Appendix II: Literature Review

Transcription

1 Appendix II: Literature Review This is not an exhaustive review of the literature available on Palestinian refugees in the Middle East. It is a reference compiled by the local research teams from materials available in each of their field sites. Some of these materials are in the category of grey literature and are difficult to access outside of the region. Lebanon Palestinians in Lebanon are a popular subject for Western journalism and a wide range of short reports and studies are available locally. Subjects that are broadly covered by foreign and local researchers include studies on services for Palestinian refugees and their needs; the political situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon (e.g., political affiliations among Palestinian refugees, the peace process, the refugees right of return and political aspirations); the issue of civil rights such as the right to work, travel, own businesses; economic conditions, for example unemployment, income and wages; and the demographic characteristics of the Palestinian camps population. The major institutes or bodies that carried out research or statistical data compilation included UNRWA, UNICEF, the Norwegian Institute for Applied Social Science (FAFO), the Institute of Palestine Studies (IPS), the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), NGOs, and some local and international researchers. UNRWA compiles its own annual statistics on health, education and special hardship case families. UNICEF commissions individual researchers and/or the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and Natural Resources to conduct social surveys and studies focusing on the conditions of children and youth and the biannual demographic survey of Palestinian camps. For instance, UNICEF has carried out studies on child labour among Palestinians in Lebanon and the needs of youth in Palestinian camps (2000). The Palestinian Social Research

2 Appendix II: Literature Review 197 Committee 1 conducted a comprehensive study (over two years, ) of educational problems facing Palestinian children and youth in the camps, of whom 95 percent study at UNRWA schools. In 1999, FAFO (2000) carried out a comprehensive survey of 3,500 families on the living conditions among Palestinians in the camps and gatherings in Lebanon. The study measured demographic characteristics, migration, household composition, health, income, education, unemployment, labour force composition, households economy and housing. The IPS published several articles and research papers on the conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon that were published in various issues of the Journal of Palestine Studies. More recently, IPS has commissioned a researcher (B. Serhan) to conduct a study on Palestinian families in exile: a comparative study of the experience of Palestinians in Lebanon and Syria (in press). The PRCS carried out studies on the health conditions of the camps populations (1994). The Palestinian Human Rights Committee in Lebanon conducted one study on attitudes of the camps population towards return and/or compensation. In 1996, the Lebanese Studies Centre at the University of Oxford organised a conference on the Palestinians of Lebanon, during which several papers on various aspects and issues were presented (the papers appeared in a special issue of the Journal of Refugee Studies). The Norwegian People s Aid (NPA) and the Technical and Vocational Training Committee carried out tracer surveys in 1999 on the condition of their graduates in the field of employment and unemployment. In addition, a number of studies were conducted by Palestinian and foreign researchers, some of which were for academic theses and dissertations. Among Palestinian researchers in Lebanon, Rosemary Sayigh (1993), Mohammed Ali Khalidi (1997), Bassem Serhan (1999), Jaber Suleiman (1998), Samia Tabari and Leila Zakharia (1997), and Suhail Natour (1997) are particularly noteworthy. Syria The main resources for demographic data dealing with the Palestinians in Syria are the Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics (SCBS), the UNRWA records, the statistical yearbooks of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (1997) and the statistical reports issued by the General Association for the Palestinian Arab Refugees (GAPAR). Several studies conducted by PCBS included the examination of Palestinian children s labour, the educational reality of Palestinian children, and children s health and environment in the Palestinian camps in Syria. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society produced a report (PRCS 1999) on living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Syria. Al-Mawed (1999) conducted a study on

3 198 Appendix II: Literature Review the Palestinian refugees in Syria. Some international organisations have conducted studies on the situation of Palestinian refugees in Syria, such as the Canadian Mission (1999) on the general conditions of the Palestinian refugee camps in Syria, the annual reports of the UNRWA general commissioner (UNRWA 1999) and UNICEF s (1999) assessment of the situation of Palestinian children in Syria. Jordan In the past decade, a growing body of literature on refugees and refugee camps began to emerge, propelled mainly by the peace process in the early 1990s. Consequently, this literature is generally policy driven and focuses on socioeconomic data and issues of integration. An important research institute active in producing such literature is the Norwegian Institute for Applied Social Science (FAFO). 2 In addition, there are a growing number of reports produced by nongovernmental and intergovernmental agencies such as UNICEF and Save the Children Fund (SCF) with the purpose of implementing projects in poor neighbourhoods in Jordan. One example is the Family Planning programme, (it acquired different titles over time and in different countries), which often conflicts with many local cultures and histories. For Palestinians, having many children is not only culturally and socially significant, but it has a political dimension, whereby having many children is viewed as a response to the demographic battle waged by the Israeli state. In addition, the consequences of international policies and programmes that do not respond to local needs compel many local NGOs to change their programmes to meet international requirements so that they will be eligible for funding. There is a third body of academic literature on refugees and refugee camps, produced by individual researchers, scholars or research institutions. 3 Again, most of this literature adopts a psychological, sociological or demographic approach at the expense of anthropological and participatory methods. The exception in this body of literature are individual studies and those produced by researchers, such as work done by the Centre d Etude et de Recherches du Moyen-Orient (CERMOC) in Amman and Beirut. 4 Areview of the literature found in the library at the University of Jordan showed that most of the existing literature on children and adolescents is in the discipline of politics (especially the relationship with Islamist organisations), sociology (with a focus on violence), psychology, economics (unemployment and labour) or biology (behaviour and developmental stages). What is disturbing in these studies is the two extreme views which seem to dominate: adolescents and youth are either responsible for existing social

