Several Thousand Palestinians Protest For Equal Rights--In Lebanon

Lebanon has marginalized Palestinian refugees for too long. Parliament should seize this opportunity to turn the page and end discrimination against Palestinians."
Human Rights Watch

While Hezbollah is preparing to put on a show on the world stage with its proposed Flotilla on behalf of the Palestinians of Gaza, the Palestinians of Lebanon continue to suffer--apparently out of fear that they will become naturalized citizens and stay in Lebanon:

Several thousand Palestinians and Lebanese civil activists converged on central Beirut on

Sunday, demanding more rights for Palestinians, many of whom live in squalid and over-crowded refugee camps.

Dozens of buses transported demonstrators waving Palestinian flags from refugee camps across the country -- from the southern city of Tyre as well as from the northern city of Tripoli.

"As Palestinians in Lebanon we have no rights. We just want to live with dignity," said Palestinian Imtithal Abu Samra, 29, who lives in the Beddawi refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

Some 425,000 Palestinians are registered as refugees in Lebanon by UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees. Many live in 12 camps across Lebanon in conditions the UN has described as deplorable and appalling.


Palestinians in Lebanon are barred from working in dozens of professions and are generally paid lower wages than their Lebanese counterparts when they do find jobs.

They are not allowed to benefit from public social or medical services.

Somehow, the proposed Hezbollah Flotilla overlooked the half a million Palestinian Arabs in their midst that are being discriminated against--by their fellow Arabs. But not to worry--it's not as if the rest of the world will care either.

Technorati Tag: Hezbollah Flotilla and Lebanon.