Panel Discussion: Palestinian Refugees, International Protection, and Prospects for a Just Solution
Join us in the sixth panel discussion of the monthly webinars of the Jurists for Palestine Forum
Main Information:
- Date: Friday 9 April 2021
- Time: 5:00-6:30 PM (Jerusalem Time), At 3.00-4.30 PM (London Time).
- Registration fees: For the members of Jurists for Palestine Forum (You are not a member? Register below).
- Location: Online – Participants will be provided with a link prior to the webinar time.
- Last Day to Register: Thursday 8 April 2021.
- Note: The panel discussion is in English, the forum will provide live interpretation to Arabic.
On the subject of the panel discussion:
At this webinar, Jurists for Palestine Forum will address the Palestinian refugee issue which is one of the most complicated issues related to the Palestinian cause, legally and politically, and the most important one as well. As the cornerstone of any just solution for the Palestinians is to find a just solution for Palestinian refugees, who outnumber 7 million refugees spread mainly in neighboring countries and also around the world.
This webinar seeks to raise legal debate on this issue and tries to answer the following questions:
- Why is there limited international protection granted to Palestinian refugees?
- How does the legal status of Palestinian refugees differ from that of other refugees in the world?
- UNRWA or UNHCR, which one is more appropriate for Palestinian refugees?
- Has the Syrian crisis and its cause of a second Palestinian asylum changed the international community’s perspective of protection priorities for Palestinian refugees?
- What are the prospects for a just and durable solution to the Palestinian refugee issue, and what is the international position (especially Grand and EU countries) on the right of return?
- Does obtaining the nationality of another country affect the legal refugee status of the Palestinians and their right of return?
The panel discussion Guests:
To raise this important debate, The Forum hosts the two authors of “Palestinian Refugees in International Law” book which is considered one of the most prominent books that provide the most updated legal analysis of the subject of Palestinian refugees:
- Lex Takkenberg: an author and freelance lecturer and consultant. He worked with UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, from 1989 until late 2019 most recently as the first Chief of the agency’s Ethics Office. Prior to that, he held positions including UNRWA’s General Counsel, (agency-wide) Director of Operations, and (Deputy) Field Director in Gaza and Syria. Before joining UNRWA, he was the Legal Officer of the Dutch Refugee Council for six years. A law graduate from the University of Amsterdam, he obtained a Doctorate in International Law from the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
- Francesca P. Albanese: an Italian lawyer specialized in human rights and refugee issues in the Arab world. She is a Research Affiliate at the Institute for the Study of International Migration (ISIM), Georgetown University. In the Arab region, she has worked with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and a number of NGOs. Albanese holds degrees from Pisa University (LL.B) and SOAS University (LL.M), and is currently pursuing a PhD in International Refugee Law at the Law School of the University of Amsterdam.
The discussion will be moderated by
- Dr. Mutaz Qafisheh::
Associate Professor of International Law, Founder and Former Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science at Hebron University. He holds a PhD in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. He is a practicing international lawyer. Previously, he worked as a Human Rights Officer at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Beirut and Ramallah.
