The Casablanca Protocol was the Arab League's only binding instrument addressing Palestinian refugees' legal status, work rights, and freedom of movement.
Key Facts
- Date adopted
- 11 September 1965
- Issuing body
- Arab League
- Number of articles
- 5
- Effectively revoked
- 1991
- Scope
- Palestinian residents in Arab states, including non-UNRWA refugees
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Palestinian refugees dispersed across Arab states lacked consistent legal protections, including rights to work and freedom of movement. The Arab League sought to address this gap by establishing a common framework at the 1965 summit in Casablanca, Morocco.
On 11 September 1965, the Arab League adopted the Casablanca Protocol, a five-article statement aimed at regularizing work rights and freedom of movement for Palestinians living in Arab member states, deliberately avoiding the term 'refugee' to broaden its coverage.
Although formally the only binding Arab League instrument on Palestinian status, the Protocol suffered inconsistent implementation across member states and was effectively revoked in 1991, leaving Palestinian residents without a reliable regional legal framework.
Political Outcome
Protocol adopted but inconsistently implemented; effectively revoked in 1991