Lebanon: Stateless Palestinians

 

 

In its Protection Monitoring Report for the 1st quarter of the year 2022, UNRWA reported that:

 

“Access to civil registration processes reportedly remained limited for PRS and non-IDs, and difficulties registering PRL children’s births after more than a year, were highlighted in Central Lebanon Area [...] Difficulties in receiving legal documents, the high cost of legal aid, and practical obstacles to accessing available services were also highlighted. Meanwhile, the time taken to issue civil documentation for PRL reportedly increased, with processing times of three to four weeks compared to one to two weeks previously. As among the Lebanese community, waiting times to obtain travel documents increased significantly.”

 

(Source: UNRWA, “UNRWA Protection Monitoring Report – Quarter 1 (Q1) 2022”, 1 July 2022)

 

The US department of state stated:

 

“Approximately 3,000 to 5,000 Palestinians were not registered with UNRWA or the government. These Palestinians began to arrive in the country during the 1960s and do not hold any formal valid identification documentation. The government does not recognize their legal status in the country.”

 

(Source: US Department of State (USDOS) “2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Lebanon”, Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties, G. Stateless Persons, March 2022, p. 30)

The same source further reported that:

“The Directorate of Political and Refugee Affairs (DPRA) is responsible for late registration of children of Palestinian refugees. According to the law birth registration of children older than one year requires a court procedure, an investigation by the DGS in some cases, and final approval from the DPRA. Where paternity is in doubt or where the applicant is age 18 years and older, he/she may also be required to take a DNA test. Birth registration can take more than a year and was extremely complex for all Palestinian refugee children whose parents were registered with DPRA.”

(Source: US Department of State (USDOS) “2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Lebanon”, Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties, March 2022, p. 31)

 

  

The Palestinian Refugees Portal, a Palestinian refugees-led website reported in February 2022 about prospects of changing the Palestinian refugee card into a magnetised card:

 

“The head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, Dr. Basil Al-Hassan, said that his committee is working on completing the necessary technical studies to change the card of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to a magnetised card. [...] and Hassan talked about “a unified state policy towards the Palestinian topic in Lebanon, whether at the level of the state’s ministerial, administrative or security institutions,” referring to common views that will turn into a unified policy very soon, according to him. Since 1948, the Directorate for Palestinian Refugee Affairs in Lebanon has issued handwritten identity cards that are large in size and easy to damage, and they have always caused confusion and problems for Palestinian refugees, at security checkpoints, due to the lack of clarity in the registered data.” (In- house translation. The author is an Arabic native speaker)

 

ORIGINAL SOURCE :

ىرخأ لىإ نانبل في ينينيطسلفلا ينئجلالا ةقاطب يريغتل ،ةمزلالا ةينفلا تاساردلا زاجنإ لىع لمعت هتنجل نّ إ ،نسحلا لساب روتكدلا "ينيطسلفلا نيانبللا راوحلا ةنجل" سيئر لاق

ءارآ لىإ ًايرشم "ةينملأا وأ ةيرادلإا وأ ةيرازولا ةلودلا تاسسؤم

ىوتسم

لىع ءاوس ،نانبل في ينيطسلفلا عوضولما هاجت ةلودلل ةدحوم ةسايس" نع نسح ثدحتو ]...[ .ةطنغمم

ةيربكو ديلا طخب ةبوتكم ةيوه تاقاطب ،8491 ماعلا ذنم ،نانبل في "ينينيطسلفلا ينئجلالا نوؤش ةيريدم" ردصًتو .هلوق قفو ًادج ًابيرق ةدحوم ةسايس لىإ لوحتتس ةكترشم ةلجسلما تانايبلا حوضو مدعل ةينملأا زجاوحلا لىع ينينيطسلف ينئجلال تايلاكشإو تاسابتلا في تببست الماطو ،فلتلا ةلهسو مجحلا

 

(Source: Palestinian Refugees Portal: “Al-Hassan: The identity card of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon will be changed to a magnetic one”, February 22, 2022)

 

AlAraby, an international Arabic newspaper and website, published testimonies by Palestinian refugees of their difficult access to identity papers:

 

