The Lebanese government has carried out its first census since independence of the Palestinian refugees on its territory.

It is thought that this population consists of around 500-600 000 persons. This figure is based on the figure provided by the UNRWA which recorded 469 331 persons. However, although the United Nations is taking note of all the arrivals, it is not noting the departures.

The census attests that there are actually 174 422.

Due to the war that has been waged against Syria, the Palestinian camps provided refuge to a number of Syrian refugees as well as foreign mercenaries who had come to wage war in Syria.

Palestinian camps in Lebanon benefit from the fiction of extra-territoriality. One of them (Ain al-Hilweh), hosts al-Qaeda’s regional general staff. The Lebanese army cannot enter it but on several occasions has placed it under siege.

Supporting the Palestinian cause, Arab states including Lebanon, refuse on principle to naturalize the Palestinians. This is to defend their inalienable right to return to their country of origin.

This demographic study had been carried out in anticipation of the Kushner-Trump Plan, a solution to the Palestinian problem. This plan proposes a solution by changing the rules. It envisages a double financial compensation, both for refugees and for Lebanon, in proportion to the number of refugees that would be naturalized.

Translation
Anoosha Boralessa