Abstract
This chapter analyses the Jordanian governmental response(s) to the Syrian refugee crisis. It argues that, because of the uncertainty of the Syrian civil war, the kingdom relied on temporary and reactive policies in accordance with (1) the course of the war in Syria and (2) Jordan’s involvement in the Syrian civil war. In other words, Jordan lacked a strategic outlook to mitigate the impact of the sharp increase of its population.
This chapter is based on a paper titled “Syrian Conflict, Syrian Refugees. The Case of Jordan”, published by the al-Sabah Publication Series, Durham University, 2018.
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Notes
- 1.
UN Conciliation Commission for Palestine, Annual Report of General Commissioner of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Covering the period 1 July 1994 to 30 June 1995, UN GAOR, 50th Sess. Supp. No. 13, UN Doc. A/50/13, 1995, p. 65.
- 2.
Kingdom of Jordan, Law No. 6 of 1954 on Nationality (last amended 1987), 1954, http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b4ea13.html.
- 3.
UNRWA, Where We Work, Figures as of July 1, 2014, https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/jordan; Jack Redden, “Iraq Conference: Iraq and host countries promise to aid Iraqi refugees,” UNHCR News and Stories, April 17, 2007, http://www.unhcr.org/uk/news/latest/2007/4/4624b0814/iraq-conference-iraq-host-countries-promise-aid-iraqi-refugees.html.
- 4.
Jordan Department of Statistics, Results of the General Population and Housing Census 2015, 2016, https://lao.unfpa.org/en/publications/results-population-and-housing-census-2015-english-version.
- 5.
UNHCR, Syria Regional Refugee Response, Refugees from Syria by Date, last updated April 9, 2019, https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria/location/36.
- 6.
Mohammad Ghazal, “Jordan second largest refugee host worldwide—UNHCR,” The Jordan Times, March 8, 2017, http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/jordan-second-largest-refugee-host-worlwide-–-unhcr.
- 7.
UNHCR, Jordan Factsheet June 2017, https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Jordan%20Fact%20Sheet%20June%202017-%20FINAL.pdf.
- 8.
Alexander Betts, Ali Ali and Fulya Memişoğlu, Local Politics and the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Exploring Responses in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, University of Oxford, Refugee Studies Centre, 2017, p. 9.
- 9.
Ricardo Santos, “Palestinian Refugees from Syria in Jordan: An Overview,” al majdal 56 (Autumn 2014): 26–27.
- 10.
Alexander Betts, Ali Ali and Fulya Memişoğlu, Local Politics, pp. 9–10.
- 11.
Kingdom of Jordan, Constitution of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, 1952, http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b53310.html.
- 12.
UNHCR, “Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the H.K. of Jordan and the UNHCR (1998),” Official Gazette No. 4277 of 3 May 1998, No. 107, article 5, http://carim-south.eu/databases/legal/Jordan/Bilateral%20Agreements/LE2JOR002_AREN.pdf.
- 13.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, National Resilience Plan 2014–2016. Brief on the Impact of the Syrian Crisis by Sector, 2014, http://www.jordanembassyus.org/sites/default/files/NRP_Sector_Impacts_01.06.2014.pdf.
- 14.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, The Jordan Response Plan for The Syria Crisis. 2015 Appeal, 2014, https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/JRP 2015 Appeal_ENG.pdf.
- 15.
Marco Stella, Syria Crisis Coordination Specialist at the MoPIC, personal communication with the authors, July 4, 2018.
- 16.
Ibid.
- 17.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. The Jordan Response Plan.
- 18.
UNHCR, Regional Refugee & Resilience Plan 2015–2016 in Response to the Syria Crisis. Regional Strategic Overview, 2015, p. 7, https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/3RP-Report-Overview.pdf.
- 19.
Human Rights Watch, Jordan: Syrian Blocked, Stranded in Desert, 2015, https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/06/03/jordan-syrians-blocked-stranded-desert.
- 20.
