Port of Call LAST UPDATE June 13, 2010
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May 16, 2010 Aqaba, Jordan – Dreaming of a homeland
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Curious locals stare at us from doorways, windows and balconies.
The noise is deafening as more than 100 screaming Palestinian children surround us. For these refugees living in Jordan's north, we are a rare form of entertainment. They invade our personal space, grabbing and pushing as they eagerly try to play and communicate with us. "Photo me, photo me," they shout enthusiastically in English. It is rare for foreigners to visit the camps scattered throughout Jordan, but since 2005 Peace Boat has been travelling regularly to Jordan and meeting with these refugees. By visiting the camps, participants gain a direct understanding about issues affecting the region, obtaining an eye-witness account of the legacy created by the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.
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Participants are guided through the camp by young Palestinian men who have never been to the homeland of their grandparents.
For many participants, this is a unique experience and possibly the only time in their lives that they will visit a refugee camp. Most have never spoken to refugees before or had the opportunity to experience their lifestyles first-hand. The Palestinians became refugees after the 1948 and 1967 conflicts over territory between Arabs and Israelis, fleeing to neighbouring countries such as Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. From the 1950s onwards, refugee camps were transformed into towns by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), as it became clear that a solution between the Israelis and Palestinians would take years to reach. An agreement between both sides is still far away, meaning that third and fourth generation refugees are being born in areas that were set up as temporary camps more than 60 years ago.
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Many walls and doors have political slogans scrawled on them.
Participants on the 69th Voyage collected a range of aid goods including food and blankets to give to 100 families living in the Madaba Refugee Camp, which is located about 30 kilometres south of Jordan's capital Amman. The camp houses thousands of people who make up a small fraction of the estimated five million Palestinian refugees scattered throughout the Middle East, 40 per cent of whom live in Jordan. Refugees in Jordan are given the most rights, including Jordanian citizenship, work opportunities and access to government services. But life in the camp remains difficult. Expansion is restricted, so new homes must be constructed on top of older ones. During a short tour of the area, participants gained a taste of how claustrophobic life here can be. The houses seem to sag into each other over dusty nameless roads that are strewn with litter and derelict objects. Refugees are able to move out, but the high cost of land in Jordan means that most will never leave the camps.
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It is common for families to have many children, even though space in the camp is extremely limited.
Participants spend the night with a local family to learn more about the daily life of the Palestinians. Three of us are paired up with the Sultan family, who came to Madaba in 1948. We meet Salman Sultan, who was 18 when he left his home near Jerusalem, making him a first-generation refugee. "There were only 10 of us when we left," Mr Sultan says. "Now I have more than 300 relatives in the camp, including 50 grandchildren." The population boom within Madaba is reflected in other Palestinian areas such as Gaza, which is the most densely populated territory in the world.

The sheer number of refugees being born in countries away from their historic homeland means that finding a solution to conflict in the Middle East is becoming more urgent as the years pass by. This expanding population could also cause potential problems, because it might be impossible to find space to accommodate all of the refugees in Israeli and Palestinian territories. Many second and third generation refugees view historic Palestine as their true home, even though they have never travelled to the region. Mr Sultan's 18-year-old son, Mustafa, tells us that he does not want to live in Jordan. "I want to go to Palestine," Mustafa says. "But you have lived in Jordan all your life, so isn't this your home?" we ask. "No, Palestine is my home," he answers.
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Salman Sultan supports his family by operating a small store that sells food and small household items.
In the morning, Peace Boat participants hold a discussion with five first-generation refugees, including Salman Sultan. The life stories of these old men are linked by similar experiences and they tell participants that they have missing family members who they have not seen since 1948. A participant asks whether they dislike Jewish people. "Jews, Muslims and Christians lived in peace before Israel was created," says Mr Sultan. He says that the do not hate Jewish people, but feels anger towards those who moved from European nations to the Middle East and helped create Israel. "The people are very sad, because the Israelis come from overseas and take our land." Another participant asks why the refugees do not move on and accept Jordan as their homeland. "If you were forced out of Japan and had to live in another country for the rest of your life, how would you feel?" Mr Sultan replies.
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Iizumi Kazuko asks Salman Sultan what he would do if he could return to his old home.
At a meeting back on the ship, participants spoke to each other about their experiences. They all said that spending a night with the Palestinian families helped them to understand how conflict in the region has devastated the lives of many. One participant, Iizumi Kazuko, says that she wanted to go to the camp because she did not know much about Palestinian refugees and wanted to learn more. "At first I didn't feel that they had special characteristics that made them refugees." But she says that spending time with her family and realising that they had so much in common had a huge impact on her. "Later on at an emotional level, I felt a lot of shock because they are so similar to me." Many families said that they feel neglected by the international community and asked participants not to forget their experience.