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Lebanon to evacuate Palestinian refugees to extend highway

September 7, 2017 at 9:22 am

A general view of Shabriha, Lebanon [Maastricht School of Management]

The Lebanese authorities have told 6,000 Palestinian refugees in Shabriha to leave their homes within 48 hours so that work can start on a highway extension, Quds Press reported on Wednesday. The refugees affected have been told to apply for compensation through the nearby Al-Abbasiyeh Municipality.

Shabriha is an unofficial “gathering” of 6,000 Palestinian refugees near Tyre in southern Lebanon. The Palestinian refugees have been living there since 1948 and the “gathering” (the term used to describe non-UN-registered refugee camps) is administered by the municipality of Borj Rahal.

According to Quds Press, the refugees have described the move as a new “Nakba” for them. The expected compensation will not be enough, they said, to buy new homes. Furthermore, they pointed out that Lebanese law does not allow Palestinian refugees to own any real estate in the country.

As an unofficial refugee camp, the residents of Shabriha do not receive UNRWA services such as medical care, education or even a landfill. The shelters from which the refugees are to be evicted are owned by the Lebanese state or citizens.