4 Appendix II: Literature Review 199 problems or, alternatively, they are regarded as passive victims of corrupting and immoral trends and political movements. The studies usually place blame directly on globalisation, the West and political Islam. It is clear that the writings on children and youth seem also to fall within the aforementioned disciplines. A brief reading of some of the titles of articles and studies will clarify the point: Reflections on Religious Revivalism and Violence, Arab Youth and the Problems They Face, Youth and How to Utilize Free Time in the United Arab Emirates, and Behavioral Problems and Alienation Among Youth in Kuwait. A list of titles was gathered by Ahmed Ebeid Abdel-Hamid Adawi and published in a journal titled Majallat al-shu oun Al-Ijtima iyyah (Journal of Social Issues) in It includes the following headings: Islam and Youth, The Media and Youth, Alienation and Youth, Youth and Psychology, and Youth in Political International Relations. 5 West Bank and the Gaza Strip In Palestine, several studies have been carried out to unravel the effects of the Israeli occupation on different aspects of Palestinian lives. A study was conducted on 954 teenagers in West Bank villages, cities and camps, showing the extent of direct contact with violence. Of these teenagers, 59 percent reported having had family members shot at, with 44 percent having been shot at themselves and 64 percent having been harassed and humiliated by soldiers (Awad 1990). Baker (1991) pointed out that the psychological environment of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has a variety of characteristics that cause psychological strain within the population and its children. Stress accompanies the loss of personal and political freedom resulting from military occupation. Thus there is evidence that a large proportion of the refugee population displays psychological and physical symptoms of stress. A draft report by UNICEF (1992), examining the physical and psychological effects of violence on Palestinian children, showed that, since 1987, the West Bank and Gaza Strip have witnessed a period of intensive and violent conflict between the Israeli army and Palestinian population. Clashes have led to more than 1,000 deaths and tens of thousands of Palestinians have been arrested. Abu Hein and Van Tienhoven (1994) investigated the effects of the deportation of 415 Palestinian men to south Lebanon in 1992 on the mental health of their close female relatives. The study demonstrated that all the women investigated showed elevated levels of depression, anxiety, obsessive thinking and psychosomatic disorders. This study revealed that occupation was the main form of conflict and deportation and had a major effect on an important aspect of life, namely the psychological status of people.

5 200 Appendix II: Literature Review The survey on the mental health conditions of 1,500 Palestinian women in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Sansour 1995) significantly emphasised the role of political occupation on women s mental health. In that survey, 62.4 percent of women reported the arrest of close relatives and 49.7 percent of women experienced harassment by settlers or the military. Life events that were distressing to these women were ranked as follows: deportation of a close relative, 54 percent; arrest of a close relative, 46 percent; and Israeli military (or settlers) related trauma, 13 percent. A report on the Israeli violations of Palestinian children s rights, prepared by Defence for Children International for the year , focused on the different and increasing types of violence among young people (DCI/PS 1998). The local literature on the refugees is sparse, the bulk of it focusing on the historical development of the refugee issue and the meaning of refugee, as well as the services and access provided for them (Hathaway 1991). For instance, the UNRWA definition of the Palestinian refugee is specific and states: [T]hose persons whose normal residence was Palestine during the period of 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 and who lost both their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the conflict. (Instructions 1984) There has been an oral history study carried out by the refugees themselves (Yahya 1999), in which 209 refugees were interviewed. The study revealed that most refugees were taken by surprise when the Arab Israeli war of 1948 erupted. The refugees took little, if any, of their belongings with them. Some tried to hold on to, or hide, their more valuable belongings, especially their land-ownership papers and the keys to their houses. However, the majority left empty-handed. Out of the sixty-eight respondents, 62 percent affirmed that they had no clue as to where they would end up. They simply desired to flee as far as possible from the fighting, while remaining as close as possible to their original villages and towns in the event that the war ended and they were able to return to their homes. All refugees, especially those of village origin, faced overwhelming difficulties as a result of their flight. The refugees from rural areas were hit hard because they lacked the skills to earn a living in an urban setting. Their livelihood was lost when they lost their land. In addition, most refugees were not previously mobile. They had rarely travelled or changed their place of residence. Very limited literature is available on the effects of conflict on children and young people in the West Bank. This therefore justifies the need to carry out research into the effect of being a refugee and the effect of conflict on children and young people in the West Bank.

