Human Rights Dilemma of the Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon
By: Souheil Al-Natour*
February 15, 2007

Introduction

This study aims to expose some aspects of the dilemma of the Palestinians who have been forced to take refuge in Lebanon since the year 1948. Their experience differs greatly from that of Palestinian refugees in other countries of exile. If the common trait of all Palestinian refugees is the loss of their national homeland and their property, due to the Israeli occupation of Palestine and its policy of ethnic cleansing, the tribulations and experiences of the refugees in Lebanon are more pronounced than those of other Palestinian refugees-especially due to the tension between the refugees and the Lebanese authorities. While this tension has occasionally risen to the surface, it has generally remained implicit and concealed.

The difficulties of coexistence between these two segments of he Arab people-the afflicted Palestinians and their Lebanese hosts-has taken a unique form. These tribulations have generated many positive interactions, from fraternal solidarity, to common distribution of wealth, mutual dedication to the right of return, joint struggle against the Israeli occupation forces that have remained in Lebanon for more than two decades, etc. However this interaction has also provoked negative attitudes and suspicion among some Lebanese towards the Palestinians refugees. These attitudes have led to the rejection of the Palestinians, sometimes from a position of confessional sectarianism. In addition, they have generated human rights violations and consolidated the marginalization of the Palestinian community. Finally, the tension between the two parts has led to legal and sometimes even military confrontations.

Distribution of Palestinians in Lebanon

The first period of the refuge witnessed widespread scattering of he Palestinians refugees throughout southern Lebanon and western Bekaa valley, as well as the arrival of the refugees in capital city, Beirut. It was not long before the administration introduced official procedures for dealing with refugees and UNRWA began representing the refugees in an effort to increase the amount of assistance being provided. The Palestinians took refuge in numerous camps, stretching from the north of the country to the south. With the passing of time, the number of refugees increased and a large percentage of them moved out of the camps, many leaving Lebanon altogether. This leaves us with a picture of the residential distribution of Palestinians in Lebanon in 12 official camps, according to UNRWA :

There are many other concentrations of Palestinians in Lebanon, Such as Jall All-Bahr, Al-Qasmieh, Sa'ad Nael, etc, in addition to city residents not officially recognized by UNRWA. These residents are calculated either as living outside of the camps or as registered with their families in one of the old camps.

But the Palestinian presence in Lebanon differs greatly from these simple base statistics. Practically, the Palestinians fall into three categories:
First: Those who submitted to the census in the beginning of the 1950s and registered with UNRWA, the Lebanese General Security Forces, and the Department of the Palestinian Refugee Affairs. These individuals have the right to obtain a 'travel document' (for a period of five years) that makes it possible for them to move around within Lebanon and to travel and return to Lebanon.

1. UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), map of the distribution of registered refugees, to date 20Sep 2005-Head Office-Gaza.