1952 Report of the director of UNRWA to the Seventh General Assembly

1952 Arab Refugees

Arab Refugee Fraud

Report of the director of UNRWA to the Seventh General Assembly (1952), p. 3, para 15.; ibid p. 3, para 16.

“THESE MARKED DISCREPANCIES ARE THE RESULT OF THE FACT THAT, AS INDICATED IN THE UNRWA REPORTS, MANY THOUSANDS OF DESTITUTE ARABS IN THE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES HAVE SUCCEEDED IN SECURING THEIR INCLUSION IN THE RATION LISTS. A FURTHER CONTRIBUTORY CAUSE WAS THE FACT THAT “WHEREAS ALL BIRTHS ARE EAGERLY ANNOUNCED, THE DEATHS WHEREVER POSSIBLE ARE PASSED OVER IN SILENCE, SO THAT THE FAMILY MAY CONTINUE TO COLLECT RATIONS FOR THE DECEASED.” THESE MALPRACTICES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN AIDED BY SOME ARAB AUTHORITIES INTERESTED IN INFLATING THE NUMBERS ON RECORD.

In Jordan, those conducting the refugee census were subjected to intimidation and occasionally to violence. At the instance of the Jordan government an “Appeal committee” was set up, consisting of nominees of the Government and of UNRWA. The result was that the number of refugees on the relief record increased during the first two months of 1951 by as many as 28,000.

“In Syria, Jordan, and Gaza the agreement of the Government must be obtained to the removal of ration recipients by reason of income, but in these countries, due to Government insistence, such a high scale has been established that seldom does removal for this reason occur. Indeed, there are numerous instances of full-time Government employees remaining on ration rolls because of the high income scale”

This recommendation was accepted by UNRWA. There is further the problem of the Beduin population. They were never sedentary and in most cases took their livestock with them. Nevertheless UNRWA treated them as refugees or semi-refugees. Their total number is uncertain. In many cases it is even doubtful whether the Beduins included hail from Palestine. In the UNRWA Report the number of Beduins to whom rations are allocated is given as 93,000.

Source: The Arab Refugees. (p. 14-15)