Beyond labels: Memory, identity, and the Palestinian experience

September 8, 2025

The article presents a personal reflection on Palestinian identity and the complex relationship with "statelessness," arguing that international legal labels fail to capture the political reality of Palestinian displacement. Dr. Shahd Qannam explains how Palestinians exist across various legal categories - refugees, residents, citizens with limited rights - which are not accidental but deliberate products of settler colonialism. She rejects the reduction of Palestinian identity to legal statuses, asserting that these classifications are mechanisms of control rather than neutral descriptors.

Who is affected

Palestinians across different legal classifications (refugees, residents with revocable status, citizens with limited rights, exiled individuals with foreign passports)
Gazans living under siege with restricted travel documents
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon facing professional and property ownership restrictions
Palestinians in the West Bank with Palestinian Authority passports
Jerusalemite Palestinians with "permanent resident" status
Palestinians in Jordan with temporary passports
Palestinians with Israeli citizenship facing discrimination
Palestinians in exile holding foreign passports

What action is being taken

Palestinians are asserting their national identity despite fragmentation across various legal statuses
The author is using poetry and personal narratives to reclaim Palestinian identity beyond international legal frameworks
Palestinians are documenting and sharing their experiences and stories as forms of resistance
Palestinians are maintaining collective national consciousness despite geographical fragmentation
The author is critically analyzing how international legal categories are applied to Palestinians

Why it matters

The article reveals how legal categories like "stateless" can obscure rather than illuminate the political reality of Palestinian displacement
It demonstrates how documentation and legal status are used as tools of control rather than protection
The reflection highlights the limitations of international legal frameworks in addressing the root causes of Palestinian displacement
It provides insight into how Palestinians navigate complex identities across different territories and legal classifications
The personal perspective offers a counter-narrative to bureaucratic and technical approaches to Palestinian rights

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices