Palestinian Refugees Between the Alienation and Integration “Case Study Balata Camp”

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Type: 
Thesis
Year: 
2010
Students: 
Hiba Khalil Sa'di Mbayyed
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Palestinian Refugees Between the Alienation and Integration “Case Study Balata Camp”3 MB
Abstract: 

This study discusses the issue of Palestinian refugees between alienation and political integration. The researcher has made a case study on Balata Refugee Camp which is considered as one of the largest refugee camps is the West Bank with a total population of approximately 23,677 according to statistical survey carried out by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA ) on the 31st of December 2008. The study aimed to address different issues and conditions that the Palestinian refugees in general and the Balata Camp refugees face. It also sheds light on the Israeli occupation's policies that aim at eliminate the Palestinian refugees cause through destroying and threatening their refugee camps. It also sought to measure the extent to which refugees in Balata Camp feel alienated and politically integrated. In her study, the researcher discussed the historical origins of the Palestinian refugees and the different stages of this cause (issue) in order to highlight the source of this misery. She also explained the asylum waves and the different groups of people that form the refugee community, as well as discussing the demographic and geographical distribution of the Palestinian refugees, their general characteristics and the impacts of such expulsion on those people. The researcher further pointed out to the situation of the Palestinian refugees with respect to the Arab and international solutions such as the United Nations' solutions and the Arab League's solutions. She also discussed how the refugees' cause was addressed in the different international peace agreements as well as the proposed solutions and projects that are set to solve this issue. Moreover, the researcher discussed the different developmental phases that refugee camps have gone through, the changes that affected their infrastructures, the role of those camps in defending the Palestinian identity, their role in the field of policy through participating in elections and political parties. In addition to this, the researcher discussed the different Israeli practices that aim at eliminating the refugees' cause. In the study, the researcher focused on Balata Refugee Camp as a case study and talked about this camp with respect to its establishment, area, population, the different social, health and educational conditions that the people who live in this camp experience. She also illustrated the role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the camp, its work and how this work affects the kind of life that people have. In order to achieve the goals and objectives of this study, the researcher depended on a number of means and techniques. She conducted several interviews with the people in the camp, designed a questionnaire through which she collected data in order to know what the people thought of the issue of alienation and political integration. The sample of the study consisted of 400 refugees and its size was 1.6 % of the total population. The primary question of the questionnaire was (To what extent do you think that the phenomenon of alienation and political integration is a common one among the Palestinian refugees in Balata Camp?). The researcher mentioned that the idea of political integration is so much common among the people of the camp, this is clear through a number of things. People show signs of (isolation, rebellion, and the lack of adaptation). Those three phenomena have reached critical percentages of 62 %, 61.5% and 66.28 % respectively among the people. That is, 62 % of the people showed signs of isolations, 61.5% showed signs of rebellion, while 66.28% lacked adaptation. On the basis of the results of the statistical analysis that the researcher has obtained through the questionnaire, the following results have been reached: 1. α= 0.05) that are attributed to the age, sex, Political affiliation and scientific qualification variables).From the point view of the Palestinian refugees in Balata Camp, there are no statistically significant differences between alienation and political integration on ( 2.α= 0.05) from the point view of the Palestinian refugees in Balata Camp that are attributed to the number of family members, years of captivity. There are statistically significant differences between alienation and political integration ( 3. α= 0.05) from the point view of the Palestinian refugees in Balata Camp with respect to certain aspects, but there are differences in other aspects such as (marital status, type of residence and income).There are statistically significant differences between alienation and political integration (The researcher has also presented a number of recommendations: 1.Re-activating the role of the Palestinian Refugees Affairs Department of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). 2.The importance of involving refugees in the political life so as to enable them or any one who could represent them to occupy important positions through which they would be able to support the refugees. 3.Focusing on improving living conditions of people inside the refugee camps such as the social, living and health conditions so as to reduce the severity of the conditions they experience. 4.It is of great importance to stress the role of the people committees in refugee camps in supporting the people in their struggle against the occupation. 5.It is important for the officials and those who are in charge in the government to hold the responsibility towards their people, especially the refugees and to try to support their resistance and defend their cause. 6.It is important to conduct more studies on the issue of Palestinian refugees in general and the conditions of the people inside the refugee camps in particular.