Palestinian livelihoods in Egypt

Palestinians, numbering over eight million around the world, are known among other diaspora communities for their ability to sustain their livelihoods. Palestinians in Egypt are currently employed in a wide range of professions, among them wealthy businesspeople, entrepreneurs, and skilled and unskilled labourers. What are the conditions under which they have survived?

Research by the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Programme at the American University in Cairo into the livelihoods of Palestinian refugees also examines governmental policies affecting their livelihood options. The research aims to analyse the legal status, the socio-economic conditions, the social networks in Egypt and in Palestine and the impact on the daily livelihoods of Palestinians in Egypt. They are particularly vulnerable for two reasons: they are not included in the refugee mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nor are they assisted by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). Secondly, because their legal status is that of Arab foreigners, their livelihood options are limited.

There are almost 70 000 Palestinians living in Egypt today. Most are in large cities, where many try to earn a living despite the complex administrative regulations imposed on them by the host state. Palestinians have moved to Egypt in large numbers for different reasons over various periods, including the wars with Israel. When the Gaza Strip was under Egyptian administration from 1948 to 1967, Palestinians in Egypt and Gaza were given Egyptian travel documents, which required valid residency permits. This residency is renewable on proof of a valid work permit or a certificate establishing school or university attendance, a bank statement for at least 25,000 Egyptian pounds or proof of the Egyptian nationality of the applicant’s mother. Yet in many cases, Palestinian men with Egyptian mothers have had difficulty renewing their residency upon turning 21 years old if they failed to provide a student certificate or a work permit.

The initial findings of the research showed:

• As a result of administrative regulations imposed on the Palestinians, many young men (over 21 years old) tend not to have residency cards, thus they live a stateless existence in Egypt.
• The level of education among Palestinians, especially women, is very low due to limited entry to public schools and a conditional entry to public universities upon payment of fees in a foreign currency.
• Egyptian travel documents are only valid for six months unless the holder asks for a one-year return visa. Thus, many members of Palestinian families are prevented from joining their families in Egypt as their papers expired while they were living abroad.
• Because of the difficulty in getting a work permit, Palestinians tend to work in entrepreneurial work, the informal sector and commerce.

Several suggestions for improving their livelihood potential can be drawn, including:

• involving the UNHCR in countries not served by UNRWA to provide temporary refuge for Palestinians
• lobbying states that are signatories to the 1969 Casablanca Protocol for more rights for Palestinians, including the right to education, work and travel
• empowering Palestinian NGOs and associations based in Egypt to create sustainable projects in order to better meet the needs of Palestinians.

Oroub Al Abed
Forced Migration Refugee Studies
American University in Cairo
113 Kasr El Aini St.
POB 2511
Cairo 11511
Egypt

T 202 797 6920

oroub@aucegypt.edu
www.aucegypt.edu/academic/fmrs

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