LEBANON: Palestinians still dissatisfied despite labour law changes
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BEIRUT, 30 August 2010 (IRIN) - Recent amendments to Lebanese law grant work
permits to Palestinians in the private sector, and some welfare benefits,
and are an important step in the right direction, according to the UN's
agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), but many Palestinians say they fall
short of what they had hoped for.

The new law, which took effect on 17 August, allows Palestinians to work in
all professions open to foreigners; and work permits, which hitherto cost
US$300, are free of charge.

Palestinians can also benefit from end of service payouts from a special
account in the Social Security Fund and have the right to medical treatment
in the event of work-related accidents.

However, a major grievance is that Palestinians are still barred from
working in professions like medicine, engineering, law, real estate
management, and accountancy.

The new law has changed very little, said Layla el-Ali, head of Association
Najdeh (AN), a Palestinian NGO in Lebanon. "Palestinians never took out many
work permits, as they mainly work inside the [Palestinian refugee] camps or
are self-employed." According to AN, 249 work permits were issued in
2007-2009 and of these only four were new.

UNRWA estimates that 425,000 Palestinians live in Lebanon. "The
socio-economic conditions in all 12 camps in Lebanon are deplorable," said
Salvatore Lombardo, director of UNRWA affairs in Lebanon. "An increased
number of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are deprived of the enjoyment of a
decent standard of living."

Treated as foreigners

In Syria, where some 472,000 registered Palestinian refugees live in nine
official and three unofficial camps, the refugees have the same rights and
privileges as Syrian citizens, except citizenship.

In Jordan the 1.9 million registered refugees have full Jordanian
citizenship with the exception of about 120,000 refugees originally from the
Gaza Strip who are eligible for temporary Jordanian passports, according to
UNRWA.

UNRWA has criticized Lebanon for not adhering to basic human rights such as
allowing refugees to work in certain professions and own property.

"Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are regarded as foreigners and thus
effectively excluded from civil and socio-economic rights," said Lombardo.
"This is in part due to the fact that several rights are conditioned on the
principle of reciprocity, which in the absence of a Palestinian state
creates an insurmountable impediment."

Although the new law has cancelled the reciprocity principle, the AN's
el-Ali said it did not go far enough. "We wanted to cancel the reciprocity
laws from social law, as well as lift the ban on becoming a member of
professional syndicates," thereby allowing Palestinians permanent residency,
the right to own property and access to all jobs, she said.

Fear of settlement

The granting of more rights to the mainly Sunni Muslim Palestinians, who
make up about 10 percent of Lebanon's population, has met fierce opposition.
Many fear permanent residency may lead to naturalization and permanent
settlement, thus upsetting Lebanon's fragile confessional balance.

Ali Kasem, head of a group of Palestinian law graduates, disputes this:
"Naturalization means you cancel your old nationality. Permanent residency
means you keep your nationality until you return home. The biggest dream is
to return to our Homeland."

El-Ali doubts Palestinian human rights will be addressed any time soon due
to divisions in Lebanese politics. "I am afraid it will be hard to make any
other changes in the near future."

Palestinian refugee Chehade Zaher is a doctor at the Palestinian Red
Crescent clinic in the Bir Hassan area of southern Beirut. He has been
offered a better paid job in a private Lebanese clinic, which he is
considering. "The problem is that I would be working there illegally and if
there is a problem I can face arrest."

Like many Palestinians, he worries about his pension eight years away. "My
brother is a driver and he has money put aside. I have nothing. So if the
clinic doesn't work out I am thinking of becoming a taxi driver when I
retire."

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