Why we Should say NO to the Naturalization of Refugees
The initial stance of the Government of Lebanon was clear on
the refugee issue: It considered individuals who crossed Lebanese–Syrian
borders since 2011 as “displaced”, emphasizing its long-standing position that
Lebanon is not a state for refugees, refusing to establish camps, and adopting
a policy paper to reduce their numbers since October 2014. However, when
Lebanon initially opened its frontiers to Syrian families fleeing the conflict,
communities of Lebanon complied with no hesitation. They supplied shelter,
generous welcome, services, and support even though their own needs, in
numerous instances, were already elevated. Today, after more than nine years,
the government and Lebanese communities have arrived at a critical point: A
severe stability test on the social, demographic, and economic impact of the
Syrian crisis in Lebanon attained new peaks.
Furthermore, naturalizing 1.5 million Syrians and close to 500,000
Palestinians would translate into a critical imbalance in the unique sectarian
composition of Lebanon and an anomaly in its well-adjusted societies. In an
interview conducted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in April of
2017, (then) Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil deftly elucidated the
threat of naturalizing this large number of refugees on Lebanon’s balanced
society of Muslims and Christians. He affirmed that “in our constitution, the
naturalization of people is forbidden, because we have the Palestinians, for
whom we want the right of return, as well as the Syrians for whom they have to
have the safe and dignified return, so we want Lebanon for the Lebanese”.
However, when Lebanon rejected a U.N. proposal that all host countries provide
the opportunity for refugees to apply for temporary citizenship, Bassil was faced
with fierce criticism and accusations of “confessional” prejudice, while his
efforts were primarily geared toward maintaining the true image of the Lebanese
identity.
The (Naturalization) “Deal” would create an irreversible
demographical detriment for Lebanon, constituting a severe blow to its cultural
mesh and distinguished identity. As President Aoun called recently for the
“displaced people to return to their country” and requested the repatriation
clause to be included in the new government’s Policy Statement, we should stay
united to stop the naturalization project and encourage the safe and dignified
return of all refugees to their homeland. One “Nakba” was enough.
Marlene Sabeh