Jordan’s Response to Hosting Syrian and Palestinian Refugees
A Comparative Analytical Framework
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57947/qrp.v63i1.122Keywords:
Syrian refugees, Palestinian refugees, Jordan, hosting community, comparative studyAbstract
Various political, economic, social, and legal problems in Jordan hosting refugees appear progressively, such as unemployment, health, education, documentation, and international support. A key component in combating the implications of hosting refugees is to study the contributory impact that refugee influxes have caused on society. As Jordan plays a significant role in peacekeeping and refugee assistance, this study aims to understand the impact that Palestinian and Syrian refugees have had on the Jordanian community in a comparative way. This comparison between the Palestinian crisis and the Syrian -taking into account the different factors and the relationships between these factors- will help Jordan evaluate the country’s limited resources and capacity, thus building an adequate response plan to face any potential threat in the region. Based on a systematic literature review and systematic thinking approach; an analytical framework was developed to analyze each case and understand Jordan’s situation with both refugee groups over years. It can be concluded that the impact for both groups has been immersed on the host community on different levels; political, economic, social, and legal. The results indicate the occurrence of complications and ramifications due to the hosting process which overwhelms Jordan’s capacities and thus questions its ability to face any potential crisis. On another side, it emphasizes the importance and the need for international support.
References
Abu Moghli, M., Bitarie, N., & Gabiam, N. (2015). Palestinian refugees from Syria: Stranded on the margins of law. Palestine Portal. https://www.palestineportal.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/
/Al-Shabaka_PalestinianRefugeesFromSyria_StrandedMarginsLaw.pdf
ACAPS. (2016, August 24). Syrian refugees: Political and financial dynamics (Thematic report). https://www.acaps.org/fileadmin/Data_Product/Main_media/160824_acaps_thematic_report_jordan_syrian_refugees_political_and_financial_dynamics.pdf
Al Husseini, J. (2013). Jordan and the Palestinians. In M. Ababsa, (Ed.), Atlas of Jordan: History, territories and society (pp. 230-245). Presses de l’Ifpo. https://doi.org/10.4000/books.ifpo.5014
Al Husseini, J., & Bocco, R. (2009). The status of the Palestinian refugees in the near East: The Right of Return and UNRWA in perspective. Refugee Survey Quarterly, 28(2–3), 260–285. https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdp036
Al-Khatib, A. (Dirtector). (2021). Little Palestine Diary of Siege [Film]. IMDbPro. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14524436/
Almasri, S. (2021). The political economy of nationality-based labor inclusion strategies: A case study of the Jordan Compact. Middle East Critique, 30(2), 185-203.
Alshoubaki, W., & Harris, M. (2018). The impact of Syrian refugees on Jordan: A framework for analysis. Journal of International Studies, 11(2), 154–179. https://doi.org/10.14254/2071-8330.2018/11-2/11
Aruri, N. (1985). The PLO and the Jordan option. Middle East Report. https://merip.org/1985/03/the-plo-and-the-jordan-option/
Barbelet, V., Hagen-Zanker, J., & Mansour-Ille, D. (2018b, February). The Jordan Compact: Lessons learnt and implications for future refugee compacts. Overseas Development Institute. https://cdn.odi.org/media/documents/12058.pdf
Bocco, R. (2009). UNRWA and the Palestinian refugees: A history within history. Refugee Survey Quarterly, 28(2–3), 229–252. https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdq001
Brand, L. A. (1995). Palestinians and Jordanians: A crisis of identity. Journal of Palestine Studies, 24(4), 46–61. https://doi.org/10.2307/2537757
Carey, G., Malbon, E., Carey, N., Joyce, A., Crammond, B., & Carey, A. (2015). Systems science and systems thinking for public health: A systematic review of the field. BMJ Open, 5(12), e009002. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009002
Carlisle, L. (2022). Jordan’s Za’atari Refugee Camp: 10 facts at 10 years. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/jordans-zaatari-refugee-camp-10-facts-10-years
Central Bank of Jordan. (2016). Fifty third annual report. https://bankofjordan.com/uploads/2021/01/aebe2ad1-9b4e-600ebb14a79d.pdf
Chen. T. (2009). Palestinian Refugees in Arab Countries and Their Impacts. Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (in Asia), 3(3), 42-56, https://doi.org/10.1080/19370679.2009.12023136
Comolet, E. (2014). Jordan: The geopolitical service provider [Working Paper 70]. Brookings.
