The circumstances for the establishment of the Camp distinguish it from other camps. In 1965 the Jordanian government decided to transfer Arab refugees squatting in the Old City's Jewish and adjacent quarters to the area of the camp. In 1967 the population of the camp was 3,300,today it is almost 25,000.Israel has never allowed the borders of the camp to be expanded and the land is prime for the expansion and connection of three surrounding Jewish settlements, Pisgat Zeev, Maale Adumim and Neve Yakov. Many of the refugees have been offered bribes in cash to leave by agents working for Israeli settler groups, but they refuse, firm in their faith to remain where they are-holding on to the dream of Palestine, Jerusalem and the memory of homes left behind in the wake of war. The Palestinian Authority can do little to help the camp since under peace agreements with Israel they have no jurisdiction within Jerusalem.
People do what they can to find relief.
In the short free time that there is, people watching is a favorite activity. In the evenings the men bring chairs outside to sit and exchange the day's news, smoke and drink coffee. A walk along the main street means parading in front of them as they sit with their chairs leaned back against front doors and walls amidst traffic honking horns and dust. There's little cultural life here. Many young refugee men in their twenties and thirties work as laborers in Israel for a better pay.