“A Palestinian refugee is any Palestinian who has prevented and prevents the Zionist occupation from enjoying the right to permanent residence in his town of origin in Palestine. and with all the rights of citizenship therein, Regardless of the date of commencement of the deprivation of this right, or the way he was deprived.”
Comprehensive definition:
The above is the comprehensive definition proposed by the expert on Palestinian refugees, Dr. Essam Adwan . It was adopted by the Palestinian Legislative Council in the Law of Return No. 1 of 2008.
Definition issue:
The issue of defining who Palestinian refugees are is one of the most important refugee issues because it is the basis for determining the number of refugees and their rights. and their legal protection, and determine responsibility for their situation. The definitions of a Palestinian refugee have varied due to the following considerations: economic, political, It harmed the refugee issue and diverted it from the proper direction of definition.
Definition of the United Nations:
The UN excluded Palestinians from the 1951 Convention’s definition of refugee in Article 1-D: “This Convention shall not apply to persons who currently enjoy protection or assistance from United Nations bodies or agencies other than the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.” Palestine refugees benefit from the services of UNRWA (U.N.R.W.A).
Definition of UNRWA:
UNRWA has defined a Palestine refugee as: “A person who resided in Palestine from 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 and who lost both his home and livelihood as a result of the 1948 war and took refuge in one of the countries where the Agency provides its assistance.”

The term “Palestinian refugee” refers to the indigenous Arab population of Mandate Palestine.
Definition of the Palestine Liberation Organization:
The Palestine Liberation Organization’s Department of Refugee Affairs defined a Palestinian refugee as:

“Any person who was on or after the twenty-ninth of November 1947, A Palestinian citizen in accordance with the Palestinian Citizenship Law issued on the twenty-fourth of July 1925. Which has its natural place of residence in Palestine, in areas that later came under the control of the State of Israel between May 15, 1948, July 20, 1949, He was forced to leave the place of residence because of the war and was unable to return due to the practices of the Israeli authorities.

who was outside his place of residence on November 29, 1947, or after this date and was unable to return to it because of the war and Israeli actions, He lost his source of income until July 20, 1949 for the same reason. Whether a resident of the border villages in the West Bank has been robbed of his land and is under Israeli control.

Or it was a member of nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes. and the descendants of Palestinian refugees, their husbands and wives according to the definition, whether they are alive or not.”

This definition also detracts from the number and rights of refugees.

Therefore, the prevailing definitions do not serve the cause of Palestinian refugees. Definitions also detract from their rights.
Further clarification:
See the adequate explanation in the book: Defining the Palestinian Refugee by Dr. Issam Adwan