3.5.3. The Protection Gap for Palestinian IDPs International legal approaches to the situation of IDPs worldwide are dominated by state-centric concerns regarding principles of sovereignty and non-interference. Palestinian IDPs, who have been and continue to be displaced throughout all of Mandatory Palestine, are particularly vulnerable in the light of these dominant preoccupations. To date, no single international or national agency has been tasked to have an explicit protection mandate for internally displaced Palestinians, who are severely marginalized as a result. Palestinian IDPs inside 1948 Palestine face social and institutional discrimination as non-Jews in a Jewish state. Palestinian IDPs in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip suffer at the hands of Israel’s belligerent occupation, under which practices of colonization, Apartheid, and forcible transfer are enacted. Palestinian IDPs are thus in a uniquely concerning position as Israel is not only violating their rights and refusing to protect them but is also actively increasing the number of Palestinians who become IDPs through its coercive policies that are deliberately designed to cause forcible displacement. The international legal framework at present therefore has major deficiencies, given that IDPs presently would have to rely on the largesse of Israel, the very same state which has displaced them, to seek protection. Table 3.2: Summary of IDP Protection, 2021 Protection to which Palestinian IDPs are entitled Palestinians in 1948 Palestine Palestinians in the oPt Palestinians in exile, including those experiencing secondary displacement General protection accorded to IDPs under international human rights law (IHRL) · If refugees: special protection framework for Palestinian refugees + IHL · If IDPs: general protection accorded to IDPs (IHRL and IHL) If refugees: special protection framework for Palestinian refugees Palestinian refugees continue to risk their lives onboard Europebound vessels or via mountainous borderlands trying to safely get to a European destination, fleeing war, persecution, and economic hardship. (Source: prc.org.uk) 92