A Dialogue Meeting on the Right to Work for Palestine Refugees in Tyre city

By the invitation of the Palestinian Lebanese coalition for the right to work a dialogue meeting was conducted on Saturday, 4th of May 2019 at the headquarters of Al fikr wa Al Adab forum in Tyre.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Hassan Fakhouri on behalf of deputy Hussein Aljishi, a number of political figures, representatives of clubs, NGOs, people’s committees, municipal councils and representatives of the Lebanese and Palestinian parties.

Opening session started by the Lebanese and Palestinian National anthems. Then a short film was presented on the right to work issue and a Presentation on the achievements of the coalition. The statement of the Lebanese-Palestinian coalition was given by Mrs. Leila Al-Mousa, that stressed on the right of the Palestinian to work in accordance with the norms and laws of human rights laws, and called on the Lebanese parliamentary parties to work to amend laws that hinder Palestinian refugees to work.

A statement by Fikr and Adab forum delivered by Secretary of the Forum Dr. Adnan Yaacoub, who assured on the right of Palestinian to work, away from spatial and economic marginalization, as stated in the Lebanese constitution and the Universal Declaration of human rights.

One of the sessions was facilitated by Mr. Samy Hamoud, who in turn stressed that securing economic and social rights contributes to enhancing the resilience of Palestine refugees until their return to their homeland in Palestine, emphasizing the refusal of resettlement and displacement.

The first paper presented by the researcher in the Palestinian affairs Mr. Fathi kleib, who has highlighted the real bad situation of Palestinian refugees due to unjust policies. Mr. Kleib stressed that there is a misleading strategy about the laws of the year 2010, where the Lebanese government shall take the responsibility towards the Palestinian Refugees and support them until their return to their homeland in Palestine. The second paper presented by the lawyer Ali Al Qara, who expressed that the injustice over Palestinians is due to Lebanese political sectors, Introversion from attendees stressed on the importance of granting the Palestinian refugees their economic rights, on the top of rights the right to ownership and right to work, according to international laws and conventions.

Main recommendations out of the meeting: -Stressing on the right of Palestinian refugees on their right to return, refusal of naturalization and displacement, granting economical and social rights.

-The responsibility of the international and Arabic communities of the suffering of the Palestinian refugees, and their role in forming a pressure over the Lebanese government to grant the right to work for them.

-The necessity to communicate with Lebanese political parties that support the Palestinian cause, to work on a proposal of modifying the laws that hinder granting the social and economical rights of Palestinian refugees.

-Support the Palestinian Lebanese dialogue, from a base of consolidated vision on the Palestinian refugee issues in Lebanon.

-Mobilizing the energies to conduct an expanded conference in Tyre, to study the possibility of approving the Law of the right to work, includes representatives of Lebanese trade unions, experts, jurists and Palestinians and Lebanese activists.

-Emphasizing on the consolidation of the Palestinian political stance before the Lebanese official bodies, and the agreement on the issues and the basic demands of Palestine refugees in Lebanon.