Legal briefing on the rights of stateless Palestinians in the UK September 2025 CONTENTs INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................................. 2 1. Palestinians and the search for protection ............................................................................................... 4 1.1. The need for protection: historical context and terminology.............................................. 4 1.2. Routes to protection in the UK ................................................................................................ 6 1.3. Palestinians as stateless persons ............................................................................................. 7 2. Protection under the refugee convention ................................................................................................. 15 2.1. Protection under Article 1D ................................................................................................... 15 2.2. Protection under Article 1A(2) and human rights-based claims ........................................ 22 3. Protection under the 1954 convention....................................................................................................... 27 3.1. The rights of stateless persons in the UK .............................................................................. 27 3.2. Leave to remain in the UK as a stateless person .................................................................. 27 4. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS AFFECTING PALESTINIANS ........................................................................................... 31 4.1. Family reunification ................................................................................................................. 31 4.2. Prevention of expulsion .......................................................................................................... 34 key takeaways......................................................................................................................................................... 36 Annex I: Additional resources and COI on statelessness ................................................................................. 38 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................................................................. 40