The right to citizenship of Palestinian refugees : a closer analysis of the international legal regime protecting Palestinian refugees

Abstract

As time goes by, wars emerge and the flux of refugees increases. The refugee status is a vicious circle where people find themselves fleeing from a country and looking for refuge in another, hoping to find a final solution. The Palestinian refugee issue is one of the longest crisis in the world, which has been ongoing for almost seventy years with no solution in sight. While some scholars have analysed the issue from a legal perspective and others from a human rights' aspect, this study will consider both perspectives to discuss and argue the reasons for grating citizenship as the best temporary solution. This study will consider the special category in which they are, and it will be given an explanation about the differences similitudes between nationality and citizenship. Moreover, it will look at the evolution of the Palestinian nationality from the Ottoman Empire until today. It will breakdown the international and regional treaties that protect and provide for the right to citizenship, and the Israeli and Palestinian's national laws that concern Palestinians. To conclude, after having a deep insight of the legal framework, the author of this thesis will point out some observation regarding some treaty violations and recommendations.