ABSTRACT
The Middle East is one of the few regions in the world where the refugee population, at present over 6 million, including 3.9 million Palestinians, exceeds that of the internally displaced. Internal displacement in the Middle East stems from religious and ethnic conflicts that have spanned several decades, as well as competition over land and resources. In many cases, conflicts and subsequent displacement have resulted in the resettlement of populations along ethnic or religious lines. The forced dislocation of populations has often been conducted in the Middle East to facilitate control over a territory and its natural resources. The human rights record in the Middle East remained poor in the first part of 2002. Violence against IDPs was particularly severe in Iraq and in the Palestinian Territories. Indeed, with the increasing violence in the Middle East in 2002, it would appear that any political settlement of the Golan Heights issue is unlikely in the foreseeable future.
