Jordan: Interethnic relations between Palestinians and Jordanian tribespeople; state protection available to Palestinians who are physically assaulted by Jordanian tribespeople

According to a renowned expert on the Middle East, the President of the consulting firm Near East Support Services, interethnic relations between Palestinians, who constitute roughly 60 percent of the population of Jordan, and Jordanian tribespeople, have been a "fundamental problem since 1948" (12 Dec. 2006). However, the degree of tension between the groups has gradually reduced and is currently "manageable" (President 12 Dec. 2006). Although the United States Library of Congress reported in its September 2006 country profile on Jordan that there is a "continuing lack of full societal acceptance of Palestinians," the consulting firm president does not foresee a rupture occurring between the two groups any time soon (12 Dec. 2006).

Similarly, in a 13 December 2006 telephone interview, a professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California described relations between Palestinians and Jordanian tribespeople as "sensitive." The Professor reported that although intermarriage between Palestinians and Jordanian tribespeople is increasing, it is still, at times, opposed (13 Dec. 2006). Intermarriage is more common in urban areas such as Amman and Irbid where the proportion of Palestinians is higher than that of Jordanian tribespeople (Professor 13 Dec. 2006).

The President of Near East Support Services stated that he was not aware of any cases of assault against Palestinians by Jordanian tribespeople. He added that if there were such cases, Jordan is a state where the rule of law exists as well as ample opportunities to access the legal system (President 12 Dec. 2006). However, the Professor of International Relations stated that although Jordan has laws to address matters such as physical assault, protection from assault and the ability to redress such incidents depend on whether an individual – Palestinian or Jordanian – is well-connected or comes from a prominent family (13 Dec. 2006). The Professor noted that East Bank Jordanians are more likely than Palestinians to have such connections (13 Dec. 2006).

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 additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Near East Support Services. 12 December 2006. Telephone interview with the President.

Professor of International Relations, University of Southern California (USC). 13 December 2006. Telephone interview.

United States (US). September 2006. Library of Congress. Federal Research Division. "Jordan." Country Profile. [Accessed 12 Dec. 2006]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Middle Eastern politics professors at the Appalachian State University, the University of Guelph and the University of Maryland did not provide information within the time constraints of this Response.

Internet sites, including: Alternative Information Center, Arab Studies Journal, BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine, Center for Strategic Studies (University of Jordan), Collective for Research and Training on Develepment – Action (CRTD-A), The Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS), International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES), The Jerusalem Fund, Journal of Palestine Studies, Middle East Institute (MEI), Middle East Policy Council, Middle East Studies Association, National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) REFWORLD, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Palestinian Development Gateway, Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG), Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, SHAML Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Centre.