Talbieh Camp

Talbieh camp was one of six ‘emergency’ camps set up in 1968 for 5,000 Palestine refugees and displaced persons who were displaced from the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip as a result of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Unlike the other camps in Jordan, Talbieh's inhabitants were mainly displaced persons, not refugees. Also, residents are mostly Bedouin.

Talbieh was set up on an area of about 0.13 square kilometres, 35 kilometres south of Amman. It is the largest camp in terms of state land. Tents were donated by the Iranian Red Lion and Sun Society, who later replaced them with concrete shelters. Talbieh camp is the smallest of the ten Palestine refugee camps in Jordan in terms of camp population.

MAJOR CHALLENGES

Many shelters are in a bad state of repair with zinc or asbestos sheet roofs, structural problems, and poor natural light and ventilation. According to a 2013 FaFo report, around 28 per cent of Palestine refugees in Talbieh camp have an income below the national poverty line of JD 814 and 37 per cent are uninsured.