assistance role has necessarily translated from time to time into a protection one, but
without the clarity of a specific mandate from the international community. Outside
that area, “continuity of protection” still cannot be assured, as distinctions are drawn
between Palestinians who have actually availed themselves of UNRWA assistance,
and those who are merely eligible; and between those who leave UNRWA’s area of
operations for reasons of personal safety, and those who, having left for any number
of reasons, are now effectively barred from returning through denial of the necessary
permission or documentation. The realm of the unprotected may have shrunk because
of these judgments, but many displaced Palestinians will not satisfy the criteria now
read into Article 1D; clearly, there is still work to be done.
The second edition of this Handbook, of course, covers a much broader range of
issues and concerns. BADIL, the author and the contributors are to be congratulated
on such a monumental gathering of the evidence. The Handbook provides a history
of the circumstances giving rise to the Palestinian exodus, and of the international
institutional mechanisms set up to provide protection and assistance. It explains the
“protection gaps” which have emerged in national practice, and makes practical,
rule-based suggestions for bridging those gaps. It remains essential reading and an
important resource for everyone engaged in the Palestinian refugee issue, whether
on an individual case level, or in promoting the long wished-for political solution.
Guy S. Goodwin-Gill
All Souls College, Oxford
May 2014
xii
Handbook on Protection of Palestinian Refugees
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents