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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Leb gives Paleostinians right to work |
| 2010-08-18 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Lebanon's parliament adopted on Tuesday a law granting full employment rights to the roughly 400,000 Palestinian refugees living in the country, a high-ranking official said. "Parliament approved a bill lifting former restrictions on employment for Palestinian refugees, who will now have the right to work in any field open to foreigners with benefits including social security from their own special fund," the official told AFP. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimates Lebanon houses 400,000 Palestinians. Lebanese officials estimate no more than 300,000 refugees actually reside in the country as UNRWA does not strike off its lists those who emigrate. The cash-strapped UNRWA has long urged Lebanon to help improve Palestinians' living conditions, but some Lebanese have accused the agency of trying to shift financial responsibility for the refugees on to Lebanon. For decades, the fate of the refugees has been a thorny issue, dividing Christian and Muslim legislators in the 128-strong parliament, which is equally split between the two confessions. Mainly Christian MPs argue that Lebanon's 12 destitute refugee camps should no longer be immune to state control. By longstanding convention, the army does not enter the camps, leaving security inside in the hands of Palestinian factions. Lebanon's Christians also fear that granting the refugees the right to own property, among other rights, would be a slippery slope to permanent settlement and giving the mainly Sunni Muslim Palestinians full-fledged citizenship. The Lebanese constitution prohibits the naturalization of the refugees. Palestinian officials have consistently said they refuse permanent resettlement in Lebanon. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 "Work?!?!" / |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-08-18 19:35 |