Palestinian Emigration from Lebanon to Northern Europe: Refugees, Networks, and Transnational Practices

Doraï, Mohamed Kamel

doi:10.25071/1920-7336.21287

“…Furthermore, the attitude of the host countries strongly determines the transnational activities of Palestinian refugees (Dorai, 2003). Therefore, Palestinian refugees' social relations create a "transnational community not bonded by the geographical borders of either the countries of origin or the countries of settlement" (Dorai, 2003, p.25).…”

Section: ) Palestinians' Perception Of Homementioning

confidence: 99%

Humanitarian Dilemmas for the Palestinian Refugees & the Question of Return

Smoum¹

2021

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This paper examines the situation of Palestinian refugees who have been living in Arab host countries as a result of the 1948 and 1967 Arab-Israeli wars. Although their right of return was recognized by the UN Commission on Human Rights, 7 million refugees and 450,000 internally displaced Palestinians continue to live under unfavourable conditions, constituting about seventy percent of the entire Palestinian population worldwide (10.1 million) (BADIL, n.d, para1). During the refugee experience, Palestinians have suffered from all kinds of human rights violations in different countries. However, they considered the denial of their right of return as the most significant source of grievance. The right of return has become a major political goal and mobilizing influence of Palestinian nationalism. In this paper, I will use Iraq as a case study to demonstrate the continued instability and discrimination that Palestinians face in host countries and difficulties for stable settlement in exile. The experience of Palestinian refugees in Iraq between 1948 and 2008 indicates that even in countries where Palestinian refugees had seemingly favourable conditions, changes in political climate and their lack of citizenship rights make life in exile a perilous experience. Recognizing the issue of return as a legal and political matter, I will argue in this paper that based on the Palestinian refugees’ experience in various Arab host countries, securing the right of return should also be seen as a viable humanitarian solution. In the case of Palestinian refugees from and in Iraq, the right of return should be considered an emergency measure.

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“…Palestinians in diaspora are able to maintain transnational networks which according to Dorai (2003) are characterized by efficiency and permanence and are based on a shared identity common to all Palestinian migrants. Dorai (2003) illustrates that…”

Section: ) Palestinian Identity and Nationalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humanitarian Dilemmas for the Palestinian Refugees & the Question of Return

Smoum¹

2021

Preprint

0

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This paper examines the situation of Palestinian refugees who have been living in Arab host countries as a result of the 1948 and 1967 Arab-Israeli wars. Although their right of return was recognized by the UN Commission on Human Rights, 7 million refugees and 450,000 internally displaced Palestinians continue to live under unfavourable conditions, constituting about seventy percent of the entire Palestinian population worldwide (10.1 million) (BADIL, n.d, para1). During the refugee experience, Palestinians have suffered from all kinds of human rights violations in different countries. However, they considered the denial of their right of return as the most significant source of grievance. The right of return has become a major political goal and mobilizing influence of Palestinian nationalism. In this paper, I will use Iraq as a case study to demonstrate the continued instability and discrimination that Palestinians face in host countries and difficulties for stable settlement in exile. The experience of Palestinian refugees in Iraq between 1948 and 2008 indicates that even in countries where Palestinian refugees had seemingly favourable conditions, changes in political climate and their lack of citizenship rights make life in exile a perilous experience. Recognizing the issue of return as a legal and political matter, I will argue in this paper that based on the Palestinian refugees’ experience in various Arab host countries, securing the right of return should also be seen as a viable humanitarian solution. In the case of Palestinian refugees from and in Iraq, the right of return should be considered an emergency measure.

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“…The Swedish and German migration authorities can draw on institutional memory here, as there is a history of Palestinian refugee/migratory flows to the two countries. Both host sizable Palestinian diaspora who arrived from Lebanon during the civil war in the mid 1970s to the 1990s and in waves from Iraq between 1990 to today (Doraï, 2003 ; Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, 2016 ).…”

Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why here? Factors influencing Palestinian refugees from Syria in choosing Germany or Sweden as asylum destinations

Tucker

¹

2018

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This paper presents the findings of 33 interviews, carried out in 2017, examining the factors influencing Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS) in choosing Germany or Sweden as asylum destinations. The findings showed that there was a very high degree of destination specificity towards Sweden for nearly all of the participants. This was based on their desire to reach Sweden due to its accessible citizenship as compared to other European or Arab states. This paper details how most of the refugees had conducted research, drawing on information from social networks and other sources, in order to establish in which European country they could most easily and quickly acquire citizenship. As a consequence of the prioritisation of resolving their and their families’ statelessness as quickly as possible, the interviewees often devalued social and human capital. Considerations related to economic or educational opportunities played only a marginal role in the decision making. This research finds that in order to better understand the migration of stateless refugees, their desire to resolve their statelessness should be considered as a potentially significant aspect of their choice of asylum destination.

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Palestinian Emigration from Lebanon to Northern Europe: Refugees, Networks, and Transnational Practices

Cited by 15 publications

References 8 publications

Humanitarian Dilemmas for the Palestinian Refugees & the Question of Return

Humanitarian Dilemmas for the Palestinian Refugees & the Question of Return

Humanitarian Dilemmas for the Palestinian Refugees & the Question of Return

Why here? Factors influencing Palestinian refugees from Syria in choosing Germany or Sweden as asylum destinations

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