It's
highly unlikely that the Arab summit in Saudi Arabia later this month
will accept Israel's demand to "modify" the section in the 2002 Arab
peace plan that calls for the right of return for all Palestinian
refugees "in accordance with United Nations Resolution 194." The
reason: The Arab governments want the refugees out - and the sooner the
better.
Almost half of the 4.3 million Palestinian refugees registered
with UNRWA live in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, where they have long been
suffering from severe and inhuman restrictions involving residency
rights, freedom of movement and employment, as well as property
ownership rights.
The PLO claims that the number of refugees, including those
living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, is almost double that figure
because not all are registered with UNRWA.
Jordan has almost 1.7 million registered refugees, while in
Syria the who are registered with UNRWA exceeds 400,000. Lebanon also
hosts more than 400,000 refugees.
"The Arab countries don't want to absorb the Palestinian
refugees," said an official with the PLO Department of Refugees. "They
are eager to get rid of the refugee camps in the Arab countries. That's
why they are insisting that the Palestinians should return to their
homes."
Both the PLO and Hamas are strongly opposed - for political
reasons - to the resettlement of refugees in Arab countries and insist
on their "right of return." This, despite the fact that some of the
refugees are aware that they will never be allowed to return to their
original homes inside Israel.
On the other hand, many of these refugees are unlikely, under
the current circumstances, to accept an offer to move to the West Bank
or Gaza Strip, where their chances of improving their living conditions
are slim. There is no doubt that many would agree to stay in the Arab
world once they are offered citizenship, jobs and a better life away
from the impoverished refugee camps.
However, in the absence of legislation regulating their status
in most of the Arab countries, the refugees are deprived of civil
rights and basic needs. With the exception of Jordan and Syria,
Palestinian refugees in the Arab world are subject to the same strict
employment laws applicable to foreigners.
The vast majority of the Palestinians in the Arab world are
treated as foreigners and are denied access to government-supplied
services such as education, health and social benefits. Syria is the
only Arab state where Palestinians enjoy freedom of access to
government services.
In addition, the Arab governments impose restrictions on Palestinian property ownership.
But by all accounts, the Palestinians living in Lebanon suffer
the most. Apart from being deprived of education and health services,
they are not entitled to social security to which they contributed by
working.
In 1995, the Lebanese government issued a decree clearly
restricting the refugees from working in 72 professions. The majority
of Palestinians are therefore forced to work illegally, making them
subject to exploitation in the black market.
UNRWA has estimated that 60 percent of Palestinians in Lebanon
live below the poverty line and suffer from the absence of proper
infrastructure, overcrowding and poverty.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned Lebanon's
policy of discrimination, but to no avail. As one refugee in the Ein
al-Hilweh refugee camp recently told an Arab TV station, "Even the dogs
in the Third World have a better life than the Palestinians in
Lebanon's camps."
Continued
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