Lebanon: Beirut Rally Demands Palestinian Rights

The Daily Star

Groups from the country’s 12 Palestinian refugee camps joined with politicians, activists as well as Lebanese and Palestinian NGOs in pushing for the right to work and the right to own property, but outrightly rejecting the granting of citizenship or tawteen.

Calls to improve access to the Nahr al-Bared camp, which has remained under strict military guard since the outbreak of hostilities between the army and extremist group Fatah al-Islam in 2007, also featured prominently in the event.

The demonstration, thought to have numbered over 5,000, took place outside of the UN headquarters. It was originally scheduled for outside Parliament but permission was denied by the army, organizers said.

“This day is vitally important,” Abdullah Abdullah, the Palestinian ambassador to Lebanon, told The Daily Star.

“Firstly it shows how much Palestinians are determined to live with dignity,” he said.

“Secondly it gives assurances for all those who have concerns that granting us our rights will not impact on the politics in Lebanon,” he added. “It does not upset the balance and it will not take anything from the economy of the country.

Representatives for the Lebanese Communist Party, the Progressive Socialist Party and the Fatah Movement all spoke or at the event.

Luisa Morgantini, former vice president of the European Parliament and chair of the Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council addressed the crowd through a pre-recorded message, saying: “The international community employs double standards.”

“Even the EU says that the occupation is illegal,” she added. “We must work for the rights of Palestinian people but [there are] no real measures and acts to stop the occupation.”

She also called for unity from the Lebanese and Palestinian people, but also for within the Palestinian community, which remains fiercely divided between Hamas, which controls Gaza, and Fatah, which is in administrative control of the West Bank. The Future Movement, which organizers claim had promised to send speakers, and who have publicly come out in support of the right to work, failed to send representatives.

The protest culminated with the low-key delivery of a petition to Adnan Daher, Secretary General of the Lebanese Parliament. The petition calls for the right to own property, the right to mobility and the elimination of Article 59 of the work law, which restricts the Palestinian right to work.

Plans for further action remain to be finalized but organizers are currently discussing arranging an additional protest timed to coincide with the next parliamentary debate on Palestinian rights, scheduled for July 5.

The original draft for reform of Palestinian rights was presented to Parliament by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt. The draft proposition was rejected by a coalition of Christian parties who fear that granting rights will be the first step to full naturalization. Despite remaining marginalized in many cases, Palestinian refugees living in Syria, Jordan and other parts of the Arab world have largely been granted equal citizenship rights, if not given outright nationality, “This is a big first step toward achieving the human rights of Palestinian people,” said Marwan Abdel-Aal, member of the political bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and a speaker at Sunday’s event. “This is a big message from all the Lebanese people. It is the first time Lebanese groups have participated like this.”