Figure 1.-- This press photo shows Palestinian children in Lebanon. The press caption reads, "Children of War: Young children sit in the rubble of their home in the Sabra Palestinian refugee camp Wedenesday. Eight years of street battles, air raids and car bombing have taken their toll on the young in a country where it estimated 51 percent of the population of four million is under the age of 20. Doctors say that most or psychological. damage goes untreated." The photograph was dated July 27, 1983. Rarely mentioned when we see appalling images of conditions in these camps is that the Palitinian groups, Arab Governments, and UNRAA have made no real effort to end the refugee crisis by assimilating the Palistinians into the wider society as Israel has done with Jewish refugees. he children you see in these images are not refugees, they are the chikldren or grand children of refugees and were born in the camps.
There are 12 Palistinian refugee camps in Lebanon. About half of the 450,000 registered Palestinian refugees live in these camps. Most were established during the First Arab Israeli War (1848) and then in the 1950s. The largest is Ain al-Hilweh. Most are located along the coast well away from the Israeli border. They are supported by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). This means that Palestine refugees represent an estimated 10 percent of the population of Lebanon. The refugee camps were not just humanitarian facilities. The PLO fighters given refuge by the Lebanese activlu used the camps for recruitment and support. Christiam militias conducted a massacre at Sabra and Shatila (1982), one of many tragedies of the Lebanese Civil War and related Israeli intervention. Each country hosting Palestinian refugee camps have different laws and regulations governing the camps and refugees. The legal regimes are in sharp contrast to how the Isrealis treat refugee Jews from Arab countries. The Israeli goal is to assimilate the refugees. The policy in Lebanon and other Arab countries is to prevent assimilation. The Palestinians face many difficulties in Lebanon. Lebanese law and ministerial decrees mean the refugees have no automatic right to work, to social security, to joining a trade union. There are at least 25 banned areas of work in Lebanon for Palestinians, including medicine, law, engineering and pharmacy, and there is no right to ownership of land or property. Because they are not legally citizens of another recognized state, Palestine refugees are unable to claim the same rights as other foreigners living and working in Lebanon. Among the five countries which host UNRWA camps for Palestinian rfugeees, Lebanon has the highest percentage of Palestine refugees living in abject poverty. Three additional camps were destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War. A fourth was evacuated many years ago. The coflict in Syria beginning in 2012 has forced many Palestinian refugees from that country, including men, women and children, to flee to Lebanon in search of safety. UNRWA is working to adjust to their numbers and their needs.
There are 12 Palistinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Most are located along the coast well away from the Israeli border. About half of the 450,000 registered Palestinian refugees live in these camps. Most were established during the First Arab Israeli War (1948) and then in the 1950s. They were meant to provide temporary housing and care, but now 70 years later, hundreds of thousands of stateless Palestinians still live in the camps in poor conditions. Rather than gradually resettling the refugees, the UNRRA camps have more refugees in them than when originally established, mdaning gthey are croded and have inadequate facilities.
The largest camp is Ain al-Hilweh which has some 54,000 refugees. the Beddawi camp established in 1955 has about 17,000 refugees.
The Burj Barajneh camp in 1948 accommodates refugees who fled from the Galilee in northern Palestine. The camp is located in the southern suburbs of Beirut. It suffered heavily throughout the Lebanese Civil War.
The El Buss camp established in 1939, began hosting Palestinians in 1948. It has over 11,000 refugees.
The Dbayeh camp established in 1956 hosts over 4,000 refugees.
The Mar Elias camp opened in 1952 is a smallcmp with less than 1,000 refugees.
The Mieh Mieh camp established in 1954, hosts more than 5,000 refugees.
The Nahr el-Bared camp established in 1949 had nearly 6,000 refugees.
The Rashidieh camp established in 1963 has over 31,000 refugees.
The Shatila camp established in 1949 hosts nearly 10,000 refugees.
The Wavel camp established in 1952 hosts nearly 9,000 refugees.
Christian militias under assault from Muslim militias and Palistunians conducted a massacre at Sabra and Shatila (1982), one of many tragedies of the Lebanese Civil War and related Israeli intervention. Three additional camps were destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War. A fourth was evacuated many years ago.
The Palestunian refugee camps are supported by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). This was an agency created even before the United Nations itself bu the Allied powers in World War II (1943). Many of the refugees first assisted were Jews, but at the end of the War, Europe was asah with refugees, many located in occupied Germany. UNRAA worked to care for them and to get them home. The apauling small sumber of surviving Jews were the most difficult to deal with because as whole communities were murderd by the NAZIS, many Jew did nbot have homes to which thy could return. This was especially the case in Eastern Europe where most of Europe's Jews lived before the War. Many wanted to go to Israel, British Mandatory Palestine, but Britain sharply limited entry. This changed after the First Arab-Israeli War (1948-49). Isreal accepoted all Jews desiring to enter. But it created another refugee problem, in fact two new problems. First was the Palistiunian Arabs hich fled the fighting are were fiorced from their villages by the Israelis. Second is a problem usually ignored by the media--Jewish refugees who fkled or were forced from their hpmes as well as Jews in Arab ciountries forced to flee. Arab countries refused to assimilate the Palistinians and thus UNRAA to this day is still supporting hundreds of thousands of Palistinians. Israel assimilated the Jewish refugees even though they connstituted a much larger portion of the popultion. .
Lebanese Population
The movement of the Palestinian refugees into Lebanon has affected the coiuntry's demographics. This means that Palestine refugees represent an estimated 10 percent of the population of Lebanon.
Nature of the Camps
The refugee camps were not just humanitarian facilities. The PLO fighters given refuge by the Lebanese activlu used the camps for recruitment and support. This has affected how the Christian population and Israelis view the camps.
Legal Framework
Each country hosting Palestinian refugee camps have different laws and regulations governing the camps and refugees. The legal regimes are in sharp contrast to how the Isrealis treat refugee Jews from Arab countries. The Israeli goal is to assimilate the refugees. The policy in Lebabon and other Arab countries is to prevent assimilation. The Palestinians face many difficulties in Lebanon and other Aab countries. Lebanese law and ministerial decrees mean the refugees have no automatic right to work, to social security, to joining a trade union. There are at least 25 banned areas of work in Lebanon for Palestinians, including medicine, law, engineering and pharmacy, and there is no right to ownership of land or property. Because they are not legally citizens of another recognized state, Palestine refugees are unable to claim the same rights as other foreigners living and working in Lebanon. Among the five countries which host UNRWA camps for Palestinian rfugeees, Lebanon has the highest percentage of Palestine refugees living in abject poverty.
Syrian Civil War (2011- )
The Syrian Civil War is an ongoing, complicated multi-sided armed conflict in Syria. It was fought primarily between the Ba'athist Syrian Arab Republic led by President Bashar al-Assad, along with its allies, and various forces opposing both the government and each other in shifting combinations. The military support of Russia and Iranian Governments have helped perpetuate the Assad regime. The Civil War began as part of a wider wave of the 2011 Arab Spring. The Assad Government reaction to protesties ked to armed conflict. The coflict in Syria has forced many Palestinian refugees in Syria, including men, women and children, to flee to Lebanon in search of safety. UNRWA is working to adjust to their numbers and their needs.
