The official number of Palestinian refugees in Syria is over 400,000 (3% of the Syrian population), though those unregistered mean the real number is far higher.
- The legal status of Palestinian refugees in Syria is good: Syria and Jordan are the only Middle Eastern countries to grant refugees full access to government services. They have freedom of movement and are entitled to travel documents. They do not require work permits, and may be government employees. They have the same educational rights as normal citizens. Many have obtained financial security sufficient to enable them to leave the refugee camps and purchase houses. In accordance with the 1965 Arab League agreement on the treatment of Palestinian refugees in Arab states (known as ‘The
- Full statistics on the living conditions of the refugees is available at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) website:
http://www.un.org/unrwa/refugees/syria.html
- The Palestine Red Crescent Society report on Palestinian refugees in Syria is available at:
http://www.palestinercs.org/prcsdiaspora/syria.htm
- See also the Arab Media Watch interview with Lex Takkenberg (Deputy Director-General of UNRWA): ‘Myths and Reality: Palestinian Refugees in Syria’:
http://electronicintifada.net/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/10/3164