Palestinians in Lebanon are haunted by history

By DPA

Chatilla (Lebanon) : Dressed in plastic slippers and an undershirt, Abu Jamal sits in his damp home located in the Chatilla Palestinian refugee camp on Beirut’s outskirts as the camp marks the 25th anniversary of the massacre that marred its history.


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Unfolding a small photo album, Jamal recaps the ugly memories of the 1982 Sabra and Chatilla massacre in which some 3,000 Palestinian refugees were slaughtered by Christian militiamen to avenge the assassination of president Bashir Gemayel.

Jamal was among the lucky ones who survived, but his two sons were not.

“Sep 16 marks a black day for us Palestinians in Lebanon. It is today 25 years, but we still live in fear that something like this massacre will take place again after the recent clashes in north Lebanon,” he said.

He was referring to recent clashes that pitted the Lebanese army against Islamist militants of Fatah al-Islam who were holed inside the Palestinian refugee camp, Nahr al-Bared, in north Lebanon.

More than three months of fighting resulted in the destruction of the camp, which came under total control of the Lebanese army.

Jamal, who has lived quietly and angrily, in this impoverished camp for more than 52 years, complains how much he hates his life, and how much more he now wants his grandchildren to live in Europe.

“They have nothing to do here, there is a lot of hate now among the Lebanese against us (Palestinians) after the Nahr al-Bared clashes and this can be alarming for us,” he said.

The clashes in Nahr al-Bared which started May 20 and ended in early September, killed 163 Lebanese soldiers, 222 Islamist militants and 40 civilians.

“The Palestinians were not fighting the Lebanese army, those militants were Lebanese, Syrians and Saudis. Only few were Palestinians. But in the eyes of some Lebanese, the Palestinians were killing the Lebanese army and they should all be punished,” Jamal explained.

“This reminds me of the situation that prevailed before the 1982 Sabra and Chatilla massacre. The Christian militiamen were allied with the Israelis, who were invading Lebanon at the time and they thought us Palestinians were a source of their problems,” he added.

Jamal is one of about 367,000 Palestinian refugees who are living in 12 camps scattered across north, south and east Lebanon. The refugees include generations – children, parents and grandparents – who were displaced by the creation of the state of Israel a half-century ago.

“Our problem will be solved only if one day the world and our leaders will return us to our land Palestine,” said Jamal.

He is pessimistic that, if the Palestinian Authority were to be recognized “as a state tomorrow, there will be no room for millions of Palestinians who live in the diaspora to return to their homes.”

“Our destiny is always to live in fear, that something like Sabra and Chatilla will happen again to our people,” he added.

By far, Palestinian refugees, have the worst living status among Palestinians living in the Arab world.

Palestinians in Lebanon are denied citizenship and the freedom to live where they choose. They may not attend public schools or seek treatment in state-run hospitals. They are barred from taking up 70 specific professions and crafts, including construction, bricklaying, teaching and law.

“When people live in deep poverty, they are keen to follow groups, no matter what their ideology is, to get money. Poverty is the main source of such groups,” said Palestinian analyst Suheil al Natour.

Officials had always expressed willingness to improve the living and social conditions of Palestinians in Lebanon, but after the events around the Nahr al-Bared camp, there has been a lot of talk of controlling the arms inside the camps.

Authorities now appear to see the refugee camps as a hotbed of Islamist militants like Fatah al-Islam and others.

“There will be no concessions, the living conditions of the Palestinian refugees will be improved, and there will be no link between the living conditions and the arms,” said Ambassador Khalil Mekkawi, who has been appointed by the Lebanese government to follow the Palestinian file in Lebanon.

The Lebanese army is banned from entering the Palestinian camps by a long-term agreement. Security inside the camps is controlled by the Palestinian factions.

“We want to unite the Palestinian arms inside the camps under a unified leadership to prevent a repetition of Fatah al-Islam,” Mekkawi said.

But for Jamal, whether the arms are united inside the camp or living conditions are improved, fear will continue to haunt him and other refugees. The fear that they will be a “week point of revenge in Lebanon.”

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