Balata Refugee Camp

Basic Information

Type

Refugee Camp

Governorate

Nablus

Region

West Bank - Northern

Overview

Balata Refugee Camp (Arabic: مخيم بلاطة) is the largest refugee camp in the West Bank, located on the outskirts of Nablus city in the northern West Bank. Established by UNRWA in 1950, the camp was built on a 0.25 km² plot of land to house approximately 5,000 refugees who were forcibly expelled from Jaffa, Haifa, Acre, and other cities and villages in coastal Palestine during the 1948 Nakba. Today, the camp's population has swelled to over 14,000 registered refugees living in one of the most densely populated places on earth. Since 1967, Balata has been under Israeli military occupation and has suffered disproportionately from military incursions, assassinations, home demolitions, and collective punishment. The camp was a major center of resistance during both Intifadas, and the Israeli military has repeatedly invaded it, destroying infrastructure and killing residents. The camp's residents remain refugees, denied their right of return to their original homes in what is now Israel.

Historical Significance

The largest refugee camp in the West Bank; symbol of the Palestinian refugee experience and the ongoing denial of the right of return; major center of resistance during both Intifadas.

Sources and record limitations

Source detail varies by record. Some entries include document and page references; others supply source names only. Check the cited material and the record's limitations before relying on a specific claim.

• PCBS
• UNRWA
• ARIJ
• UN OCHA
• PASSIA
• B'Tselem
• Palestinian municipal records

Largest refugee camp in West Bank. UNRWA registered population may differ from actual residents.