Dossier Mobility and Refugee Crisis in the Mediterranean IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2016 122 Dossier: Mobility and Refugee Crisis in the Mediterranean Syrian Refugees in Jordan and Lebanon: between Refuge and Ongoing Deprivation? Katharina Lenner European University Institute (EUI), Florence Susanne Schmelter University of Göttingen Jordan and Lebanon have both generously received refugees from Syria since the outbreak of the crisis in 2011. Of all neighbouring countries, they host the largest number of Syrian refugees relative to their overall populations. Yet after years of relative open- ness, new regulations have made entry and move- ment more difficult while making lives more precari- ous. Syrian refugees have also been severely affected by funding shortages in the global humani- tarian response. The resulting squeeze has led to an increasing sense of despair and many have attempt- ed to leave both countries. The situation, however, is arguably worse in Lebanon than it is in Jordan. Syr- ian refugees in Jordan have experienced glimpses of hope since the February 2016 donors confer- ence, which promised to facilitate their access to the labour market. This article introduces some par- allels, as well as notable differences in the way the Syrian refugee crisis has evolved in both countries, particularly over the course of 2015 - 2016. Syrian and Other Refugee Communities Lebanon and Jordan are home to an exceptionally large number of refugees relative to their overall populations. According to estimates, registered ref- ugees (with UNHCR as well as UNRWA) make up around ⅓ of the total population in both cases. Jor- dan, with approximately 9.5 million inhabitants, hosts 2.1 million registered refugees from Palestine (including their descendants), who came in 1948, 1967 and 1990/91. Hundreds of thousands of Ira- qis have sought temporary or permanent refuge in Jordan over the past 25 years due to the Gulf wars, and more than 650,000 Syrians have registered as refugees since 2011. Governmental sources sug- gest around 1.4 million Syrians now live in Jordan, as they estimate 750,000 Syrians were in the coun- try when the war began. Lebanon, in comparison, has a population of around 6.2 million. Of these, approximately 450,000 are Palestinian refugees and 50,000 are Palestinian ref- ugees from Syria (PRS). An estimated 30,000 to 50,000 are Iraqi refugees and almost 1.1 million are UNHCR-registered Syrian refugees. The number of non-registered Syrians is unknown but substantial. In addition, both countries host smaller refugee communities, such as Somalis, Sudanese and Yem- enis. The way in which Syrians have been received in both countries is strongly connected with these pre- vious experiences with other refugee populations, as well as with the broader political and socio-eco- nomic dynamics in both settings. More than any- thing, the Palestinian experience has led to a reluc- tance to admit a new population of refugees as anything more than temporary guests. This aversion is so powerful that Jordan has even refused to let PRS enter the country. Government Responses and Status Questions Neither Jordan nor Lebanon have signed the 1951 Geneva convention, and neither have specific asy- lum laws. Cooperation with the UNHCR functions on the basis of memoranda of understanding