Legal briefing on the rights of stateless Palestinians in the UK September 2025 INTRODUCTION This briefing provides an overview of the routes to protection and leave to remain for Palestinians present in the United Kingdom (UK).1 It outlines the international legal frameworks and their application in the UK, and examines the legal and practical barriers faced by Palestinians in securing recognition as refugees and stateless persons. Section 1 introduces the circumstances that have led to the protracted refugeehood and statelessness of many Palestinians, explains specific terminology used in this briefing, and summarises the routes to protection available to Palestinians in the UK. It also outlines why and how Palestinians who do not hold the nationality of another country meet the international law definition of a stateless person. Section 2 examines the protection mechanisms available to Palestinian refugees in the UK in more detail, in accordance with Articles 1D and 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention)2 and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Section 3 explores the recognition of Palestinians as stateless persons under the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (1954 Convention),3 and the UK’s leave to remain on the basis of statelessness. Section 4 addresses the challenges Palestinians face when exercising their right to family reunification after being recognised as refugees or stateless persons, as well as considerations regarding detention and expulsion. The Key Takeaways section summarises the main arguments discussed in the briefing, and Annex I: Additional resources and COI on statelessness provides a list of country-of-origin information and additional resources for readers to find up-to-date information on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt). KEY TAKEAWAYS For ease of reference, readers are encouraged to consult the Key Takeaways section at the end of this briefing (p. 37), which summarises the main legal arguments and provides an overview of the routes to protection and leave to remain in the UK discussed in the briefing. However, please note that the Key Takeaways should only be read in conjunction with the relevant section of the report for context and accuracy. The aim of this briefing is to support legal representation, advocacy, and information-sharing that seeks to improve access to protection and uphold the rights of Palestinians in the UK, or in other countries. It has been drafted as a resource particularly for legal practitioners representing Palestinian clients seeking protection as refugees and/or as stateless persons in the UK. The 1 The term ‘protection’ may have different meanings according to the context in which it is used. In this briefing, it is used primarily to refer to the rights and safeguards afforded to refugees under international law. In the UK, leave to remain as a stateless person is not considered a protection category (which is reserved for refugees and those granted humanitarian protection), thus in this briefing we refer to it as a different route to regularisation. UNHCR’s protection mandate includes physical protection and material assistance, safeguarding fundamental rights, and ensuring durable solutions; see UNHCR, What we do (accessed 18 September 2025). UNRWA defines protection as ‘the outcome of Palestine refugees having access to their rights, including the right to health, right to education, right to family life, right to non-discrimination, right to be free from arbitrary arrest, and other key rights under international law’, see UNRWA, What we do (accessed 18 September 2025). 2 United Nations (UN) Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (28 July 1951). 3 UN Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (28 September 1954). 2