“Alaa Al-Dein Jaber, a Palestinian refugee born in Gaza in 1976 and lives in Ein El-Hilweh Refugee Camp in Lebanon, says: «My wife remains registered under her family as a single woman because the Lebanese state refused to register the marriage, using 1967’s Nakba as an excuse. Palestinians of the 1967 Nakba do not have the right to do this without going back to the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that has the right to issue us papers that prove our identity. We tried it multiple times, but we couldn’t reach anything, the Palestinian embassy in Lebanon didn’t serve us in this issue, while ambassador Abbas Zaki was content with only securing us an identity card after having to carry forged identity cards because we didn’t have an alternative.» [In-house translation. The author is an Arabic native speaker]

 

ORIGINAL SOURCE :

ةينانبللا ةلودلا نلأ ءابزع اهنأب اهلهأ دويق لىع مويلا ىتح ةلجسم يتجوز لازت لا :]ةولحلا ينع ميخم في ميقيو 19٧٦ ماع ةزغ عاطق في دلو يذلا يرباجلا نيدلا ءلاع[ لوقي و دقو .انتيوه تبثت قاروأ ءاطعإ قح كلتم يتلا ةينيطسلفلا ةيجراخلا ةرازو لىإ ةدوعلا نود نم كلذ مهل قحي لا 19٦٧ ماع ةبكن يينيطسلف نأ ةجحب جاوزلا ليجست تضفر ةقاطب ينمأتب كيز سابع يرفسلا ىفتكا ينح في ،نأشلا اذه في انتمدخل لمعت لم نانبل في ةينيطسلفلا ةرافسلاف ،ءشي يأ لىإ لوصولا عطتسن لم اننكل ،تارم كلذ لعف انلواح

."اهيرغ كلنم لا اننلأ ةروزم ةيوه تاقاطب لمحن انك امدعب انل فيرعت

 

(Source: AlAraby - Palestinians without IDs in Lebanon, January 13, 2022)

The same source further stated that:

في ينطسلف ةلود ةرافس اهتردصأ فيرعت ةقرو طقف لمحأ« :]ينينيطسلفلا ينئجلال ةولحلا ينع ميخم في ميقيو 3891 ماع نانبل في دلو يذلا ينيطسلف ئجلا[ ةيطع لوقيو نأ ًمالع ،مويلا اهب فترعي دعي لم ًادحأ نكل ،لي ةيصخش فيرعت ةقاطب اهرابتعاب ًاقباس اهنم ديفتسأ تنك يتلاو ،انتيوه دكؤت نيانبللا ماعلا نملأا نم ةقرو ًاضيأو ،ًاقباس نانبل

.»رفسلل ةقيثوو ةدايق ترفد رادصتسا وأ نوفلت طخ ءاشر ينلوخت لا يهو .اهل يزاربإ ىدل نوكحضي نيانبللا شيجلا دونج

Atiya, a Palestinian refugee born in 1983 in Lebanon who lives in Ein El-Hilweh Refugee Camp, says: “I possess an identification document issued by the former Ministry of the State of Palestine in Lebanon, and a document from the Lebanese General Security department that confirms our identity, which I used to benefit from as a personal identification card, but nobody acknowledges it today, given that soldiers at the Lebanese army make fun of me when I take it out. It doesn’t even authorise me to buy a phone number or issue a driver›s licence or a travel document.”

 

(Source: AlAraby – “Palestinians without IDs in Lebanon”, January 13, 2022)

 

In its Protection Monitoring Report for the 1st quarter of the year 2022, UNRWA reported that:

 

“Access to civil registration processes reportedly remained limited for PRS and non-IDs, and difficulties registering PRL children’s births after more than a year, were highlighted in Central Lebanon Area [...] Difficulties in receiving legal documents, the high cost of legal aid, and practical obstacles to accessing available services were also highlighted. Meanwhile, the time taken to issue civil documentation for PRL reportedly increased, with processing times of three to four weeks compared to one to two weeks previously. As among the Lebanese community, waiting times to obtain travel documents increased significantly.

