Short Course for Professionals Series

Seven Decades of Forced Displacement: Legal, Political and Humanitarian Responses to the Palestinian Refugee Question

29 – 30 May 2021

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Jerusalem time

7 Scholarships are available for those who register with Law for Palestine

The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) and Birzeit University (BZU) are pleased to announce an intensive weekend course for researchers and practitioners (UN personnel, diplomats, journalists, grassroots organizations, researchers, activists) on the Palestine refugee issue. The course intends to provide must-have knowledge regarding the Palestinian refugee question’s historical, political, legal, and humanitarian ramifications. The course traces down the origin of the Palestinian refugees and the evolution of the Palestinian physical and political fragmentation, within the Palestinian context and beyond, and provides an indispensable understanding to better engage with the issue.

Objective:

This course will provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the Palestinian refugee question in the context of the development of the international refugee and human rights regimes and the responses that the international community has provided to Palestinian refugees compared to other contemporary refugee movements. The distinctive regime set up for Palestinian refugees (made of UNCCP, UNRWA, UNHCR) and their status and treatment in over seventy countries will be illustrated, together with an overview of their fundamental rights and entitlement to protection and durable solutions. By the end of the course, participants will have a solid understanding of the different international stakeholders involved in the QoP and their humanitarian, political and legal response to the Palestinian refugee question.

Methodology

Due to COVID19 restrictions, the course will be offered initially online. Essential course materials will be distributed both ahead of the start of and during each course. The course will consist of 13 sessions of 45 minutes each over two days (From 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Jerusalem time).

At the end of the course, participants will be invited to join a panel with representatives from academia, grassroots organizations, journalism, UNRWA and UNHCR (including Palestinian refugees themselves). This will allow participants to test what they have learned through the course and discuss in person with practitioners involved in the daily life of Palestinian refugees.

Language

The course will be offered in English and Arabic (depending on the speaker) with simultaneous translation.

Participants

Each course will be open to a maximum of 20 participants. Interested participants may be lawyers, personnel of UN and NGOs, government officials, journalists, activists, and researchers interested in gaining a better understanding of the Palestinian refugee question.

Facilitators and Guest Speakers

The course will be facilitated primarily by the authors of Palestinian Refugees in International Law (Oxford University Press, 2020), Francesca Albanese, Coordinator of ARDD Question of Palestine Program, Dr. Lex Takkenberg ARDD Senior Policy Advisor (both former UNRWA staff) and academic staff from BZU, including Professor Asem Khalil, Dr. Raed Eishnaiwer and others (to be confirmed in due course). Distinguished guest speakers will be invited primarily from ARDD’s Global Network on the Question of Palestine.

Programme Synopsis

• Foundations & Current State of Affairs
  • History of Palestine and its people, including the origin of Palestinian displacement and its evolution
  • Normative and institutional regime for Palestinian refugees
  • The value of international law ‘as a whole’ in protecting the Palestinians
  • Legal features and political dynamics Palestinian refugees/dispersal worldwide: from the Arab world, to Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific and Africa
• Zooming in on rights and solutions
  • Right to self-determination
  • Right of return, compensation/restitution
  • The relevance of a human rights based approach to Palestinian refugees
  • Negotiating solutions for Palestinian refugees

Fees and Scholarships

The course fees: USD 350 per participant – paid in advance.

Scholarships: Law for Palestine will have 15 sponsered seats (8 will be reserved to its volunteers, while the other 7 seats are open for the public).

Registration and applying for a sponsored seat

• To register for the paid seats: Please contact Dr. Raed Ashnaiur ([email protected]) or Musab Balchi ([email protected]). Please write ‘ARDD BU training’ in the subject of the email.
• To register and apply for the sponsored seats: You need first to be a member in the Jurists Forum for Palestine (if you are not a member yet, you may learn about the conditions and benefits of membership from here, click). Then, send a motivation letter in a pdf file containing your name and e-mail address to the following e-mail: [email protected]. Please write (Refugee Program:  Scholarship) in the subject of the email.
• Deadline: The last time to apply for a scholarship is 26 May 2021 (11:00 pm Jerusalem time).