Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations held on Thursday 20/3/2014 at its headquarters in Beirut a panel discussion entitled “The Developments of the Syrian Issue and its Impact on the Palestinian Issue” with the participation of a select of researchers and specialists in the Palestinian issue.
The participants reiterated that the resolution of the Palestinian crisis in Syria could be primarily attained through distancing the Palestinians from the ongoing conflict, in addition to doing what it takes to alleviate the suffering of the refugees.
They attested that the developments in Syria have had a negative impact on the Palestinian issue, especially on the Palestinians in Syria. The participants also warned against the attempts to implicate the Palestinian side in the Syrian crisis.
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are affected by the events in Syria, where the already congested refugee camps became further overpopulated. Crowdedness has been coupled with the lack of relief aid and worsening housing crisis in addition to the inter-Palestinian division which negatively affected the Palestinians of Syria.
The participants called on the Lebanese authorities to facilitate document work for Palestinian refugees—not to besiege them with constraints and restrictions—and to treat them in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The participants warned against any attempts to repeat the scenario of al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. They also warned against attempts by some sides to implicate the Palestinian camps in the Lebanese internal issues.
They asserted the need to launch a constructive Palestinian-Lebanese dialogue to foil these attempts and to stop the provocation campaign against the camps.
The participants denounced acts of sabotage targeting safe communities and attacks against people and their properties, stressing that individual acts do not justify painting all Palestinians with the same brush, and that the time to grant Palestinians their economic and social rights is long overdue.
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