UK grants asylum to Palestinian citizen of Israel over fear of persecution Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Wed, 01/14/2026 - 14:11 Home Office forced to recognise that man faced 'well-founded' fear of harassment because of pro-Palestine activism Israeli soldiers and settlers block Palestinians reaching olive trees in the occupied West Bank during harvest season in October 2025 (AFP) Off A Palestinian citizen of Israel has been granted asylum in the UK over concerns he would face persecution in Israel for calling it an "apartheid regime". Hasan, whose name has been changed for anonymity, is understood to be the first Palestinian with an Israeli passport to be granted asylum in the UK. Judges established that there were "well-founded concerns of persecution" if Hasan was taken back to Israel. Confirmation of his refugee status followed a legal battle in which the UK Home Office attempted to block the claim. "The Home Office accepted I was a refugee and promised me status on 11 March 2024," Hasan said. "I was then punished by the Home Office simply because I chose to tell the truth about Israel and to draw attention to the hypocrisy at the heart of the British government. "Politics does not stop at self-interest; I will always speak truth to power.” 'I was then punished by the Home Office simply because I chose to tell the truth about Israel' - Hasan, Palestinian asylum seeker The 26-year-old was born as a "1948 Palestinian", a term which refers to Palestinians who remained in their homeland after most were ethnically cleansed by Zionist militias during the establishment of Israel in 1948. Hasan came to the UK as a baby with his family and lived in the UK until he was 14 before returning to Israel with his father. The teenager left with the assurance that he had leave to remain and that the family's path to British citizenship would not be affected. However, a Home Office rule change after his departure meant he could not keep his leave to remain after exiting the UK. Hasan later returned to the UK on a visitor visa. In 2019, he claimed asylum on the basis that, as a Palestinian, he would face persecution in Israel, and would face discrimination as a Palestinian and a Muslim. 'Options on what next' The Home Office initially agreed to grant Hasan refugee status in March 2024. Documents disclosed as part of a successful challenge showed that Home Office caseworkers found that Hasan was likely to face "arbitrary arrest, detention, elevated discriminatory administrative process" by Israel, which would amount to persecution. ‘Twice witness to Nakba’: Gaza grandmother's story of survival and death in 1948 and 2024 Read More » But after media attention of Hasan's case in March 2024, the home secretary at the time, James Cleverly, intervened to pressure the Home Office to refuse the claim. Case documents show that on 13 March 2024, the home secretary sought “urgent advice on options of what next”, with a specific request for advice on “the option to withdraw and revoke the asylum claim”. Hasan then instructed the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants to pursue a judicial review of this reversal, winning a ruling ordering the Home Office to grant him paperwork confirming his refugee status. The Home Office then sought permission to appeal again directly to the second-highest court in the UK, the Court of Appeal, but was refused permission. In December, Hasan received a letter from the Home Office confirming his refugee status - explicitly stating that there was a "well-founded fear of persecution and therefore cannot return to...Israel". The fight to gain refugee status, however, has come at an immense personal cost for Hasan. Like most asylum seekers, Hasan has been prevented from working, forced to live off £49.18 ($66) per week and in poor-standard asylum accommodation. Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0