6 Appendix II: Literature Review 201 Notes 1 The Committee dissolved itself in See, for example, FAFO 1993, 1994a, 1994b and 1994c. 3 See Farah in the references cited in the chapter on Palestinian refugees in Jordan. 4 For example, The Palestinian Refugees and UNRWA in Jordan, the West Bank, and Gaza, , ed. R. Bocco, Beirut, CERMOC, Paris, Karthala, The titles were translated by the author. The annotated bibliography mentioned by Ahmed Abdel-Hamid Adawi is found in Majallat al-shu oun al- Ijtima iyyah, 46 (1995): 207. References Abu Hein, F. and Van Tienhoven, H. 1994: Deportation and its Effects on the Mental Health of Palestinian Women in Gaza, Unpublished report. Al-Mawed, H The Palestinian Refugees in Syria: Their Past, Present and Future. Unpublished research. Awad, E Extent of Direct Contact with Violence. Paper presented at the World Conference of the World Federation of Mental Health, Mexico City. Baker, A Psychological Response of Palestinian Children to Environmental Stress Associated with Military Occupation. Journal of Refugee Studies, 4(3): Canadian Mission Canadian Report on Palestinian Refugees in Syria. Unpublished manuscript, Damascus. DCI/PS (Defence for Children International/Palestinian Section) Rights of Palestinian Children in Times of Peace: A report on Israeli violations of Palestinian children s rights ( ). Jerusalem: DCI/PS. FAFO (Norwegian Institute for Applied Social Science) Palestinian Society in Gaza, West Bank and Arab Jerusalem: A Survey of Living Conditions. (prepared by Marianne Heiberg and Geir Øvensen) a. Responding to Change: Trends in Palestinian Household Economy. (prepared by Geir Øvensen) b. The Potential of UNRWA Data for Research on Palestinian Refugees: A Study on UNRWA Administrative Data. (prepared by Lena C. Endresen and Geir Øvensen) c. Finding Ways: Palestinian Coping Strategies in Changing Environments. (prepared by Signe Gilen, Are Hovdenak, Rania Maktabi, Jon Pedersen and Dag Tuastad) Living Conditions of Palestinian Refugees in Camps and Gatherings in Lebanon, Lipril Study initial findings, Lebanon and Norway, February. Hathaway, J.C The Law of Refugee Status. Toronto and Vancouver: Butterworths. Instructions Document Rev. 7183, January 1984, UN document, Consolidated Eligibility. Khalidi, M.A Formulating the Right of National Self-determination. In T. Kapitan (ed.), Philosophical Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. New York: Sharpe. Natour, S The Legal Status of Palestinians in Lebanon. Journal of Refugee Studies, 10(3):

7 202 Appendix II: Literature Review Education Statistics in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: Current Status. Report Series, No. 5, Ramallah, Palestine. PRCS (Palestinian Red Crescent Society) The General Report. PRCS. PRCS and PCH (Palestinian Red Crescent Society and Palestinian Council of Health) An Overview on the Situation of the Palestinian Refugees in Diaspora: Demographic, Socio-economic Characteristics and Health Status. Paper presented by the Palestinian delegation in Rome, January. Sansour, M Palestinian Women and Mental Health: A Survey of Mental Health Conditions of Palestinian Women in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Jerusalem: Child and Family Consultation Centre. Sayigh, R Too Many Enemies. London: Zed Books. Serhan, B Education of Palestinian Camp Residents in Lebanon: Reality and Problems. Beirut: Palestinian Social Research Committee Publications. Suleiman, J Refugees Unsheltered: The Case of Lebanon. Journal of Arab Thought, 94. Tabari, S. and Zakharia, L Palestinian Women in Lebanon: Health, Work Opportunities and Attitudes. Journal of Refugee Studies, 10(3): UNICEF The Situation of Palestinian Children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Draft, Jerusalem A Report on the Situation of the Palestinian Children in Syria. August, Damascus The Situation of Palestinian Children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon: An Assessment Based on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. Jordan. UNRWA UNRWA and Palestinian Refugees 50 years. Gaza: UNRWA. Yahya, A.H The Palestinian Refugees, (An Oral History). Ramallah: Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange (PACE).