 

(Source: UNRWA, “UNRWA Protection Monitoring Report – Quarter 1 (Q1) 2022”, 1 July 2022)

 

In its Protection Monitoring Report for the last quarter of the year 2021, UNRWA reported that:

 

“According to focal points, the three main issues people face in accessing civil registration remained largely the same through the year: the cost of the process, the lack of required documents, and some refugees’ lack of residency. Lacking the required documents was particularly reported Tyre. The two main groups who find it most difficult to access civil registration were PRS and Non-ID. Non-IDs were especially mentioned in Saida while PRS were mentioned more in Beqaa. In CLA focal points linked the lack of legal residency to not be able to move freely in the camps. In Saida focal points noted it was taking more time than before to issue new passports or civil reports for PRL. (p. 8)”

 

(Source: UNRWA, “UNRWA Protection Monitoring Report – Quarter Four 2021”, 6 April 2022)

 

Another collective of NGOs working with Palestinians in Lebanon made a joint submission to the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review in 2020 in which they stated among others that:

 

“Unsustainability of solution regarding legal personality of non-ID Palestinians

The State of Lebanon had started issuing ID documents valid for one year and which can only be used to travel inside Lebanon. Very few who had lost their IDs (non-ID) were able to benefit from those cards in 2008 and in an unsustainable manner. During the UPR’s 9th Session in 2010, Lebanon reported the issuing of documents for non- IDs as one of its achievements. However, the Lebanese state has yet to provide a reply to Recommendation 84.11. More than 5000 people from this category are still denied their most basic human rights, such as the right to a legal personality, the right to health and hospitalization, education, especially university, and work. It also remains impossible to register marriage contracts if one of the spouses was non-ID, and thus their children are denied the right to be registered with official departments.”

 

(Source: Najdeh Association, Development Action Without Borders (Naba’a), Palestinian Human Rights Organization (PHRO) et al, “UPR 2020: Palestinian Refugee Rights in Lebanon”, July 2020, p. 3)

 

  

In its Protection Monitoring Report for the 2nd quarter of the year 2022, UNRWA reported that: weeks compared to one to two weeks previously. As among the Lebanese community, waiting times to obtain travel documents increased significantly.

 

“The closure of government offices as a result of the ongoing public sector strike impacted the ability of both Palestinians and Lebanese to register civil events and obtain civil documentation, driving licences and passports in Q2. Palestinian refugees reported their frustration at the unpredictability of government service provision after paying for transport only to find offices unexpectedly closed. In addition, office closures hampered PRS in obtaining or renewing residency, thus exacerbating the challenges they face in moving freely, particularly outside the camps. In the Beirut area, focal points reported that the GSO are also repeatedly delaying PRS residency renewals, impacting freedom of movement and ability to register marriages. (p. 8)”

 

(Source: UNRWA, “UNRWA Protection Monitoring Report – Quarter 2 (Q2) 2022”, 26 August 2022)41

 

In its Protection Monitoring Report for the 1st quarter of the year 2022, UNRWA reported that:

 

“Access to civil registration processes reportedly remained limited for PRS and non-IDs, and difficulties registering PRL children’s births after more than a year, were highlighted in Central Lebanon Area [...] Difficulties in receiving legal documents, the high cost of legal aid, and practical obstacles to accessing available services were also highlighted. [...] As among the Lebanese community, waiting times to obtain travel documents increased significantly.

 

Focal points highlighted that lack of residency continued to be a problem for the increasing number of PRS who entered Lebanon irregularly, as well as those who entered regularly but faced other practical obstacles to obtaining residency. In addition, those who did hold residency were reportedly often finding themselves unable to renew it due to associated costs and the irregular opening hours of the GSO offices. Some PRS in Saida were said to be afraid of approaching GSO to renew their papers after hearing of cases of people issued with departure orders while doing so. ”

 

(Source: UNRWA, “UNRWA Protection Monitoring Report – Quarter 1 (Q1) 2022”, 1 July 2022)

 

In its Protection Monitoring Report for the last quarter of the year 2021, UNRWA also reported that:

 

“According to focal points, the three main issues people face in accessing civil registration remained largely the same through the year: the cost of the process, the lack of required documents, and some refugees’ lack of residency. Lacking the required documents was particularly reported Tyre. The two main groups who find it most difficult to access civil registration were PRS and Non-ID. Non-IDs were especially mentioned in Saida while PRS were mentioned more in Beqaa. In CLA focal points linked the lack of legal residency to not be able to move freely in the camps. In Saida focal points noted it was taking more time than before to issue new passports or civil reports for PRL. (p. 8)”

