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How we can put an end to Palestinian Arab suffering
By ignoring the profound suffering of the Palestinian Arabs in Syria and Lebanon, self-proclaimed "pro-Palestinian" activists and groups are once again proving that their goal is not to help Palestinian Arabs, but only to make Israel into a pariah state.As the world’s attention is focused on the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, including South Africa’s false genocide charges against Israel at the International Court of Justice, in Syria Palestinian Arabs are worried about a new government law that considers them "foreigners." By labeling the Palestinian Arabs "foreigners," the Syrian government is seeking to deprive them of the ability to purchase real estate. Like the majority of the Syrians, most of the Palestinian Arabs are Arab Muslims. The latest move came after Syria, on Dec. 20, 2023, presented a Law on Foreign Ownership of Real Estate, which imposes severe restrictions on non-Syrian nationals that make it essentially impossible for them to purchase real estate in Syria. The restrictions include the need to obtain prior permission from the Syrian Interior Ministry, without which owners cannot sell. Moreover, if a "foreigner" wants to purchase an apartment, its size must be no larger than 140 square meters, or roughly 1,500 square feet. Syria is not the only Arab country that discriminates against Palestinian Arabs in almost all walks of life and relates to them as "foreigners." In Lebanon, Palestinian Arabs are also considered to be foreigners who do not carry documentation from their countries of origin. According to the Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights: "This foreigner classification has allowed successive Lebanese governments to circumvent their obligations and responsibilities enshrined in a number of international and regional treaties and protocols—and their own legislation... "[T]here is no consideration of the consequences of the protracted status of Palestinian refugees [in Lebanon]. For many years, this unjustifiable policy has been compounding the deterioration in the livelihood conditions of the growing population of refugees...[who] have spent more than seven decades in Lebanon without access to their civil, social, and economic rights." Palestinian Arabs in Lebanon are "prevented from employment in 39 professions such as medicine, law and engineering," according to the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2024-01-19 |
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