Life in Nahr al-Bared

By Joyce Chediac

Most of the Palestinians in Nahr al-Bared are the descendents of those forced out of Palestine by Zionists in 1948. According to Samar Assad, executive director of the Palestine Center in Washington, they live in conditions that “are the worst of virtually any refugee population.” (electronicintifada.net, May 22)

The 300,000 Palestinians in Lebanon, comprising a tenth of the population, live under a form of apartheid. They have no political rights, and little access to jobs, housing or education. The following excerpts from the Minorities at Risk Project, part of the Center for International Development and Conflict Management at the University of Maryland, describe the plight of Palestinians in Lebanon:

#8226;Most Palestinians in Lebanon are refugees who live in overpopulated camps (some in existence for over 50 years) that have suffered repeated damage as a result of fighting in the region. ... Since 2000, the living conditions in the camps have deteriorated even more.

•Lebanon’s immigration policies ... classify all Palestinians as foreigners and not citizens, excluding them from most political rights, such as participating in national elections. ... Most Palestinian refugees are unable to obtain citizenship in Lebanon.

•The Lebanese government does not provide health services to Palestinian refugees, who rely on the UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East—WW] and UNRWA-contracted hospitals.

•The economic plight of the Palestinians in Lebanon is dismal, and is generally worse than those Palestinians in Jordan and the territories, since they are unwelcome by their host country. For example, in 2001 the Lebanese Parliament enacted a law that prohibited Palestinian refugees from owning property in the country. Under the new legislation, Palestinians may not purchase property and those who already own property will not be allowed to pass it on to their children.

•Palestinians are forced to reside in the designated refugee camps.

•Although the Lebanese government has abolished the law that denies work permits to foreigners, Palestinian refugees are prohibited by law from working in 72 professions. In the available job market, Palestinians are largely unable to find stable jobs or work unskilled occupations because they are discriminated against in the economic sector. ... In recent years, the income level of Palestinians continued to decline.

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