The Silent Struggles of Stateless Palestinians in Jordan

In this episode, we explore the plight of stateless Palestinians in Jordan, particularly the nearly 200,000 ‘ex-Gazan’ refugees lacking citizenship. Through insights from expert Nasser Al-Khaldy and personal stories from individuals like Ahmad – who has chosen to remain anonymous – we uncover the impact of statelessness on people’s political rights.

SCRIPT

INTRO, FRANCESCA MARIA LORENZINI: About 2 million Palestinian refugees live in Jordan. The vast majority have Jordanian nationality, except for almost 200,000 ‘ex-Gazan’ refugees who are not recognized as citizens by any country. And this condition significantly limits their participation in Jordanian civic life. This is “Rights Now,” let’s get started.

[“RIGHTS NOW” INTRO JINGLE]

LORENZINI: To gain deeper insights on the complex realities faced by stateless Palestinians in Jordan, we spoke with Nasser Al-Khaldy, a PhD student at University College London focusing on Urban Informality in Refugee Camps.

NASSER AL-KHALDY: They live in a sort of a very complicated situation. Because they don’t exactly belong to a certain state.

[SOUNDBITE OF UNDISTINGUISHED VOICES]

LORENZINI: Al-Khaldy spent months researching statelessness in the Jerash refugee camp, often referred to as “Gaza camp.” Official records indicate that around 29,000 Gazan refugees were displaced during the 1967 War.

[SOUNDBITE OF ROCKETS EXPLODING]

LORENZINI: When Israel took control of the Gaza Strip and other territories. Many of these individuals have lived in Jordan for generations without ever becoming citizens. But this number may be an undercount, as many remain unregistered.

AL-KHALDY: The reason that they don’t have Jordanian citizenship is that before 1967, Gaza was under the authority of Egypt. So essentially, Palestinians there fell under the services and the social protection programs of Egypt. So Jordan was not initially responsible for taking care of refugees or Palestinians in Gaza. And then after 1967, some of them fled to Jordan, and the Jordanian state did not assimilate them instead they chose to give them refugee status.

LORENZINI: According to the UN Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, Palestinians without nationality other than their Palestinian identity should be considered stateless and protected by international law. But since Jordan hasn’t signed this convention, stateless individuals don’t have any form of legal protection in the country. Statelessness significantly hinders people’s ability to work and participate in governance and civic responsibilities. It’s not just about lacking legal recognition; it also impacts basic human rights.

[SOUNDBITE OF CHILDREN PLAYING]

LORENZINI: Ahmad lives in the Jerash “Gaza Camp” where he runs a cell repair shop. We won’t reveal his real name for safety concerns.

[SOUNDBITE OF INSERT AND SPINNING]

LORENZINI: He lacks both Jordanian and Palestinian citizenship but holds a travel document issued by the Jordanian government. But while this document verifies his identity, it doesn’t provide him with any nationality. This lack of legal status denies him the right to political participation. In fact, he couldn’t vote in the national elections on September 10.

[SOUNDBITE OF AHMAD SPEAKING IN ARABIC]

[ENGLISH DUBBING] W. FRANCISCO KILGORE: I was very upset. I wanted to vote. Because this affects us. The representatives of the Parliament will affect our society.

LORENZINI: This issue has persisted for decades. When Gazan refugees were displaced to Jordan, the government viewed their stay as temporary, which meant they weren’t granted civil or political rights. The reasoning was that this could jeopardize Palestinians’ “right to return” – which is the idea that Palestinian refugees and their descendants have the right to return to the homes and lands from which they were displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the massacres that followed.

[SOUNDBITE OF AHMAD SPEAKING IN ARABIC]

[ENGLISH DUBBING] KILGORE: We are supposed to have the right to return, but we are deprived of all our civil rights. The right to study, education, the right to work.

LORENZINI: Being stateless prevents political participation on a global scale. Armando Augello Cupi grew up in Italy without any citizenship. And in 2022, he founded the Italian Union for Stateless People, an organization that advocates for the rights of stateless individuals around the world.

ARMANDO AUGELLO CUPI: We cannot take our destiny in our hands because we are not part of the political system.

LORENZINI: While he can’t vote in national elections or join a political organization, he still enjoys certain civil rights, like the right to education. This is due to Italy’s commitment to the UN Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, which acknowledges the civil rights of stateless individuals. Augello Cupi believes the best way to raise awareness about the issue in Jordan, is by establishing an organization focused on statelessness, similar to his efforts in Italy. 

AUGELLO CUPI: This will allow us to create more awareness and information about this phenomenon that many times is overshadowed.

LORENZINI: But it’s a long way to go in Jordan, and Ahmad is not very optimistic.

[SOUNDBITE OF AHMAD SPEAKING IN ARABIC]

[ENGLISH DUBBING] KILGORE: A refugee in the Gaza camp has their future stolen before it even begins.

[“RIGHTS NOW” OUTRO JINGLE]

OUTRO, LORENZINI: This was “Rights Now” by the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies. To learn more about statelessness in the Gaza camp, check out our report “Statelessness and Labour Precarity in the Jerash Refugee Camp.” I’m your host, Francesca Maria Lorenzini. Until next time, take care!