The plight of Palestinian refugees and their demand for a right of return to Palestine is key to the elusive peace in the Middle East. It is a struggle that has existed since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which Palestinians refer to as the nakba, Catastrophe.
Some 395,000 Palestinians are stranded as refugees in Lebanon, where they do not qualify for citizenship -- even after five decades. As foreigners, they are barred from about 70 professions -- mainly white-collar jobs and civil service positions -- and do not qualify for state benefits. In all, the government denies them a chance to build a better life. The discrimination does not end there. In 2001, Palestinian refugees lost the right to own real estate in Lebanon. They are barred from inheriting or registering any property they had already bought, or were in the process of acquiring, at the time the law was passed. Although the law does not specifically name the Palestinians, it refers to those who are not bearers of nationality of a recognized state.The government is mindful of the Palestinians' role in the country's 1975-1990 civil war, and considers the mainly Sunni people a threat to the country's sectarian balance.Officially, Lebanons position is that a majority of the public believes the refugees should be allowed to return to land they fled from or abandoned in 1948 with Israel's creation. The government maintains only Israel and the international community can solve the problem.
Alan Soon
Dec. 2004
Some 395,000 Palestinians are stranded as refugees in Lebanon, where they do not qualify for citizenship -- even after five decades. As foreigners, they are barred from about 70 professions -- mainly white-collar jobs and civil service positions -- and do not qualify for state benefits. In all, the government denies them a chance to build a better life. The discrimination does not end there. In 2001, Palestinian refugees lost the right to own real estate in Lebanon. They are barred from inheriting or registering any property they had already bought, or were in the process of acquiring, at the time the law was passed. Although the law does not specifically name the Palestinians, it refers to those who are not bearers of nationality of a recognized state.The government is mindful of the Palestinians' role in the country's 1975-1990 civil war, and considers the mainly Sunni people a threat to the country's sectarian balance.Officially, Lebanons position is that a majority of the public believes the refugees should be allowed to return to land they fled from or abandoned in 1948 with Israel's creation. The government maintains only Israel and the international community can solve the problem.
Alan Soon
Dec. 2004
A larger-than-life portrait of late Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin towers over Shatila camp located outside Beirut. Yassin was assassinated by Israel in a missile attack in March 2004.Lebanon's impoverished camps are fertile recruiting grounds for Islamists. Groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad have increased influence in Lebanese refugee camps by filling a political and social void left by a fractured PLO. They fund services, opening clinics and even nurseries, which help provide them with legitimacy among residents.The International Crisis Group, an independent, nonprofit organization, said in a Feb. 2004 report the combined influence of Islamist groups now rivals Fatah's in several camps. It warns that compared to other areas such as Jordan or the Occupied Territories, the trend is most pronounced in Lebanon.
A larger-than-life portrait of late Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin towers over Shatila camp located outside Beirut. Yassin was assassinated by Israel in a missile attack in March 2004.Lebanon's impoverished camps are fertile recruiting grounds for Islamists. Groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad have increased influence in Lebanese refugee camps by filling a political and social void left by a fractured PLO. They fund services, opening clinics and even nurseries, which help provide them with legitimacy among residents.The International Crisis Group, an independent, nonprofit organization, said in a Feb. 2004 report the combined influence of Islamist groups now rivals Fatah's in several camps. It warns that compared to other areas such as Jordan or the Occupied Territories, the trend is most pronounced in Lebanon.
Copyright © 2005 Alan Soon. No images on this website may be used without written permission of the photographer.
