BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee

Protection
Palestinian refugees in Egypt were entitled to treatment equal to that of Egyptian nationals until 1978, when all laws granting
them equal treatment were abrogated. 124 Palestinian refugees now have the right to employment on par with other foreigners,
but are generally favoured. 125 For instance, their potential employers are in their cases exempt from the requirement that
nationals be given priority for employment. 126 Refugees wishing to practice a profession must obtain a work permit issued
by the Ministry of Labour and Training. They need to provide a certificate from the Passports, Emigration and National
Department stating permanent and continuous residence in Egypt for the five previous years. 127 Only a small number of
Palestinians have work permits because they are difficult to obtain; most Palestinian refugees thus work in the informal sector.
Employment in the civil service is based on reciprocal rights for Egyptian nationals in the foreigner’s state of citizenship. Due
to the fact that most Palestinian refugees in Egypt are stateless, there is no possibility of reciprocal agreements, and therefore
no possibility of public sector employment.
In Lebanon and Kuwait, Palestinian refugees do not have the same right to employment as other foreign aliens. 128 Both
countries reserve the right to restrict access to employment under the Casablanca Protocol. 129 Only citizens are eligible for civil
service employment. Foreigners must leave Kuwait upon termination of employment. Non-Kuwaitis are not permitted to
join professional associations and Palestinian refugees are excluded from employment in private business on par with Kuwaiti
citizens .130 In Lebanon, employment of Palestinian refugees is based on “the right of keeping their Palestinian nationality and
the social and economic conditions prevailing in the Republic of Lebanon.” 131 Lebanon grants refugees the right to work
based on three restrictive conditions, namely, a work permit, national preference, and reciprocity of rights and obligations. 132
Work permits are difficult to obtain and Palestinian refugees are not nationals of a state bound to Lebanon by the principle
of reciprocity. Between 1969 and 1987, Palestinian refugees were entitled to work under the 1969 Cairo Agreement between
the PLO and the Lebanese government. This Agreement was abrogated in 1987. Currently, Palestinians are barred from
employment in around 70 different skilled and semi-skilled professions in Lebanon, including pharmacy, journalism, medicine,
law, education and engineering. 133 Entry into professional associations and employment is based on the individual having
held Lebanese nationality for a minimum of ten years, and reciprocal rights for Lebanese citizens in the foreigner’s state of
citizenship. 134 However, work permits are not required for irregular and poorly paid work in agriculture and construction.
Since June 2005, Palestinians born in Lebanon and registered with DPAR can work legally in manual and clerical jobs. 135
Non-ID Palestinian refugees in particular endure harsh socio-economic conditions, as they often cannot find work due to
the lack of personal documents. 136
e. The right to education
Most Arab host states provide Palestinian refugees with access to public elementary, secondary and college or university
education. 137 Access may be restricted as a result of there being limited spaces available for foreigners, including Palestinian
refugees, or for financial or political reasons.
Jordan, Syria and (until recently) Iraq allow most Palestinian refugees access to all levels of education on par with host state
nationals. However, since the US-led war and occupation of Iraq, many Palestinian refugees in that country have stopped
sending their children to school because of attacks on Palestinians and general insecurity. 138 Palestinian refugees from the
occupied Gaza Strip who entered Jordan during and after the 1967 war must compete for a limited number of spaces available
to students from other Arab countries for post-secondary education; fees must be paid in a foreign currency, and candidates
must have a clean security record. 139
Access to education has varied greatly over the years in Egypt. From 1952 until 1978, Palestinians were treated as Egyptians
and offered free education in schools and universities. In 1978, Palestinian students, with the exception of those whose parents
worked for the Palestine Liberation Army of the PLO and the Administrative Office of the Governor of Gaza, were transferred
from public to private schools, 140 and most Palestinian refugees were now required to pay the same fees as foreigners. 141 In
1983 and 1984, Palestinians were banned from studying at the faculties of medicine, engineering, pharmacology, journalism,
economics and political sciences. 142 Since 2000, in the context of the second intifada, Palestinian students at Egyptian
schools have been exempt from paying fees. 143 Most Palestinian children, however, attend private schools. Since 1993, certain
undergraduate Palestinian university students have been exempted from paying 90 percent of university fees. 144 In 1995, the
restrictions on academic studies imposed in 1983/4 were removed. 145 Palestinian refugees can now attend any university in
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