Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon - From Hosting through Discrimination
The writer seeks to answer a number of imperative questions concerning
the daily suffering and distress of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, who
were hosted by the Lebanese government following the Palestinian “Nakba”
in 1948. The first chapter presents details about the living conditions of
refugees in official, non-official and peripheral camps as well as in town and
village aggregations. Figures on refugee numbers and information on relief,
infra structure, water, income, employment and labor services are provided.
The second chapter is a systematic historic narrative on the formal Lebanese
policy towards refugees, including statements and positions of Lebanese
thinkers and decision-makers. The third chapter tackles international and local
relief services while the fourth chapter ex amines the major characteristics
of the daily crisis facing the refugees and the obstacles of unemployment,
poverty, illiteracy, immigration, sickness, lopsided social composition in
favor of women, and, drop ping marriage rates among females. Finally the
writer draws a number of conclusions regarding the causes of suffering
among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and their current and future social
consequences.