Refugee situations across the world have been characterized by three different outcomes:
return to the country of origin, assimilation in the host country or resettlement into a third
country. All of the above have proven unrealistic options for the Palestinian refugees in
Lebanon. This less than optimistic outlook of the situation is mostly due to the complex
interplay of several local, regional and international factors, which, as defined by Rosemary
Sayigh, can be condensed down to: “the skewing of international funds away from the “outside”
refugees [and allocated to residents of the West Bank and Gaza], decline in aid, Israeli refusal of
return or indemnification, and Lebanese refusal of civic rights”. All of these variables, coupled
with the absence of Palestinian political and social leadership coherence amongst the refugee
communities, has made the problem of the Palestinian refugees residing in camps on Lebanese
territory, utterly challenging and resistant to resolution. The issue is further complicated by the
influential role of international economic and political pressures exerted upon all actors involved
in the refugee problem – Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestinian
refugees themselves.
[...] Restrictions such as the one prohibiting the rebuilding of camps after the civil war or building of new houses on empty land, have greatly 22 Khazen, A Recipe for Conflict”, p Sayigh, ”Harsh Present”, p Sayigh, ”Harsh Present”, p Sayigh, ”Harsh Present”, p Sayigh, ”Harsh Present”, p exasperated the already precarious conditions most families live in.27 Estimates indicate that after the war, approximately 6,000 families (close to 35,000 people) were displaced from the their refugee camps and were living in pseudo-houses on the outskirts of the still remaining camps.28 Additionally, even if shelter is secured, the hygiene of most camps is endangered by the lack of water shortages and public sewage systems.29 In short, the “housing and sanitation conditions of Palestinians in Lebanon fail to meet acceptable standards and sanitation conditions, and should be improved to fulfill the basic living requirements of human beings and human society”.30 Unemployment is another major problem facing Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. [...]
[...] This, however, “would require overcoming the competing nationalism, sectarian chauvinism, patronage networks Salam, “Between Repatriation and Resettlement”, p Salam, “Between Repatriation and Resettlement”, p Salam, “Between Repatriation and Resettlement”, p. 25; Khazen, Recipe for Conflict”, p Hudson, M. (1997). Palestinians and Lebanon: The Common Story. Journal of Refugee Studies no p.246 Palestinians in Lebanon bureaucratic politics, regional security dilemmas, and global interests that have set the two communities against each other” Hudson, Palestinians and Lebanon: The Common Story p Works Cited Abbas, M. (1997). The Socio-economic Conditions of Palestinians in Lebanon: The Housing Situation of the Palestinians in Lebanon. Journal of Refugee Studies no pp Brynen, R. (1997). [...]
[...] 276-292. Peteet, J. (1996). From Refugees to Minority: Palestinians in Post-War Lebanon. Middle East Report, no pp. 27-30. Sayigh, R. (1995). Palestinian in Lebanon: Harsh Present, [...]
[...] Imagining a Solution: Final Status Arrangements and Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon. Journal of Palestine Studies no pp. 42-58. Hudson, M. (1997). Palestinians and Lebanon: The Common Story. Journal of Refugee Studies no pp. 243-260. Khazen, F. (1997). Permanent Settlement of Palestinians in Lebanon: A Recipe for Conflict. Journal of Refugee Studies no pp. [...]
[...] Half of the latter live in the twelve refugee camps while the rest are dispersed throughout the country living in small communities mostly in the south Moreover, the majority of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon were displaced during the 1948 war as opposed to the 1967 one. This small, but important detail has rendered the situation more complicated in view of the refugees' legal status both in the eyes of the Lebanese authorities as well in those of the international community The Continuing (Quadripartite) Committee (composed of Palestinians, Israel, Jordan and Egypt), established under the Oslo Accords Agreement, was mandated to only set the standards for admission into Israel14 for persons displaced from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967.15 This excludes the majority of the Palestinian population in Lebanon. [...]
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