Are Palestinian Refugees Stateless? An International Law Perspective.

The FMRU at the IALIIS, Birzeit University, hosted a lecture by Professor John B. Quigley, President’s Club Professor of Law at the Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University.

In his lecture, Professor Quigley dealt with the concept of a Palestinian State from a historical perspective. At the core of his argument, Professor Quigley made the assertion that a Palestinian State has been in existence ever since the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and the takeover by the British Mandate in Palestine.

He added that the presence of this state has been proven by various mechanisms and dynamics.

He further supplied abundant evidence including case laws to amplify his argument that Palestinian people were not stateless ever since the introduction of the British Mandate.

Quigley further argued against the notion that Palestinian refugees are stateless. In fact, Professor Quigley presented a solid case for Palestinian statehood under which Palestinian refugees could seek recognition as citizens of an existing state that was established as early as the presence of the British Mandate in Palestine.

Based on the arguments presented by Professor Quigley, one can argue, either implicitly or explicitly, that Palestinians in general, and Palestinian refugees in particular are not considered stateless, but rather citizens of an existing state, albeit a statehood in abeyance.