18 Dec 2021

Amman, Jordan – Inside Jordan, Ali is a foreigner from the Gaza Strip. But outside, he is regarded as a Jordanian.

“How?” the 35-year-old asks. “I’m stuck in between; not here, nor there.”

Although he was born and raised in Jordan, Ali does not have Jordanian citizenship. His ID says he is a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip, courtesy of his grandfather who fled the territory during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

The small, plastic card is the only remaining indicator that Ali is a “foreigner” – a label that restricts almost every aspect of his life, from his job, to the car he drives, to the nationality of his children. He studied electrical engineering but, unable to get a job in the field, he works for a medical lab in Amman conducting COVID-19 tests. He says he cannot vote, pays more than four times the amount for his driver’s licence and passport fees, and must undergo a lengthy, security approval process before he can buy an apartment.

“Life goes on,” the father of two told Al Jazeera. “But, you spend your whole life searching for another nationality, for a better one. For your kids. I don’t want my kids to live in the same situation I live.”

“If you think I’m Jordanian, give me the full citizenship,” he said. “If you think I’m Palestinian, get me back to Palestine.”