Following up the
Palestinian refugee status based on international standards of human rights,
the Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) releases its annual
report of year 2021, shedding light on the drastic conditions the Palestinian
refugees are living and calling the concerned parties to make a step forward to
improve their situation.
First:
Latest Updates on the Occupied Palestinian Territories:
The Palestinian
issue has faced plethora of challenges during 2021, and was evidently present
in the international, regional, and national arenas. They include the decision
of the President of the Palestinian authority to postpone the general elections
process leading to its failure and that of the International Criminal
Prosecutor to open a criminal investigation into the situation in Palestine.
Adding to that, the rapidly increasing rate of expansion of settlements
especially during 2021, the Israeli threat to deport Palestinian families in
Al-Sheikh Jarrah and other neighborhoods in Jerusalem, the Israeli attacks on
Al Aqsa Mosque and the provocative flag rallies, and the attack on Gaza strip.
The report includes statistics pertaining these challenges.
Second:
The Lebanese institutions and Palestinian Refugees
The resolution
of the Minister of Labor, Mostafa Bayram, that permitted the Palestinians to
practice some professions, was the most prominent factor in developing the
relationship between the Lebanese institutions and the Palestinian refugees
giving them a sense of hope to be a part of the labor market. Then, on the 8thof December 2021, the Minister signed the Resolution No. 1/96 that includes the
confining of some professions to the Lebanese people which were mentioned in
article (1). Such decision was considered
to be a courageous forward step in reviving the negative interaction of the
Lebanese state with the Palestinian presence in Lebanon. Though, it didn’t
contribute to a fundamental change as it didn’t mention the professions that
are prohibited from the Palestinians, and the regulating laws, decrees, and
resolutions stayed the same. In addition to the essential notes (Witness) has
recorded on this resolution, it has documented a set of statements that were
considered racist in their content by some politicians and media professionals.
To download
Annual Report of year 2021 click her