Dunning, T. (2019). Palestine Past and Present. Nova Science Publisher.
El-Abed, O. (2009). Palestinian refugees in Jordan. Center for Palestinian Studies. https://www.academia.edu/206913/Palestinian_refugees_in_Jordan
Erakat, N. (2014). Palestinian refugees and the Syrian uprising: Filling the protection gap during secondary forced displacement. International Journal of Refugee Law, 26(4), 581-621. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijrl/eeu047
European Commission. (2019). Evaluation of the impact of trade chapters of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements with six partners: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia – Final inception report.
European Parliament. (2017, February 7). Syrian crisis: Impact on Jordan [Briefing]. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2017)599258
Fajth, V., Bilgili, Ö., Loschmann, C., & Siegel, M. (2019). How do refugees affect social life in host communities? The case of Congolese refugees in Rwanda. Comparative Migration Studies, 7(33). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-019-0139-1
Fallah, B., Istaiteyeh, R., & Mansur, Y. (2021). Moving beyond humanitarian assistance: Supporting Jordan as a refugee-hosting country. World Refugee & Migration Council.
Francis, A. (2015). Jordan’s refugee crisis. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/2015/09/21/jordan-s-refugee-crisis-pub-61338
Global Concessional Financing Facility. (2019). 2018-2019 Annual Report. https://globalcff.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/GCFF_Annual-Report_2019_191125_FINAL_DIGITAL.pdf
Haider, H. (2014). Refugee, IDP and host community radicalisation. Governance and Social Development Resource Centre, University of Birmingham.
Human Rights Watch. (2010). Stateless again: Palestinian-origin Jordanians deprived of their nationality. https://www.hrw.org/report/2010/02/01/stateless-again/palestinian-origin-jordanians-deprived-their-nationality
Impact. (2014, March 12). Evaluating the effect of the Syrian Refugee crisis on stability and resilience in Jordanian host communities: Preliminary impact assessment. https://www.reach-initiative.org/what-we-do/news/reach-evaluates-the-effect-of-thesyrian-refugee-crisis-on-stability-and-resilience-in-jordanian-host-communities preliminary-impact-assessment/
International Labour Organization. (2015). Access to work for Syrian refugees in Jordan: A discussion paper on Labour and Refugee Laws and policies. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---arabstates/---ro-beirut/documents/publication/wcms_357950.pdf
Jaber, A. (2023). No bridge will take you home: The Jordan Valley Exodus remembered through the UNRWA archives. Jerusalem Quarterly, 94.
Kassim, A. F. (Ed.). (1997). The Palestine yearbook of international law, volume 6 (1990/91). https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/10352
Kingdom of Jordan, (1954). Law no. 6 of 1954 on nationality (last amended 1987). https://www.refworld.org/legal/legislation/natlegbod/1954/en/13885
Kirui, P., & Mwaruvie, J. (2012). The dilemma of hosting refugees: A focus on the insecurity in north-eastern Kenya. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(8), 161-171.
Luck, T. (2016). Jordan’s Syrian refugee economic gamble. Middle East Institute.
Madouni, A., & Derradji, H. (2020). The Caesar Law for the Protection of Civilians in Syria: Objectives and ramifications. Prizren Social Science Journal, 4(3), 61-68. https://prizrenjournal.com/index.php/PSSJ/article/view/194
McCann, K., Sienkiewicz, M., & Zard, M. (2023). The role of media narratives in shaping public opinion toward refugees: A comparative analysis. Migration Research Series, N° 72. International Organization for Migration (IOM). https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/MRS-72.pdf
Medical Aid for Palestinians (2016). Palestinian refugees from Syria: Between dispossession and displacement. https://www.map.org.uk/downloads/map-prs-factsheet---web.pdf
Minorities at Risk Project. (2004). Chronology for Palestinians in Jordan. https://www.refworld.org/docid/469f38aa1e.html
Nevo, J., & Pappé, I. (Eds.). (1994). Jordan in the Middle East, 1948-1988: The making of Pivotal State. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315035741
Newman, M., & Gough, D. (2020). Systematic reviews in educational research: Methodology, perspectives and application. In O. Zawacki-Richter, M. Kerres, S. Bedenlier, M. Bond, & K. Buntins (Eds.), Systematic reviews in educational research (pp. 3-22). Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-27602-7_13-22.
