Amman, Feb. 2 (Petra) - Minister of Local Administration Walid Masri said the government has adopted a final and comprehensive solution to the long-standing issue of refugee camp lands owned by private citizens, which have remained unusable for nearly 78 years due to "legal complexities, multiple heirs, and judicial disputes." In statements on Monday, Masri explained that the solution is based on the principle of fair and consensual compensation, through exchanging privately owned lands on which camps are built with state-owned lands of equal value. This, he said, would end legal disputes and restore owners’ rights without resorting to the courts.
He noted that the government had previously succeeded in resolving similar cases and is now serious about closing this chronic issue in a way that preserves citizens’ rights and serves the public interest, while maintaining the symbolic, political, and legal significance of the camps in relation to the refugee issue.
Under the decision, privately owned plots hosting camps in Amman, Zarqa, and Madaba will be exchanged for state-owned lands within the same governorates of equivalent value. Owners of lands hosting camps in Irbid, Balqa, and Jerash will be compensated with state-owned lands outside their governorates of equal value, due to the lack of available treasury land in those areas.
The decision also includes annexing state-owned lands that have been encroached upon and are located outside the boundaries of Hittin Camp to within its limits, to transfer them to the Department of Palestinian Affairs.
The Cabinet approved on Sunday the solutions related to privately owned lands on which camps are built, in order to end existing legal disputes and ease the financial burden on the treasury, based on the principle of fair compensation and the owners’ consent, similar to previous arrangements adopted for Talbiyeh Camp in Al-Jeeza District.
The Cabinet tasked the Department of Lands and Survey with preparing a detailed study on the proposed plots for exchange and their estimated values. It also assigned the Department of Palestinian Affairs to form a specialized committee to negotiate directly with landowners and conclude temporary lease contracts until the necessary studies are completed, ensuring that each owner receives a plot or share equivalent to the value of their property. The lands hosting the camps will eventually revert to state ownership.
In November, the prime minister decided to form a committee chaired by the director general of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation to study the use of state lands, especially in governorates that include camps built on privately owned land, for exchange purposes and to allocate annual funds for housing projects.
//Petra// AF
