From Kuwait to Jordan: The Palestinians' Third Exodus

With the Gulf crisis of 1991, some 300,000 Jordanians, overwhelmingly of Palestinian origin, "returned" from Kuwait to Jordan, where their repatriation both strained resources and stimulated the economy. Initiatives to help the returnees -- both by the government and the UN Compensation Commission -- ultimately proved less effective than the returnees' own efforts. While there are a number of obstacles to integration into Jordan, including attitudes among the returnees, the long-term prospects for such integration seem promising.

Yann Le Troquer, a Middle East consultant in Paris, was a researcher in Amman from 1992 to 1997 at the Institut de recherches et d'études sur le monde arabe et la mediterranée (IREMAM) and the Centre d'études et de recherches sur le moyen orient contemporain (CERMOC). Rozenn Hommery al-Oudat, who teaches economics at the French school in Qatar, did research in Amman from 1992 to 1995.