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SIGHTS WITHOUT RIGHTS
REFUGEES PALESTINIANS IN LEBANON
1948 was the year of the 'Nakba' (catastrophe) for the Palestinians. In fact, he marked the exodus of around 750,000 people to neighboring countries, driven by intimidation and violence during the Arab-Israeli war following the founding of the State of Israel. In subsequent years, other events have increased the number of initial refugees and today there are an estimated 7 million Palestinian refugees worldwide.
According to data from UNRWA, the United Nations agency for the relief and assistance of Palestinian refugees, about 479,000 are registered in Lebanon, of which 45% in the 12 official refugee camps and the rest in the 45 settlements. informal spread over the territory. The official camps are areas of about one square kilometer, built by UNRWA in the early 1950s when it became clear that Palestinians would no longer be allowed to return to their land. The camps are located on land granted in concession by the Lebanese government for 100 years and still live there the original refugees still alive and their descendants, now of the fourth generation. Population growth was contained by expanding the dilapidated buildings of the time where possible in height.
In the camps, which have changed from temporary to permanent, infrastructure and services are on the verge of survival. The very close buildings prevent the sun's rays from entering the houses leaving them damp and dark, electrical cables that intersect at eye level with dripping pipes sometimes cause electrocution, areas nonexistent greens deprive children of living space and poor waste collection services make the air unhealthy. Furthermore, no drinking water is provided, in some fields the sea water is not desalinated, and the electricity supplied by the government from time to time is supplemented by noisy and polluting generators.
These housing conditions, combined with malnutrition caused by low incomes and high unemployment, mean that life expectancy is very low and that health problems, chronic diseases and psychological stresses abound.
The difficulties of Palestinian daily life in Lebanon lie not only in the housing conditions, but above all in the lack of social and civil rights. The right to work now excludes them from exercising 39 professions including doctors, lawyers, engineers and architects. Job opportunities remain those related to agriculture, construction, teaching in schools for Palestinians, humble jobs such as plumbing, electricians and cleaning services for women. Social security for the employed is limited only to the end-of-work payment and does not involve all other benefits, such as health, retirement, maternity, accident insurance.
Health is entrusted to UNRWA clinics inside the camps, health coverage is managed with a system of percentage reimbursements set in a reference handbook and access to hospitals is allowed only in those identified for Palestinians. Recourse to private Lebanese hospitals has notoriously prohibitive costs, not affordable for Palestinians.
The schools, inside the camps, are managed by UNRWA with classes of 50 children and an hour of 50 minutes.
The right to property was also denied to Palestinians by a law introduced in 2001, so the Palestinian owner of a previously purchased apartment cannot pass it on to his heirs. Upon his death, the property was requisitioned by the Lebanese state.
The situation of Palestinian refugees has further deteriorated in recent years due to the economic, political and financial crisis in Lebanon. The default declared by the country, the depreciation of the Lebanese pound unanchored from the dollar, the increase in prices and the corruption of the political class, have given rise to strong protest movements by Lebanese society which began in October 2019. The Covid-19 emergency and the explosion at the port of Beirut in August 2020 complicate the picture, which is already explosive.
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