Palestinian refugees in Jordan

Join us this week for a series of live specials from Amman, Jordan.

This week marked the 59th year since the creation of Israel in May 1948.

For the Palestinians it is known as the “Nakba,” or catastrophe; for the Israelis it is known as the War of Independence.

But what it means in practical terms is 59 years of Palestinian refugees.

In 1948, 750,000 Palestinians were forced out or fled from their homes to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.

The United Nations quickly set up an agency to register and shelter these refugees, and by 1950, a total of 914,000 were registered.

Today the estimated number of Palestinian refugees registered with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East – known as UNRWA – is around 4.4 million, with another 1.5 million unregistered.

UNRWA is by far the largest UN agency, employing more than 25,000 people.

Jordan is host to the largest Palestinian refugee population – almost 1.8 million.

On Thursday, Riz speaks with the commissioner-general of UNRWA, Karen AbuZayd, about the issues facing the refugees, and the difficulties her agency faces as Palestinian-on-Palestinian violence grows in the Gaza Strip, threatening the onset of a “second Nakba”.

Don’t miss Riz Khan live at 19:00GMT, when you can call with your questions and comments. Riz Khan is also shown every day at 00:00GMT, 05:00GMT, and 09:30GMT.

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