Jordan/Palestine: Whether the government of Jordan would allow a Palestinian to enter Jordan and establish residency if the individual had a temporary passport but no temporary residency status
According to an official from the BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, a research and advocacy organization (BADIL n.d.a) based in the West Bank (ibid. n.d.b), the government of Jordan would not allow a Palestinian to enter Jordan and establish long-term residency if the individual had a temporary Jordanian passport (BADIL 7 Aug. 2008). The BADIL Official stated that the temporary passport is essentially a travel document and does not entitle the bearer to live in Jordan (ibid.). An August 2006 article in Forced Migration Review (FMR) notes that the temporary Jordanian passports of ex-residents of Gaza do not indicate citizenship (RSC Aug. 2006). The BADIL Official stated that the bearer of a temporary passport may enter Jordan to visit relatives and stay for a short period of time; however, a green card is also required to enter and exit Jordan (BADIL Official 7 Aug. 2008).
A February 2004 report on the website of Forced Migration Online (FMO) provides corroborating information on temporary passports and green cards:
-Jordanian-Palestinians of 1967 with permanent residency in the West Bank have five-year passports without national numbers, and green cards which indicate that the bearer lives in the West Bank and is visiting Jordan temporarily for a particular reason such as work or education.
-Jordanian-Palestinians from Jerusalem with permanent residency in Jerusalem have five-year passports without national numbers and green cards, which indicate that the bearer lives in the West Bank and is visiting Jordan temporarily for a particular reason such as work or education. (Feb. 2004, Sec. 3.2)
The FMO report also states that Palestinians from Gaza can have two-year temporary passports along with blue cards for the purpose of family reunification (Feb. 2004, Sec. 3.2). The BADIL Official stated that the period of time for which the temporary passport is valid keeps changing but that it is usually valid for three years (7 Aug. 2008).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights. 7 August 2008. Telephone interview with an official.
_____. N.d.a. "About BADIL." <http://www.badil.org/BADIL/about_badil.htm> [Accessed 7 Aug. 2008]
_____. N.d.b. "Contacts." <http://www.badil.org/contacts.htm> [Accessed 7 Aug. 2008]
Forced Migration Online (FMO). February 2004. Oroub Al Abed. "Palestinian Refugees in Jordan." <http://www.forcedmigration.org/guides/fmo025/fmo025.pdf> [Accessed 7 Aug. 2008]
Refugee Studies Centre (RSC). August 2006. Oroub El Abed. "Immobile Palestinians: Ongoing Plight of Gazans in Jordan." Forced Migration Review 26. <http://www.fmreview.org/FMRpdfs/FMR26/FMR2607.pdf> [Accessed 6 Aug. 2008]
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: The Embassies of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Ottawa and Washington, DC were unable to provide information within the time constraints of this Response.
Internet sites, including: Alternative Information Center (AIC), Centre d'études et de documentation économiques, juridiques et sociales (CEDEJ) [Cairo], Department of Palestinian Affairs (DPA), Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Ottawa, Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Washington, DC, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Ministry of Interior, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), Palestinian Refugee ResearchNet (PRRN), Research Centre for Refugee Studies (RCRS) [Amman], Right to Enter (RTE), SHAML Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Centre, United States (US) Department of State, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI).