Research Overview — June 12, 2025

Countries With Restrictions on Palestinian Citizenship

Several Arab countries maintain policies that prevent or severely restrict Palestinians from obtaining citizenship:

  • Lebanon
  • Egypt
  • Syria
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Gulf States & Saudi Arabia (UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia)

Why These Policies Exist

1. Right of Return

Naturalization is viewed as undermining UNGA Resolution 194, which enshrines the Palestinians' right to return.

2. Arab League Directive

A 1957 policy discouraged naturalization to preserve Palestinian national identity.

3. Domestic Politics

Maintaining sectarian or demographic balance in countries like Lebanon and Jordan, and preventing a de facto second Palestinian homeland.

Iran and Citizenship for Palestinians

Iran does not automatically grant citizenship to Palestinians, but it does not have explicit legal barriers against it either—unlike many Arab states. However, in practice, very few Palestinians obtain Iranian citizenship, and most remain in Iran under refugee or temporary residency status.

Iran does not have a blanket ban on granting citizenship to Palestinians, but neither does it facilitate it. Palestinians in Iran remain mostly as guests, political refugees, or residents without a clear path to naturalization.