(Lebanon's) Parliament grants wider work rights for Palestinians

[oberliner]

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Parliament adopted Tuesday a law granting wider employment rights to some 400,000 Palestinians in the country, revoking a ban that had barred the refugees from tens of professions for years.

MPs also passed a law on Tuesday authorizing exploration and drilling of offshore oil and gas fields which have fueled tensions with Israel over maritime borders.

“Parliament approved a law amendment 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,” a senior official told AFP.

Like other foreigners, Palestinians will not be able to work as doctors or lawyers, or in the army and police force, all reserved for Lebanese citizens.

Palestinian refugees have until now been allowed limited in employment opportunities.

But the thorny issue of the Palestinians is far from resolved, as they continue to live off UN handouts in destitute conditions in a dozen camps across the country and are still deprived of health care, the right to own property and the right to citizenship, among others.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=118303#ixzz0wuDrTlpi

[sabbat hunter]

1. why don;'t they

grant them citizenship?

[azurnoir]

2. Why doesn't Israel grant citizenship ? Oh that's right one Arab is the same as another ?

The Palestinians want their own country

[sabbat hunter]

3. there are plenty of

Arabs who have Israeli citizenship.

and many Lebanese are not Arabs.

It has nothing to do with wanting their own country. It has to do with not keeping them as a perpetual refugees. They have few rights in Lebanon, they cannot own property, work certain jobs etc.

Which is better to grant them citizenship so they can improve their lives while living in Lebanon (while still working towards a Palestine) or keeping them as perpetual refugees.


Granting them citizenship does not mean that they cannot return to a future Palestine.

There are Palestinians in Jordan, who have Jordanian citizenship. Why should those living in Lebanon have any less?

[azurnoir]

4. Having a country would solve the problems of being refugees

but woops we're not supposed to recognize that are we? just that those horrible Arabs treat Palestinians badly so it's ok for Israel to do so too

[oberliner]

5. How so?

If a Palestinian state was established tomorrow, how would that change things for the half a million Palestinians currently living in Lebanon?

[azurnoir]

6. They would have a place to go where they would be citizens n/t

[oberliner]

9. Would they all be forced to move?

If not, what would happen to the ones who want to stay in Lebanon?

[azurnoir]

10. Then citizenship could be an issue

however staying in Lebanon under those circumstances make little sense and there is a possibility that Lebanon would actively expel the Palestinians

[oberliner]

12. Shouldn't being born in Lebanon make you a Lebanese citizen automatically?

Why is it that hundreds of thousands of people who were born in Lebanon are not citizens of that country?

Also, more than half of the Palestinians in Lebanon do not live in refugee camps. Do you really think they would all want to leave their homes and relocate to a newly created Palestinian state when one is created?

You think that Lebanon would actively expel those who do not wish to leave under those conditions?

[azurnoir]

13. as far as I know the US is one of the only countries that allows

that citizenship for everyone born regardless of their parents immigration status but the US is also a country built on immigration, now I did have a problem with Israel deporting children born there but that was due to the reasoning behind it which was maintaining an ethnic majority which is wrong np matter who does it

as to Palestinians who do not live in camps but do reside in Lebanon yes I think they may well leave to move to a Palestinian state, just as many Jews who have comfortable lives in the countries they reside on opt to move to Israel and if Lebanon refuses citizenship for those remaining then we do have an issue and yes I also think it is a posibility that Lebanon would expel the Palestians that currently live there

BTW Keanu Reeves was born in Lebanon but s not a citizen as neither of his parents are

[oberliner]

14. Thanks for your insights

In any event, I think the changes mentioned in the OP are positive ones for the Palestinians currently living in Lebanon.

[shira]

7. Israel granted citizenship and equal rights to every one of its Palestinian Arabs.

Unlike other neighboring Arab governments.

===================================

Would you be satisfied if Israel treated its Palestinians as Arab governments have treated theirs?

Just asking.

[azurnoir]

8. you mean Israel granted citizenship to every Israeli Arab?

the fact that you call them Palestinians is very telling, but Israel only did that after most had fled for fear of their lives and a few remained and no I will be satifed when Palestinians have their own country
BTW your claim hat Israeli Arabs actually have equal rights is laughable on its face

[shira]

11. Yep, every Palestinian Arab within Israel has been offered citizenship and equal rights

You should be aware that many Israeli Arabs label themselves Palestinians. Of course for that matter, all Jews living in the area pre-1948 were considered Palestinians back then too.

I take it from your answer you admit Palestinians have been treated better by Israel than by Arab governments.

As for full equal rights, do you believe Palestinians in Lebanon should have them now?

[azurnoir]

15. you mean every Israeli who is also an Arab has supposedly equal rights in Israel?

you are comparing the status of Israeli's with that of refugee's in a foreign country because they're Arabs?
Israel's treatment of it's own citizens does not compare with the treatment of refugees anywhere now does it, nor does Lebanons or any other countries treatment of Palestinian's excuse Israel's treatment of Palestians living in the OPT , which IMO is what your trying to do and why you keep calling Israeli's Palestinians

[shira]

16. You're creating yet another strawman

Comparing Lebanon or any other Arab government's treatment of Palestinians to Israel's treatment doesn't excuse Israel and I've never argued any such thing.

So what are your thoughts on the fact that Palestinians have fared better under Israeli administration than that of any Arab government? What do you make of that? :shrug:

[azurnoir]

19. the strawman here IMO is your conflation with the treatment of Israeli Arabs with

Palestinian refugees living in foreign countries

[shira]

20. You're still being evasive - why?

Have Palestinians fared better under Israeli or Arab governments? :shrug:

Yes or No?

Obviously, Arab citizens within Israel have fared better than Arab citizens in any other Arab nation, so there's no point going into that.

But what do you make of all this? :) It would appear by the comments here by you and your allies it's the other way around, right?

[azurnoir]

21. Not at all but at least you admit that Arab countries like most 3rd world countries do not

treat their citizens well as to evasion no I pointed out why your "argument" was problematic to put it politely

[shira]

24. If you weren't being intentionally evasive, you'd have answered by now.

Also, the issue is Palestinian treatment under Israel vs. Arab governments. That applies to Palestinians of East Jerusalem as well as those in the OPT vs. Palestinian treatment in surrounding Arab countries.

Okay, it's obvious this makes you uncomfortable, so here's a different question.

Why do you have different standards for Arab governments WRT their treatment of Palestinians and non-Palestinians vs. Israel? I expect more from a pro-Palestinian advocate.

[azurnoir]

25. there is nothing to evade and no it does not make me uncomfortable n/t

[Donald Ian Rankin]

17. That's a simple lie.

Those who were not murdered or driven out in the Nakba were offered citizenship, but it's simply not true that non-Jewish Israelis enjoy equal rights.

And no Arab government drove the Palestinians out of their homes and homeland and refused to let them return.

[shira]

18. Jimmy Carter disagrees with you

Here's Carter...
"I know that Israel is a wonderful democracy with equal treatment of all citizens whether Arab or Jew."

Also, most Palestinian refugees were ordered to leave by Arab governments.
http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=1646
http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=1102

Were you unaware of these things or were you lying? :shrug:

[azurnoir]

22. Did you post these links to give PMW traffic? Neither mentions Jimmy Carter n/t

[shira]

23. No, they're posted to correct misleading statements. As for Carter, google the quote. n/t