thousand.
On his part, Samy Hamoud, Director of the “Thabet” Right of Return Organization, considered the population census of the Palestinian refugees, regardless of the number which has been announced, falls within a generic local, Arab and international context, to deal with the reality and future of the Palestinian refugees, from the political and humanitarian dimensions.
He added that their are opinions that have appeared regarding the validity and accuracy of this number, because many of the families from Palestine, Lebanon and Syria did not come across the census and population teams, especially that the number does not equal to that released by the local and international, relief and humanitarian organizations, which provide the material and financial assistance to the families living or displaced from Syria on a regular basis, including UNRWA.
Meanwhile “Ibrahim Al-Aly,”a writer and researcher specialized in the Palestinian refugees’ affairs, asserted that there is a clear mistake in the statistics regarding the Palestinian-Syrians in Lebanon. In the beginning of 2017, UNRWA announced that the general census of displaced Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, was 31800 refugees, while the figure issued by the Lebanese Government Statistics Committee, in the first quarter of the same year, noted that there are about 19000 refugees. This means that the number has decreased by 13000 refugees and this number is greatly mistaken on the field, especially that Palestinian-Syrians in Lebanon did not even hear about the census.
Al-Aly clarified that the general conditions in Syria do not indicate the possibility of the return of such a great number of refugees to Syria, especially that more than 50% of them were displaced from Yarmouk camp, which is still a land of conflict to this day.
In the same context, the numbers which led to the census revealed that the number of Palestinian refugees in the camps and residential gatherings is 177422 people. The results also indicated that 45.1% of the Palestinian refugees live in the camps, in comparison to 54.9% of them who live in the Palestinian gatherings and the neighboring areas.
In addition the census showed that the number of Palestinian families displaced from Syria to Lebanon is 8487 families, of which 2202 of them are living in the Palestinian camps, 1055 families are living in the gatherings neighboring to the camps, and 1199 families are living in different areas across Lebanon. The census indicated that the 8487 Palestinian-Syrian families are distributed across the Palestinian camps in Lebanon.
Conflicts and pergent views arose among many of the researchers and writers specialized in the Palestinian refugees’ affairs, regarding the final results of the "General Population and Housing Census in the Palestinian Camps and Gatherings in Lebanon,” which was performed by the "Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee," in coordination with the Lebanese Central Administration of Statistics and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, as it showed that the number of Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon in general, has significantly decreased, and the Palestinian-Syrians displaced to Lebanon in particular. The General Population and Housing Census showed that the number of Palestinian refugees displaced from Syria to Lebanon is 18601 people, while the number of Palestinian refugees from Syria in Lebanon, according to UNRWA’s statistics at the end of December 2016, is estimated at 31 thousand.
On his part, Samy Hamoud, Director of the “Thabet” Right of Return Organization, considered the population census of the Palestinian refugees, regardless of the number which has been announced, falls within a generic local, Arab and international context, to deal with the reality and future of the Palestinian refugees, from the political and humanitarian dimensions.
He added that their are opinions that have appeared regarding the validity and accuracy of this number, because many of the families from Palestine, Lebanon and Syria did not come across the census and population teams, especially that the number does not equal to that released by the local and international, relief and humanitarian organizations, which provide the material and financial assistance to the families living or displaced from Syria on a regular basis, including UNRWA.
Meanwhile “Ibrahim Al-Aly,”a writer and researcher specialized in the Palestinian refugees’ affairs, asserted that there is a clear mistake in the statistics regarding the Palestinian-Syrians in Lebanon. In the beginning of 2017, UNRWA announced that the general census of displaced Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, was 31800 refugees, while the figure issued by the Lebanese Government Statistics Committee, in the first quarter of the same year, noted that there are about 19000 refugees. This means that the number has decreased by 13000 refugees and this number is greatly mistaken on the field, especially that Palestinian-Syrians in Lebanon did not even hear about the census.
Al-Aly clarified that the general conditions in Syria do not indicate the possibility of the return of such a great number of refugees to Syria, especially that more than 50% of them were displaced from Yarmouk camp, which is still a land of conflict to this day.
In the same context, the numbers which led to the census revealed that the number of Palestinian refugees in the camps and residential gatherings is 177422 people. The results also indicated that 45.1% of the Palestinian refugees live in the camps, in comparison to 54.9% of them who live in the Palestinian gatherings and the neighboring areas.
In addition the census showed that the number of Palestinian families displaced from Syria to Lebanon is 8487 families, of which 2202 of them are living in the Palestinian camps, 1055 families are living in the gatherings neighboring to the camps, and 1199 families are living in different areas across Lebanon. The census indicated that the 8487 Palestinian-Syrian families are distributed across the Palestinian camps in Lebanon.