O’Neill, A. (2024, February 28). Unemployment rate in Jordan 2022. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/385565/unemployment-rate-in-jordan/
Ritchey, T. (1991). Analysis and synthesis: On scientific method - based on a study by bernhard riemann. Systems Research, 8(4), 21–41. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.3850080402
Tawil, M. (2009). Refugee camps in Jordan: Options for urban redevelopment [Doctoral dissertation, German Jordanian University]. https://doi.org/10.17877/DE290R-8615
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. (2001). The disaster of 1967. http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/his_periods3.html?fbclid=IwAR2GtgKisGoqP43veeeOcwzwOpivJl_hNN2yUFEJVtZFWytZnlBHP-0gGmQ
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan/Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. (n.d. -a). Jordan Response Plan for the Syria Crisis 2021: Updated. http://www.jrp.gov.jo/Files/JRP%202020-2022%20web.pdf
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan/Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. (n.d. -b). Jordan Response Plan for the Syria Crisis 2020-2022. http://www.jrp.gov.jo/Files/JRP%202020-2022%20web.pdf
The Jordan Times. (2021, December 1). Jordanian-Syrian Joint Free Zone reopened Wednesday. https://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/jordanian-syrian-joint-free-zone-reopened-wednesday
Tiltnes, Å. A., & Zhang, H. (2013). Progress, challenges, diversity: Insights into the socio-economic conditions of Palestinian refugees in Jordan. https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/insights_into_the_socio-economic_conditions_of_palestinian_refugees_in_jordan.pdf
Turnbull, E. (2019). 20,000 Syrians have returned home since border reopening — UNHCR. The Jordan Times. https://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/20000-syrians-have-returned-home-border-reopening-%E2%80%94-unhcr
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (n.d.). UNHCR Global Appeal 2014-2015: Jordan. https://www.unhcr.org/528a0a2c13.pd
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2024, February 29). Jordan. Operational Data Portal. https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/jor
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2021a). Jordan [Fact sheet]. https://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/Jordan%20country%20factsheet%20-%20February%202021.pdf
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2021b). Sixth regional survey on Syrian refugees’ perceptions & intentions on return to Syria. https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/85739
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2013). UNHCR Global Report 2013: Jordan. https://www.unhcr.org/539809f80.pdf
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2007). Note on the integration of refugees in the European Union. https://www.unhcr.org/463b462c4.pdf
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (1997). Jordan: Agreement Between the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. https://www.refworld.org/legal/agreements/unhcr/1997/en/17770
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. (n.d. -a). PRS in Jordan. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://www.unrwa.org/prs-jordan
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. (n.d. -b). Education in Jordan. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://www.unrwa.org/activity/education-jordan
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. (n.d. -c). Where we work. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/jordan
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. (n.d. -d). Who we are. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://www.unrwa.org/who-we-are?tid=85
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East. (2021, December 30). Germany contributes to vital winterization support for Palestine refugees from Syria in Jordan. https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/germany-contributes-vital-winterization-support-palestine-refugees-syria-0
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. (2007). The United Nations and Palestinian Refugees. https://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/2010011791015.pdf
Weiner, M. (1992). Security, stability, and international migration. International Security, 17(3), 91–126. https://doi.org/10.2307/2539131
World Food Program USA. (2023, June 28). Hunger in the 4 largest refugee camps in the world. https://www.wfpusa.org/articles/hunger-largest-refugee-camps-world/
Yacoubian, M. (2021, January 1). Syria timeline: Since the uprising against Assad. United States Institute of Peace. https://www.usip.org/syria-timeline-uprising-against-assad
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Quarterly on Refugee Problems - AWR Bulletin
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
