Palestinians Suffering in Lebanese Refugee Camps Hold Onto Hope for "Right of Return"

Interview with Raida Hatoum, Lebanese activist and organizer, conducted by Stefan Christoff

The United Nations estimates that there are over 400,000 Palestinian refugees living in impoverished camps scattered throughout Lebanon. Refugees there represent the living face of the displacement crisis for Palestinians worldwide, while also providing context for the Palestinian struggle for the right of return.

The issue of the right of return has been the focus of recent international headlines with the "disengagement plan" put forward by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, endorsed by U.S. President George W. Bush and vocally supported by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. The "disengagement plan" foresees the eventual evacuation of major Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip but rejects the internationally recognized right of return for millions of Palestinian refugees displaced during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. For Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, whose political and social identity is defined by a belief in the right of return, the "disengagement plan" put forward by Sharon is a devastating blow.

Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon today say they are subjected to systematic repression by the Lebanese government. They are forbidden from owning property, traveling freely -- working in over 70 professions and unable to obtain proper health care. During a recent trip to Beirut, Between The Lines' Stefan Christoff spoke with Raida Hatoum, a Lebanese activist who works with Najdeh, a women's NGO network operating in Palestinian refugee camps throughout Lebanon.

For more information, visit the Beirut Indymedia website at www.beirut.indymedia.org

Related links:

To get more information about the global movement for the Palestinian Right of Return, visit: www.al-awda.org

The Electronic Intifada, at www.electronicintifada.net. Publishes news, commentary, analysis, and reference materials about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict from a Palestinian perspective Tikkun Magazine, www.tikkun.org. A community of people from many faiths and traditions, with a vision of healing and transforming our world. Guided by the principle of to achieve social justice, ecological sanity, and world peace, and the inner healing needed to foster loving relationships, as well as a generous attitude toward the world and toward others

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