Forced Migration Online: Blog

The film ‘West Bank Stories‘ is now available to view online. The film presents the views of three Palestinians living in the Dheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank. The Dheisheh camp was established in 1949 within the municipal boundaries of Bethlehem on 430 dunums. It has a registered population of 12,045 of which approximately 6,000 are children. The camp’s residents were particularly active during the intifadah. The Israeli authorities built a fence around the camp and a metal turnstile for the main entrance, which were in place for almost eight years to prevent stone throwing at passing Israeli cars on the main Jerusalem-Hebron road. In 1995, the camp came under Palestinian Authority control, and the fence has since been removed.

The film offers tours of a disused Israeli military base, the Dheisheh camp and the Ibdaa (Innovation) cultural centre at Dheisheh which promotes cultural activities including a dance troupe and basketball team.

Attendees at the recent Dispossession and Displacement Conference were able to see a preview of the film as part of the film panel.

• West Bank Stories

The latest podcast in a series recorded at the bi-annual conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) is now available online.

The second plenary event began with the keynote address ‘Palestine refugees in the contemporary context: a view from UNRWA’ by Karen Abu Zayd, Commissioner General of UNRWA, followed by a panel discussion ‘The situation of refugees in the Middle East’ chaired by Maysa Ayoub, and including Helen Young, Patricia Fagen and Shahira Samy.

• Podcast
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The Palestinian Register provides unique record of contemporary Palestinian civic and political voices. Carried out by Palestinian refugees and exiles and implemented by activists and local leaders, the report of the Civitas collective research project is now available online. This project provides a platform for those Palestinians voices that are rarely heard - the men and women who live in al Shatat (the Palestinian dispersal in 1948 and after). They discuss issues of political representation and the concerns and mechanisms for engagement and renewal. Crucially, they also address the connections that do and do not exist with the PLO and the host countries where they currently live, and with other refugee camps and communities.

• Palestinians Register

This updated research guide provides an overview of the influxes of Palestinian refugees to Lebanon since 1948 and subsequent conflicts in the country. It provides historical background to how the refugees came to be in Lebanon and examines the conditions under which they live. This research guide is one of five examining the situation of Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.