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Another myth is that UNRWA is unique in granting refugee status to the descendants of refugees. A moment's thought exposes this as obvious nonsense: *of course* babies born in UNHCR settings also inherit their parents' refugee status. How could it be otherwise? The actual difference in determination is that UNRWA refugees keep their status even if they gain the *citizenship* of another country.

However, this difference matters less than Israel likes to pretend. As an aside, note that the Israeli propaganda “they gambled on returning after an Arab victory but lost” is a legally irrelevant non-argument because whether you leave voluntarily or are expelled has no bearing on the Right to Return under The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Consequently, the Right to Return is a general principle in international law that also applies to voluntary departures, *the Right to Return is not tied to refugee status*. In other words, Palestinian refugees don't have a Right to Return "because" they are registered with UNRWA. Having those with citizenship elsewhere lose their refugee status under UNHCR's criteria would not, by itself, diminish their claim, which rather rests on their "genuine and effective link" with Palestine as the relevant standard under international law. 🧵 4/4