By the end of September 1991, the numbers remaining had fallen still further to around 50,000–80,000. By February 1992, only 30,000–40,000 remained, around half of whom had Egyptian travel documents, many simply unable to return to their families in the Gaza Strip (Shaml). Later in the 1990s, they were under strong pressure to leave, yet no country would accept them.

The Palestinian community had 40-year-old roots in Kuwait, with many of the younger generations born there, knowing no other life. Their desire to return to Palestine and their support of relatives in the occupied territories continued, but in the medium term, they were settled in Kuwait.

However, the Kuwaiti government’s concern over the presence of such a large Palestinian community in their midst did not begin with the Iraqi occupation, but had much earlier origins. Academic Shafeeq Al-Ghabra claims that the crisis began following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and the growing realization that the return for Palestinians might not become reality. As a non-UNWRA country, Kuwait was given much less attention as part of a settlement process than UNWRA countries such as Jordan.

The government was afraid of the security implications of the growing strength of the Palestinian resistance in the early 1970s and the events that occurred in Lebanon and Jordan. Finally, Kuwait was in a very different socio-economic position than it had been in the early 1950s, and the demand from Kuwaiti citizens for professional employment rapidly increased to cover jobs traditionally held by Palestinians.

Iraq: Some 2,000 Palestinians fled to Iraq, mostly holders of Egyptian travel documents (Middle East Watch 1991). However, the situation in Iraq is now very different and many of these people will have become displaced yet again (see Iraq).

Jordan: 360,000 Palestinians, including those from Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf states, fled to Jordan during the upheaval of the 1991 Gulf crisis. The large majority of this group held legal Jordanian papers; their return from the Gulf added another 10 percent to the population (Shaml).Over 300,000 remained in Jordan, but owing to the wartime crisis, as with all these figures, it is difficult to be precise. About 30,000–40,000 who held valid Israeli-issued documents went back to the West Bank, and a very small number were able to immigrate to Canada, Australia, or other countries.

West Bank and Gaza: Only about 30,000–40,000 Palestinians were able to return to the occupied territories—the few who had valid documentation.

Syria and Lebanon: Small numbers of Palestinians displaced from Kuwait fled to Syria and Lebanon, mostly those who already held legal documents to enter.

The crisis that faced, and continues to face, Palestinians in Kuwait highlights the ongoing displacement of the Palestinian people. A nation without a state, ordinary refugees are not only subject to the difficulties of Israeli restrictions and denial of their rights, but also the wider Arab and international community who do not want to be burdened with the responsibility of the catastrophe that the Israelis have caused. Until they have their own independent state, which allows them to travel freely and to return, Palestinians will always remain among the most vulnerable groups in societies abroad, irrespective of what financial resources or residency security they previously believed that they had.