Jordanian nationality law defines nationality through paternal bonds, leaving children born to foreign fathers in limbo.
Amman, Jordan - Kaleel Faraj was born and raised in Jordan, attended local schools and found a job in a private hospital in the capital Amman not far from where he was born 30 years ago.
Today, he is a slender man whose worn face conveys the sadness of one who has lost hope.
"I have spent all my in life in the kingdom but I don't count as [a] Jordanian citizen," Faraj explains from his home in Baqaa, a Palestinian refugee camp 30km northwest of the capital.
"My mother is Jordanian but my father is not; this is my problem," he said.