The legal dimension of migration : the Palestine case

Abstract

In this report I consider Israeli policies aimed at reducing the number of Palestinians in the areas under its control. I then deal with the rights and freedoms of Palestinian refugees in host countries. I show how Palestinian refugees are dealt with in host countries as a security issue, with consequently limited rights and freedoms, an extra burden on their already fragile situation. I urge for a more stable legal status for Palestinian refugees. I then deal with the special challenge that the Gaza Strip poses for the international community. I argue that UNRWA is being pushed into a risky though perhaps necessary field, namely the protection of refugees and other fragile categories of civilians. Finally, I present an update of Palestinian Authority legislative enactments notwithstanding the stagnation in the Palestinian constitutional system that followed the 2007 Hamas coup in Gaza.