Shu'fat Camp

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Shu’fat, also known as Shuafat, is a Palestinian refugee camp in East Jerusalem. It sits next to the Shuafat neighborhood. The camp is outside the Israeli West Bank barrier, but it is inside Israeli territory. It is the only Palestinian refugee camp inside Jerusalem that is run by UNRWA.

The surrounding area has many tall buildings. To the west is Ras Khamis, to the south Ras Shehadeh, and to the east Dahiyat al-Salam, reaching the city boundary and then the village of Anata beyond. The northern edge reaches the separation barrier near the Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood.

History: After the 1948 war, Palestinian refugees were housed in the old Jewish Quarter, which grew into a larger camp called Muaskar run by UNRWA. Over time, many poor non-refugees also moved in. Poor conditions and lack of maintenance made living there unsafe, but demolition would have caused negative international reaction. In 1964, refugees were moved to a new camp near Shuafat; many initially refused because it would cut them off from work, markets, and holy sites, and some were moved by force in 1965–66. After the 1967 Six-Day War, East Jerusalem, including Shuafat, came under Israeli control and was annexed in a move not internationally recognized. Residents were offered Israeli citizenship, but most refused, with many taking permanent residency instead.

Shuafat is one of two Palestinian refugee camps inside Jerusalem; the other is Kalandia. Residents hold Jerusalem identity cards, giving them many rights similar to Israelis, but the camp relies mainly on UNRWA for services. About 40–50% of the camp’s residents are not registered refugees.

The Israeli West Bank barrier partly separates the camp from the rest of Shuafat and Jerusalem. Some health care comes from Israeli clinics in the camp. The Israeli presence is mainly through checkpoints; Israeli police rarely enter the camp, while the Palestinian Civil Police does not operate in Israeli-administered areas. Residents pay taxes to Israeli authorities.

Politics and incidents: A 2000 survey found that 59% of Israeli Jews supported changing Jerusalem’s borders to exclude Arab towns like Shuafat to keep a Jewish majority. In 2001, 14 homes under construction were demolished by order of then-mayor Ehud Olmert, who said they were built without permits. The families said they did not own the land but believed they had permission from religious authorities, and that getting building permits is very hard. Olmert said the houses were on public land and near Pisgat Ze’ev.

In 2007, a New York Times report described Shuafat as lacking planning, with overcrowding and poor roads. Olmert later questioned whether areas like Shuafat should be annexed into Jerusalem. Plans to transfer control to the Palestinian Authority caused division in the community.

In 2012, a scholar described Shuafat’s renewal as a creative response to a fragmented space, with new businesses and investment drawing people toward the camp.