The silent Palestinian refugee crisis

In 2007, the jihadi group Fatah al-Islam infiltrated the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in north Lebanon, engaging the Lebanese army in a protracted three-month battle. The violence resulted in the deaths of more than 450 people, the complete destruction of the camp, and the displacement of its nearly 30,000 residents. The conflict also ...

JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images
JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images
JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images

In 2007, the jihadi group Fatah al-Islam infiltrated the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in north Lebanon, engaging the Lebanese army in a protracted three-month battle. The violence resulted in the deaths of more than 450 people, the complete destruction of the camp, and the displacement of its nearly 30,000 residents. The conflict also garnered the attention of al Qaeda, which tried to turn the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon into a new front for global jihad. "[T]he brothers in Fatah al-Islam are heroes of Islam," declared al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in 2008. Lebanon, Zawahiri stated, "is a Muslim fort on the front line. It will play a pivotal role, God willing, in future battles with the crusaders and the Jews."

In 2007, the jihadi group Fatah al-Islam infiltrated the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in north Lebanon, engaging the Lebanese army in a protracted three-month battle. The violence resulted in the deaths of more than 450 people, the complete destruction of the camp, and the displacement of its nearly 30,000 residents. The conflict also garnered the attention of al Qaeda, which tried to turn the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon into a new front for global jihad. "[T]he brothers in Fatah al-Islam are heroes of Islam," declared al Qaeda’s second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in 2008. Lebanon, Zawahiri stated, "is a Muslim fort on the front line. It will play a pivotal role, God willing, in future battles with the crusaders and the Jews."

The structural marginalization and legal discrimination suffered by the nearly 300,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon continues to be a catalyst for conflict and violent extremism, meaning that Palestinian rights and Lebanese security are inextricably linked. In the words of a February 2009 International Crisis Group report, the situation in the camps is nothing less than a "time bomb." But until recently, it seemed that Lebanese lawmakers might never take action to remedy the problem.

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Taylor Long and Alistair Harris of Pursue Ltd reside in Lebanon, where they conduct research and implement development assistance programs on behalf of international donors.

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