Hello everyone,
Next week we will focus on the situation of Palestinian refugees in international law. Since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, international refugee law has responded to the forced displacement and long-term statelessness of Palestinian refugees separately. The 1951 Convention (article 1(D)) and the 1954 Convention relating to Stateless Persons, single out different treatment for Palestinians. Moreover, Palestinians are governed by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as opposed to UNHCR. We will therefore additionally consider the implications of the potential collapse of UNRWA as a result of the recent ban imposed by the Israeli Knesset.
In this seminar, we will explore how Palestinian refugees are characterised differently, and as a result, the different protections they are entitled to. There are two core readings ahead of the seminar discussion from Susan Akram and Lex Takkenberg. The PDF for Hathaway and Foster's analysis of Palestinian refugees has also been uploaded and the corresponding section noted in the description. As you are reading, consider the following questions:
- Why do Palestinians 'benefit' from a different status in international law? How is this special status and treatment materialised in practice?
- How should State parties interpret the clauses of Article 1(D) of the 1951 Convention and Article 1(2)(i) 1954 Stateless Convention? Why were these clauses introduced in the first place?
- Why does the academic literature argue that Palestinian refugees suffer from 'a protection gap' or a 'legal distortion' as Akram puts it?
Collaborative Activity
The collaborative activity will require you to prepare a draft advocacy briefing (1 page max.) presenting your arguments on one of 3 cases. You should prepare this brief on your own and then you will come together with others who completed the same case to discuss in the seminar next week. You will find details on the cases and additional resources on QMplus:
- Case 1: Mona was born and raised in the West Bank but is not registered with UNRWA.
- Case 2: Samir was born and raised in Yarmouk camp in Syria. He was registered with UNRWA before he fled Syria.
- Case 3: Nawal was born and raised in Nahr Al-Bared in northern Lebanon.
Please send your drafts to my email by Friday, 22 November, noon.
CASE 1)
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CASE 2)
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CASE 3)
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London Migration Film Festival
I previously shared details from the London Migration Film Festival which kicks off this Wednesday across the city. As part of the festival, I will be attending the LAGO Collective's event on Thursday on passport inequality - register to attend if of interest to you!See you otherwise next week!
Ellen
