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Half of the Residents of Shuafat Refugee Camp Aren't Refugees

(Elder of Ziyon) On Dec. 1, the New York Times Magazine published a report on Shuafat refugee camp in eastern Jerusalem. While UNRWA said that 12,500 Palestinian refugees are registered as living in Shuafat, it estimates that the actual number of residents there is around 24,000. It has become a popular place of residence for non-refugee Palestinians who might not otherwise be able to afford the high cost of living in Jerusalem. The official Shuafat website notes that since the mid-1970s, Israeli authorities have tried to get camp residents to move to other, less crowded areas of Jerusalem, "but the residents of the camp have categorically refused the Israeli offer." The real reason is that they would have to pay rent instead of getting free housing from UNRWA.
2016-12-13 00:00:00
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