Maayana Miskin – Arutz-7, June 18th, 2010
The Lebanese parliament has postponed voting on a bill that would grant civil rights to descendants of Arab refugees by one month after
postponing it for the last 62 years. The refugees in question are those
descended from Arabs who fled pre-state Israel during the War of
Independence.
More than 400,000 such descendants are registered as refugees with UNRWA in Lebanon, comprising approximately 10% of the country’s population.
They are still not allowed to work in most professions or to own
property and thus preserve their refugee status, using it to pressure
Israel in the UN and world media.
The original refugees left Israel in 1948 when promised by Arab leaders
that they would return after a quick victory against the fledgling
Jewish state. Since this did not occur, the refugees remained where they were, some coming under Israeli sovereignty as a result of the 1967 Six Day War, when once again the Arab nations vowed to destroy Israel and failed.
Arab countries have consistently refused to integrate the refugees into
their respective countries, causing a boom in “refugee” demographics as time went on. Their children and grandchildren continue to be termed refugees by the UN, whereas untold millions of non Arab refugees have been resettled and rehabilitated by that same body and host countries all over the world during the same period..
The debate over whether or not to grant refugees civil rights turned
into a stormy debate between Muslims and Christians in Lebanon’s
parliament. Muslim Mps supported the bill, as did Lebanese Prime
Minister Sa’ad al-Hariri.
“Should we deprive Palestinian refugees in Palestinian camps of their
rights, so that they become terrorists in the future?” Hariri
asked. Refugee camps in Lebanon have provided a fertile ground for
terrorist groups for decades. In 2007, the group Fatah al-Islam waged
war on the Lebanese army in the Nahr al-Bared camp; more than 400 people were killed and the village largely destroyed.
Christians in both the coalition and opposition opposed the rights bill,
arguing that it could lead to refugees become naturalized Lebanese. Sami Gemayel of the Phalange party said the bill was unconstitutional.
Lebanon’s constitution prohibits “non-Lebanese ” from
settling in the country.
If the refugees became Lebanese citizens, they would greatly increase
the country’s Sunni Muslim population, potentially upsetting the fragile
sectarian balance.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization said in a statement that it
supports Lebanon’s right to choose how to treat refugees.
“Approving Palestinian rights is a private Lebanese concern before being a Palestinian necessity and it’s in no way linked to
naturalization, ” the PLO said.
Refugees and their supporters have decided to hold demonstrations on
June 27 to demand civil rights. Participants will march on the
Parliament building in Beirut.
Do I get this right, the Palestinians wants statehood in Israel and the whole world supports this notion while nobody including the Lebanese want them and wish they would leave.
Since most of the Pals are Jordanians why not ship them there and into Egypt, better still they can go to Turkey.