While rising tensions at the Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount have sparked much of the recent violence, it is essential to remember that this violence is set in the context of Israel's nearly 50-year occupation of Palestinian land which continues to lead to the destruction of Palestinian homes, property, and livelihoods while Israeli settlements expand throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Furthermore, the lack of resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian situation means that millions of Palestinians remain as refugees, both in the occupied territories and in surrounding countries.  In Gaza, where 1.2 million of the total population of 1.8 million (two-thirds) are refugees, residents face the devastating effects of the blockade on employment, health, education, restricted mobility, and access to resources, including Israeli restrictions on "dual use" materials necessary for reconstruction.

The family of Abdo, the boy who was killed from the Aida refugee camp, was displaced from the village of al-Qabo in 1948. The thousands of refugees who have been uprooted are heavily affected by the violence, while the reality of living as a refugee in a continually unresolved situation creates an environment ripe with tension.

The Syrian crisis has a profound impact on Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS), as many of them are now twice displaced. According to UNRWA reports, approximately 80,000 of Syria's 560,000 Palestine refugees have fled the country, while an estimated 95 percent of the remaining 480,000 are in need of humanitarian assistance. Of those still in Syria, 280,000 are internally displaced. UNRWA cannot keep up with increased needs and released a 2015 emergency appeal for $415.4 to continue humanitarian efforts for PRS. To date, 49% of the requested funds have been pledged, including $97.5 million from the U.S. Both the current violence and the ongoing humanitarian situation for Palestinian refugees are inextricably linked to a long history of tension and oppression. A lasting and comprehensive peace is essential to addressing both.