The Refugee Convention at 75; still failing Palestinians

JVL Introduction

July 28th was the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention that was supposed to mean “a binding promise that those fleeing persecution would never be left without protection”. Here the legal adviser to the Britain Owes Palestine project writes about the many ways in which the Convention has failed Palestinians and the specific, perfidious role that Britain played in creating and perpetuating the Palestine refugee crisis.

The article outlines some key issues from history and the demands of Britain Owes Palestine; it includes a video with Ghada Karmi who remembers being forced to leave her own family home in Jerusalem and the irony of taking refuge in the UK, the very country that had helped make the Nakba possible.

Of course Britain and far too many other countries have, in more recent years, failed many people by allowing rhetoric about “stop the boats” to take a higher priority than human rights, international law and obligations to support those fleeing persecution.

This article was originally published by The New Arab on Mon 27 Jul 2026. Read the original here.