Amman: Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Jordanian authorities of forcibly removing over 100 people from an unrecognized Palestinian refugee settlement in Amman late last year.
According to the rights group, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) demolished 25 residences and several shops in the al-Mahatta area during November and December 2024, displacing at least 101 individuals.
HRW stated that the evictions were carried out without proper consultation, advance notice, compensation, or relocation support. The move was part of a broader urban development initiative aimed at redesigning the city. “Displacing families and disrupting their livelihoods without proper safeguards leaves vulnerable communities with nowhere to turn,” said Adam Coogle, HRW’s Deputy Director for the Middle East.
The al-Mahatta neighborhood is home to around 8,000 people, primarily descendants of Palestinians displaced during the 1948 Nakba. However, the Jordanian government does not formally recognize it as a refugee camp.
In defense of the demolitions, city officials cited GAM’s ongoing Strategic Plan, which aims to improve traffic flow, expand green spaces, and reduce population density in informal housing areas. The authorities also emphasized their intention to reclaim municipal land that had been built on without permission.
Despite this, affected residents told HRW they were only given between two weeks to a month to vacate and were promised vague compensation—reportedly around 80 Jordanian dinars ($113) per square meter—with no clear process or timeline.
Amman Mayor Yousef al-Shawarbeh argued that the residents were not eligible for compensation since they were occupying state-owned land, although he said a “donation” had been offered. The evictions contradict a 2019 promise by then-Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, who had pledged to protect the homes following an earlier eviction attempt in 2017.
