Parliament passes law to let 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon work in any profession

Lebanon grants Palestinian refugees right to work

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Parliament passed a law Tuesday allowing the country’s Palestinian refugees the right to work in the same professions as other foreigners, lifting a ban that has relegated the refugees to only the most menial jobs.

The bill was the most serious effort yet by Lebanon to transform its policies toward the 400,000 refugees, although Palestinian leaders in Lebanon and human rights workers say it is only a first step with significant stumbling blocks.

The Palestinians living in Lebanon are isolated in their camps to a higher degree than in any other Arab country.

Some 4.7 million Palestinian refugees — who fled or were driven from their homes during the 1948 and 1967 Israeli-Arab wars — and their descendants are scattered across the Middle East. They live mostly in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, according to U.N. figures.

Their fate is one of the most emotionally charged issues in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Palestinian negotiators have demanded at least partial repatriation, but Israel has refused, saying an influx of refugees would dilute its Jewish majority and threaten the existence of the state.

Unlike in neighboring Arab countries Syria and Jordan, where Palestinians enjoy more rights, the refugees in Lebanon live mostly on U.N. agencies’ handouts and payments from the rival Palestinian factions. Those who do work are generally either employed by the U.N. agency UNRWA or as laborers at menial jobs such as construction.

On Tuesday, Parliament lifted restrictions that kept Palestinians almost entirely out of the formal labor market, although even with the vote they are still subject to Lebanese labor law like other foreigners.

But the laws governing foreign workers in Lebanon pose a unique problem for Palestinians, who are stateless.

Lebanese law restricts some professions only to Lebanese, while other professions — such as law, medicine and engineering — require the employees to be members in a relevant syndicate. But most syndicates say foreign membership depends on reciprocity in their home country, which effectively bars Palestinians.

“If you’re a Palestinian born and raised in Lebanon and your dream is to become a doctor, you’re out of luck,” said Nadim Houry, the Beirut director at Human Rights Watch.

Houry said Tuesday’s vote was a welcome step, but more needs to be done.

Beyond the legal restrictions on them, Palestinians also face deep prejudice from many Lebanese.

The bitterness dates back to 1970, when the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat moved his base here after being expelled from Jordan in a bloody crackdown because his forces tried to form a government to rival Jordan’s. Many Lebanese have not forgiven Arafat’s fighters for attacking Israel repeatedly from southern Lebanon, giving Israel a pretext to attack villages and twice invade.

Associated Press Writer Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed to this report.