Björn Rother, Gaëlle Pierre, Davide Lombardo, Risto Herrala, Priscilla Toffano, Erik Ross, Greg Auclair and Karina Manasseh, The Economic Impact of Conflicts and the Refugee Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa, 2016, p. 16, https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/sdn/2016/sdn1608.pdf.
- 21.
Rana F. Swels, “No Syrian Are Allowed into Jordan, Agency Say,” The New York Times, October 8, 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/09/world/middleeast/syrian-refugees-jordan-border-united-nations.html; Amnesty International, Jordan: Risk of humanitarian disaster as 12,000 refugees from Syria stranded in ‘no man’s land’, 2015, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/12/jordan-risk-of-humanitarian-disaster-as-12000-refugees-from-syria-stranded-in-no-mans-land/; Emma Gatten, “Jordan blocks Syria border leaving thousands of refugees in the desert—including hundreds of pregnant women,” The Independent, January 22, 2016, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/jordan-blocks-syrian-border-to-leave-thousands-of-refugees-trapped-in-the-desert-including-hundreds-a6828471.html.
- 22.
Human Rights Watch, Syria/Jordan: Open Borders to Daraa Residents. Dire Conditions for Thousands Fleeing Fighting, July 4, 2018, https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/07/04/syria/jordan-open-borders-daraa-residents.
- 23.
The Jordan Times. Japan hands over security equipment to Syrian refugees Affairs Directorate, August 2, 2017, http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/japan-hands-over-security-equipment-syrian-refugees-affairs-directorate.
- 24.
Ibid.
- 25.
Alexander Betts, Ali Ali and Fulya Memişoğlu, Local Politics, p. 10.
- 26.
Ibid., p. 11.
- 27.
UNHCR, Jordan Factsheet—February 2018.
- 28.
Ammar Kelbani and Yacoub Hamdan, Head of the Syrian Refugees Department, Policies and International Cooperation Directorate within the Ministry of Labour, personal communication with the authors, June 25, 2018.
- 29.
Ibid.
- 30.
Susan Razzaz, Economist and World Bank Consultant in Jordan, personal communication with the authors, July 8, 2018.
- 31.
ILO, “EU-Funded Zaatari Camp Job Centre Hosts Unprecedented Job Fair,” ILO News, October 4, 2017, http://www.ilo.org/beirut/media-centre/news/WCMS_579487/lang%2D%2Den/index.htm.
- 32.
Susan Razzaz.
- 33.
Ibid.
- 34.
Ibid.
- 35.
Dana Al-Emam, “‘Public healthcare services to Syrian refugees costing Jordan JD271m annually’,” The Jordan Times, December 19, 2016, http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/public-healthcare-services-syrian-refugees-costing-jordan-jd271m-annually’.
- 36.
Yaroub Ajlouni, President of the Health Aid Society Jordan, personal communication with the authors, July 1, 2018.
- 37.
Alexandra Francis, Jordan’s refugee crisis, Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2015.
- 38.
Personal communication with the authors, July 2018.
- 39.
Ibid.
- 40.
Al-Madina News, The Facilitator of the Narrative and the Syrian Refugees in Mafraq [in Arabic], March 27, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9yG1KJnbzM.
- 41.
Hana Jaber, “Blessed Investors and Cursed Refugees: A Reading of Syrian Presence in Jordan,” Arab Reform Initiative, December 5, 2018, p. 6, https://www.arab-reform.net/pdf/?pid=2077&plang=en.
- 42.
Osama al-Sharif, “Jordan, Syria reopen border,” al-Monitor, October 17, 2018, https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/10/jordan-syria-nassib-border-crossing-trade-economy.html.
- 43.
The New Arab, Syria says deal struck with Jordan to return refugees, August 14, 2018, https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/amp/news/2018/8/14/syria-says-deal-struck-with-jordan-to-return-refugees?__twitter_impression=true.
- 44.
Musa Shteiwi, Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies, personal communication with the authors, July 8, 2018.
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Beaujouan, J., Rasheed, A. (2020). The Syrian Refugee Policy of the Jordanian Government. In: Beaujouan, J., Rasheed, A. (eds) Syrian Crisis, Syrian Refugees. Mobility & Politics. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35016-1_5
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