The state of Palestine, the statelessness of Palestinians

Imagine for a moment, your childhood home, the home you grew up in and your favorite activities within it, perhaps playing in the backyard, or learning a new recipe in the kitchen. Now imagine a powerful authority has moved in and taken up residence forcefully. This authority controls where you can and cannot go inside your own home and now, the places you once played in, are merely memories. This is the case for millions of Palestinians in their homeland. May 15th of 1948 commemorates Al-Nakba, marking the beginning of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. By exploring the historical context of the Israel-Palestine conflict, this major research paper examines how Israel’s continued denial of Palestinian statehood has rendered Palestinians stateless, and what implications this poses for Palestinian refugees in the context of migration and settlement. In doing so, this paper also addresses the current efforts put forth by Israel for further annexation of Palestinian territory.

Key Words: Al-Nakba, Occupation Statelessness, Refugee, Annexation.