Palestinian citizen of Israel wins UK asylum over well-founded fear of persecution'

"A Palestinian citizen of Israel has been granted asylum in the UK on the basis of a well-founded fear of persecution despite a former home secretary's attempt to block the claim. Hasan (not his real name) is believed to be the first Palestinian with an Israeli passport to be given refugee status in the UK. But the decision came only after two about-turns by the Home Office and a protracted legal battle."

"I was a baby when I came to the UK and I've lived here all my life but the Home Office's cruel actions have kept me in precarity for decades, while friends and family build their careers, relationships and lives. I claimed asylum nearly seven years ago, and all that time I've been denied the right to work, study or rent. I've also been living under the threat of removal from my community and home to Israel, a genocidal, apartheid regime that persecutes Palestinians."

"His initial application was refused but on 11 March 2024, the day before his first tier tribunal hearing, Hasan was told he would be granted refugee status subject to passing security checks. However, after media reporting, the Home Office withdrew that decision after an intervention by James Cleverly, who was home secretary at the time. With the support of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), Hasan successfully brought a judicial review last year over the reversal of the asylum decision."

Hasan is a 26-year-old Palestinian born in Israel who spent almost his entire life in the UK with his mother and siblings but was denied leave to remain or citizenship. He claimed asylum citing fear of persecution in Israel due to in-person and online pro-Palestinian activism and potential discrimination as a Palestinian and a Muslim. His claim was initially refused, then provisionally approved on 11 March 2024 subject to security checks, and later reversed after media reporting and intervention by then home secretary James Cleverly. With support from JCWI he won a judicial review and was granted refugee status shortly before Christmas, after years of precarity and denial of rights to work, study, or rent.

Read at www.theguardian.com