There are some 11 million Palestinians scattered around the world, including more than five million refugees living throughout the Middle East. Their plight has made headlines in Syria, where the UN agency for Palestinian refugee UNRWA says as many as 100,000 Palestinians may have fled the Yarmuk refugee camp in Damascus in recent days because of fighting. Thousands returned to the camp on 20 December despite sporadic gunfire. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas urged the international community to help those refugees fleeing fighting in camps in Syria to enter the West Bank and Gaza.
Palestinians are also present throughout much of the Gulf, where they began moving in the 1960s lured by the opportunity of employment. The right of return for Palestinian refugees remains a key issue in peace negotiations with Israel. UN General Assembly Resolution 194, adopted on December 11, 1948, stipulates that “the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date.”