Palestinian problems over residency permits in Israel are covered fairly regularly in the media. I noted this concern when briefly describing the situation of Arab Israelis in this post. Here I discussed the need to consider the problems faced by Palestinians living in all countries in the region – Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria – as well as Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Thus, although I mentioned residency problems in Jerusalem, I also pointed out that Jordan had recently revoked citizenship for 40,000 Palestinians.
As reported on CiFWatch and The Jerusalem Post, Jordan has recently announced a move that will strip far more Palestinian residents of Jordan of their Jordanian citizenship.
The paper [The Jordanian newspaper Al-Arab Al- Yawm] quoted government officials in Amman as saying that the decision to revoke the Jordanian citizenship would affect some 1.6 million Jordanians of Palestinian origin.
This move is apparently designed to help Palestinians by preserving their national identity, in preparation for their ‘return to Palestine’. Adam Levick concludes by asking:
Do I even have to ask how the Guardian would cover the story if it was Israel revoking the citizenship of over one million Palestinian Arab citizens?
Finally – for at least some Palestinian Egyptians the situation has improved. Those with Egyptian mothers, and brought up in Egypt, can now obtain citizenship.
