.@UNRWA "Palestine Refugee" status: You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

.@UNRWA "Palestine Refugee" status: You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave

I have noted many times that UNRWA has no cessation rules for its "refugees" meaning, it is literally impossible for a UNRWA "refugee" to lose that status. they can become citizens of Western nations; they can be native born children of billionaires in theUS, they can be members of Congress - but UNRWA still counts them as refugees.

In fact, I made this post exactly ten years ago to describe the difference between UNRWA and a real refugee agency:

Mo Ghaoul, a naturalized American citizen, went to UNRWA to ask for two things: one, how to register his American-born child as a "refugee," and the other is how to delist himself as a refugee.

1. Registering my child:

They asked for a certified birth certificate and other paperwork (the person handling it was on break).
I didn’t push. Said I’d consider.
I was encouraged to register ; there's a $50/child incentive.
[But this "bonus" is rare; most people get nothing. When it does happen, it’s like a once-a-year Christmas gift.]

2. Removing refugee status:

I asked to strike my refugee records. They said:

“You can go to the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development to remove your national data. But here at UNRWA, we’ll just update your nationality.”

I pushed back:

I’m naturalized. I still hold a Palestinian Authority passport, and I do not want to remove my Palestinian registration just that I no longer identify as a refugee.

Their reply?

“We have no process to delete records. Why remove it? It doesn’t harm you.”

I explained my reasons, but the answer was the same. There’s no form, no request, no path.

They just said: Let it go.
(Kindly, but clearly unsure themselves as they’re local employees.)