Palestinians in Lebanon
Total population | |
---|---|
174,422 (2017 census) Catholic Christians |
Palestinians in Lebanon include the
In 2017, a census by the Lebanese government counted 174,000 Palestinians in Lebanon.
Most Palestinians in Lebanon do not have
In 2019, Minister of Labor Camille Abousleiman instituted a law that Palestinian workers must obtain a work permit,[11] under the justification that Palestinians are foreigners in Lebanon despite their long-standing presence. Palestinians are in a 'grey area' of Lebanon's labor laws: although they are categorized as foreigners, they are excluded from the rights foreigners enjoy, and their rights as refugees are not fairly protected. The ruling catalyzed a swell of frustration and protests across the Palestinian camps in Lebanon.[12] Activists claimed the law unfairly targeted Palestinian refugees, and would narrow down an already limited set of employment opportunities.[13]
Definition
UNRWA defines a Palestinian refugee as "any person whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period June 1, 1946 to May 15, 1948. And who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict." Descendants of male refugees are also able to register with UNRWA.
Palestinians in Lebanon include Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA and the Lebanese authorities, Palestinian refugees registered only with the Lebanese authorities, and Non-ID Palestinians.[14] According to the 2017 - 2021 Lebanon crisis response plan, there are an estimated 3000 to 5000 Non-ID Palestinians who reside in Lebanon. Some of whom were previously registered as UNRWA refugees in Egypt and Jordan, but now hold expired, unrenewable or unrecognizable identity cards by the respective issuing authorities. Non-ID Palestinians also refer to members of the PLO, who came to Lebanon following Black September. Non-ID Palestinians are able to obtain temporary identification papers by the Lebanese government, although these must be renewed yearly and are subject to conditions, such as inability to register formalities such as marriage, divorce and death.
As a result of the Syrian civil war, 44,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria fled to Lebanon.[15] Recent figures in the 2017-2021 Lebanon crises response plan places the number at 29,000.
Demographics
Estimates of the number of Palestinians in Lebanon ranged from 260,000 to 400,000 in 2011.[4] In 2018 Human Rights Watch estimated 174,000 "longstanding" Lebanese refugees and 45,000 Lebanese refugees more recently displaced from Syria.[16]
The
Region | Population of PRL | Population of PRS | Total population | Share of the total |
---|---|---|---|---|
North | 41,495 | 3,859 | 45,354 | 24.7% |
Beirut | 22,149 | 1,619 | 23,768 | 13% |
Mount Lebanon | 11,752 | 1,978 | 13,730 | 7.5% |
Saida | 59,201 | 5,550 | 64,751 | 35.3% |
Tyre | 24,410 | 2,706 | 27,116 | 14.8% |
Beqaa | 6,542 | 1,994 | 8,536 | 4.7% |
Total | 165,549 | 17,706 | 183,255 | 100% |
Legal status
Nationality
Most Palestinians in Lebanon are
During the
Other restrictions
Without citizenship, Palestinians in Lebanon do not have Lebanese identity cards, which also entitles the holder to health care, education and other government services. Palestinians living in and outside the 12 official camps, can receive health care, education and other social services from UNRWA.[20] According to Human Rights Watch, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon live in "appalling social and economic conditions."
Following a 2001 amendment on foreign ownership of property, which stated that the foreign person must hold the citizenship of an internationally recognized country, Palestinian refugees came to be excluded from land and property ownership. Non-citizen Palestinians are legally barred from owning property,[7] and barred from entering a list of liberal professions.[8]
Employment requires a government-issued work permit, and, according to the
In 2016, Lebanese authorities began constructing a concrete wall with watch towers around the
For travel abroad non-citizen Palestinian residents of Lebanon can obtain travel documents that serve in place of passports.[25] Travellers who hold only a Palestinian passport are refused entry to Lebanon.[26]
Social status
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2024) |
Palestinians in Lebanon also have to heavily rely on UNRWA for basic services such as health care and education, because they do not have much access to the social services the Lebanese government provides.[9] In February 2011, a decree was signed by Boutros Harb, the caretaker labor minister (of Lebanon), on carrying out labor law amendments from August 2010. If these labor law amendments go into effect, it will make it easier for work permits to be acquired by Palestinians. The amendments are seen as "the first move to legalize the working status of Palestinians since the first refugees arrived, fleeing the 1948 Arab-Israeli war".[4]
Activity status | Female | Male | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Employed | 11.9% | 59% | 35.3% |
Unemployed | 4.5% | 12.5% | 8.5% |
Inactive (not looking for a job) | 83.6% | 28.5% | 56.2% |
The condition of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon has been variously criticized in the media. [27][full citation needed] According to Human Rights Watch, "In 2001, Parliament passed a law prohibiting Palestinians from owning property, a right they had for decades. Lebanese law also restricts their ability to work in many areas. In 2005, Lebanon eliminated a ban on Palestinians holding most clerical and technical positions, provided they obtain a temporary work permit from the Labor Ministry, but more than 20 high-level professions remain off-limits to Palestinians. Few Palestinians have benefited from the 2005 reform, though. In 2009, only 261 of more than 145,679 permits issued to non-Lebanese were for Palestinians. Civil society groups say many Palestinians choose not to apply because they cannot afford the fees and see no reason to pay a portion of their salary toward the National Social Security Fund, since Lebanese law bars Palestinians from receiving social security benefits."[28]
Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon contain armed groups which sometimes deal in illegal drugs, and that would cause infighting among the rivals. In June 2020, a woman was shot dead in the Shatila refugee camp as she was walking on the street carrying her child during a shooting exchange between rival gangs.[34]
Sectarian tensions
Due to sectarian tensions carried from the civil war, some discriminatory social attitudes are still held towards Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. These attitudes, are further complicated by Lebanon's delicate sectarian makeup.
