The Occupation’s Aggression on Camps in Northern West Bank and Scenarios for the Return of Displaced Persons

SadaNews - Report: Wessal Abu Aliya - For more than six months, the camps in northern West Bank have been experiencing a significant escalation in the occupation’s aggression, especially in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams camps, from which residents have been displaced amid continued home demolitions, destruction of buildings and infrastructure, and plans to alter the structure of the camps and erase their landmarks.

The aim behind changing the geography of the camps and destroying the streets

The Refugee Affairs Department in the Palestine Liberation Organization confirmed that the occupation's aim behind its ongoing aggression for about six months and its violations in the northern West Bank camps, which included demolishing and blowing up houses and arresting and mistreating citizens, not to mention the cold-blooded killings, is primarily the displacement of residents; displacement is the main objective.

It added that the occupation’s aggression is not limited to just demolishing houses, but it is also working to raze streets to alter the geography of the camps and erase their landmarks, as they represent a witness and evidence of the Nakba of 1948 after the displacement of Palestinians from their towns and villages, thus targeting the symbolism and status of the camps.

The Refugee Affairs Department in the PLO clarified that the occupation's aggression against the refugee camps coincided with the targeting of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the enactment of laws to prohibit its work, confirming that targeting the agency is a direct attack on the refugee issue to end it and terminate the right of return, as UNRWA, in addition to its relief role, represents international recognition of the refugee issue.

Dr. Abdullah Kmeil, the Governor of Tulkarm, stated that the occupation army has destroyed a large part of the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, where more than 35% of the camps have been completely demolished, and large sections have sustained partial destruction, with 36 buildings burned last month alone in Nur Shams camp, at a time when the occupation is working to change the structure of the camps to transform them into villages, towns, or neighborhoods and completely erase their landmarks.

The current situation

Kmeil added that there is no one left in the two camps in Tulkarm Governorate; people are living in a catastrophic situation, with more than 4,600 families, meaning 22,000 citizens living in rented homes or with relatives and acquaintances, and some have moved outside the governorate.
Regarding education, Kmeil confirmed that students from the camps have been temporarily integrated into public schools, as they previously attended schools run by UNRWA, and this arrangement was organized by the Ministry of Education.

The economy and Palestinians from within

The economy is facing a very difficult situation, both in the camps and the governorate as a whole, due to the ongoing aggression of the occupation and the closure of military checkpoints. Historically, Tulkarm’s economic lifeline has been its people from within, given the proximity of Tulkarm governorate to the interior, particularly the towns of the triangle, and the economy was built on that foundation. Therefore, it is very difficult to compensate for Palestinians from within concerning shopping in the northern West Bank governorates, according to Kmeil.

In Jenin camp, recent days witnessed new notices for the demolition of more than 100 houses in the camp, in addition to hundreds of houses and facilities that have already been demolished since the beginning of the ongoing aggression at the start of this year, with estimates indicating that the continuous aggression for more than six months has caused destruction to about 600 houses and facilities in the camp, either partially or completely.

Who is responsible for the camps and the displaced?

Dr. Muhammad Abu Rab, Director of the Government Media Center, stated that the responsibility for the displaced falls primarily under the legal mandate of UNRWA, as it is responsible for aid, education, and health, noting that there are about 50,000 people who have become homeless from the Jenin and Tulkarm camps. The government, in cooperation with UNRWA and international institutions, has made significant interventions during the past period, including shelter, food parcels, and infrastructure, and these government interventions are not limited to what happened as a result of this aggression, but also during previous aggressions and incursions, where efforts were made immediately after each aggression ended to restore water, electricity, sewage services, and pave roads.

Abu Rab confirmed that the total government interventions in northern West Bank during the past period since December last year amounted to over 52 million shekels so far, aside from the interventions of UNRWA, commercial chambers, Fatah Movement, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Abu Rab added that the responsibility for the camps lies with UNRWA, but due to the Israeli assault on the agency and its targeting, the government is contributing and coordinating with the agency in its interventions, particularly in northern West Bank. A ministerial committee for emergency work has been formed with several ministers that meets periodically to follow up on the execution of interventions in the northern governorates. It requests budgets from the Cabinet and allocates them from the public finances, in addition to including the Prime Minister's advisor for Arab and Islamic funds, who, in turn, secures external funding for emergency interventions in the camps.

The future of the camps

Abu Rab pointed out that after the occupation’s indications to withdraw from the camps in northern West Bank, there are three scenarios: First, homes that have not been damaged and require simple cleaning, which are fit for habitation, will see families return to them. Second, homes that require partial repair; accordingly, the government has developed a plan and funding has been mobilized for repairing these damaged houses. The third scenario involves homes that have been demolished, and the occupation has stated that it will not allow their rebuilding, which means working on a plan for sheltering these families, estimated at 600 families, which will need continuous shelter, thus requiring financial resources, Arab support, and a greater role from the agency, because the aim of the Israeli occupation is to tighten on UNRWA and eliminate it and end the issue of the camps.

It is likely that the occupation will continue its destructive plans in the camps in northern West Bank, threatening the continued displacement of families from their homes forcibly, which means further humanitarian hardships, especially since a large part of their members have lost their jobs. On the other hand, if this aggression ends later and the occupation army withdraws from the camps, those whose homes were destroyed will be forced to permanent displacement and reside elsewhere (particularly after the occupation issued a decision prohibiting the rebuilding of what was demolished), while others whose homes sustained partial damage will remain displaced until their houses are repaired.

Currently, there is a state of anticipation among the displaced persons from the northern West Bank camps, as most of them are asking when they will return to inspect the conditions of their homes after the mass demolitions and destructions, and to see first-hand the new shape of their camps.