Despite the annulment of the 1969 Cairo Agreement,[35] the Lebanese army does not enter the 12 camps, based on an informal understanding between the Palestinian factions and the Lebanese army. There exists some cooperation between the Palestinian factions and Lebanese army.
See also
References
- ^ "Palestinians in Lebanon less than half previous estimate, census shows". Middle East Eye.
- ^ a b c UNRWA - Where We Work - Lebanon, accessed December 27, 2019.
- ^ Jordan Times. AFP. December 21, 2017. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
- ^ Human Rights Watch [1] "World Report 2011: Lebanon" accessed April 7, 2011.
- ^ Lebanon Crisis Response Plan, p.9
- ^ a b El Hachem, Khalil (October 17, 2020). "Les Palestiniens et le droit à la propriété foncière au Liban : quand être propriétaire est un crime" (PDF). Béryte (in French). 33: 25–37.
- ^ ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
- ^ .
- ^ . Retrieved 2023-03-14.
- ^ Younes, Ali. "Palestinians in Lebanon protest crackdown on unlicensed workers". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
- ^ Kortam, Marie (2019-08-14). "Lebanon: Anger in Palestinian Refugee Camps Gives Rise to a New Movement for Dignity". Arab Reform Initiative.
- ^ Younes, Ali. "Why Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are protesting". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
- ^ "Palestinian Refugee". www.lpdc.gov.lb. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
- PMID 33424442.
- ^ Rights Trends in Lebanon (Report). World Report 2019. Human Rights Watch. 2018-12-17. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
- ^ a b Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee, Central Administration of statistics, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (2019). The Population and Housing Census in Palestinian Camps and Gatherings - 2017, Detailed Analytical Report, Beirut, Lebanon. http://www.lpdc.gov.lb/DocumentFiles/8-10-2019-637068152405545447.pdf
- ^ )
- ^ "Is Syria Meddling in Lebanon Again?". The Century Foundation. 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
- ^ "Lebanon". UNRWA. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ^ Security wall, watchtowers to surround Ain al-Hilweh, Daily Star, November 2016
- ^ Lebanon freezes plan for Ain al-Hilweh's 'racist wall', AlJazeera, November 2016
- ^ Ain al-Hilweh wall nearly completed, Daily Star, Feb 2017
- ^ Ain al-Hilweh wall construction at tough area, Daily Star, May 2015
- ^ Yan, Victoria; Darwish, Hasan (November 18, 2016). "Biometric Documents for Palestinians". The Daily Star (Lebanon). Retrieved 2019-08-28.
- ^ International Air Transport Association (IATA), Travel Information Manual
- ^ Adia Massoud "Left in Lebanon," The Guardian, May 25, 2007
- ^ Human Rights Watch [34] "Lebanon: Seize Opportunity to End Discrimination Against Palestinians; Remove Restrictions on Owning Property and Working" June 18, 2010
- ^ Kahled Abu Toameh "Where’s the international outcry against Arab apartheid?," March 17, 2011, Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Khaled Abu Toameh "Where Is The Outcry Against Arab Apartheid?", Hudson Institute, March 11, 2011
- ^ Khaled Abu Toameh , "What About The Arab Apartheid?" March 16, 2010, Hudson Institute
- ^ Ben-Dror Yemini, Jerusalem Post, "The humanitarian show," July 7, 2010.
- ^ Rami Khouri, Lebanon's Palestinians, Agence Global, June 30, 2010.
- ^ "وفاة سيدة في مقتبل العمر في حادث إطلاق نار بين مروجي مخدرات في شاتيلا (فيديو)". Lebanon 24 (in Arabic). 7 June 2020.
- ^ "the Cairo Agreement". UNRWA. Retrieved 2021-11-22.