 

(Source: UNRWA, “UNRWA Protection Monitoring Report – Quarter Four 2021”, 6 April 2022)

 

In March 2022, UNICEF Lebanon published estimates of undocumented children among Palestinian refugees:

 

“According to UNICEF’s Baseline Study (2016), UNRWA’s registration of children under five years of age in the PRL [Palestinian refugees in Lebanon] cohort was at 99.5 per cent. For PRS [Palestinian refugees from Syria in Lebanon], almost 2,900 new births were recorded by UNRWA between 2011 and 2018. By conservative estimation, at least one third of parents were unable to finalise the birth registration process in Lebanon due to its costs or lack of a valid legal status or requisite documentation. In fact, more than one third of parents had already registered their newborn children in Syria, with some doing so to avoid the burdensome process in Lebanon. UNRWA has been monitoring the implementation of new circulars to minimise barriers to marriage and birth registration of Palestinian families and children in Lebanon, which would further increase the risk of “undocumented” Palestine refugees, who would therefore be barred from accessing education services, employment opportunities and even relocation.

[...] Existing undocumented Palestinian children, adolescents and young people already face severe restrictions on their rights to freedom of movement and access to services; are at higher risk of being arrested and detained

 

41 For the purposes of this report, even though this excerpt is not within the research period, it was included since it is pertinent.

indefinitely; and are unable to complete civil registration procedures for important events such as birth, marriage, divorce and death. The only provider of essential services for this population is UNRWA, and access to specialised services, for example in healthcare or public examinations, are key challenges.

(Source: UNICEF Lebanon, “The situation of children and young people in the Lebanese crisis”, March 2022, pp. 99-100)

 

In June 2020 the Danish Immigration Service reported that:

 

“Persons residing illegally in a country, such as some PRS in Lebanon and Jordan, would have problems with obtaining official birth or marriage certificates. This makes it difficult to update these events with UNRWA and therefore to have such updates reflected in the family registration card.”

(Source: Danish Immigration Service, “Palestinian Refugees Access to registration and UNRWA services, documents, and entry to Jordan” June 2020, p. 21)

 

In its series of country reports for 2021, the US Department of State wrote about Lebanon:

 

“Since 2015, the DGS has issued several memoranda allowing refugees to renew their residency documents free of charge, and in 2017 a memorandum was issued granting unlimited free renewals on a six-month basis to PRS who entered Lebanon regularly before September 2016, with no financial penalty for delays. But this did not include anyone who entered Lebanon irregularly in the first place or received a departure order before September 2016. In September the DGS issued a statement also allowing those who entered legally but received a departure order before 2016 to regularize their residency status free of charge.

Since 2017 the government has waived the condition of valid residency for birth and marriage registration for the PRS, expanding the application of a previous circular issued in 2017 applicable to Syrians. Since 2018 the Ministry of Interior has waived the costly court proceedings to obtain birth registration of PRS and Syrian refugee children older than one year who were born in Lebanon between 2011 and 2020. The proof of marriage requirement remained in effect during the year, and a valid residency permit of at least one of the parents was needed to obtain a marriage certificate.

PRS turning 15 years old have been obliged either to obtain identity documents through Syria, risking getting an exit stamp on their identity documents and therefore no longer being able to maintain residency in Lebanon, or to obtain a passport through the Syrian embassy at a cost of at least 600,000 Lebanese pounds ($400), which is beyond the means of most. In September DGS issued a statement indicating that 15-year-olds may use their birth certificates as a substitute identity document until the age of 18. Residency and identity documents for those turning 18, however, remained a problem.”

(Source: US Department of State (USDOS) “2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Lebanon”, Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties, March 2022, p. 25)

 

A survey conducted by UNRWA on PRS in Lebanon indicated the challenges of obtaining or renewing residence permits and how their mobility and emotional well-being were affected as a result:

 

“Since 2014, all PRS have faced difficulties in entering Lebanon and obtaining or renewing residence permits, whatever their IDs. The 2015 AUB (American University of Beirut) reported residence regulations were fluctuant and their implementation inconsistent. […] Those who entered illegally or entered after that date [16 September 2016] are not eligible for residence. Freedom of movement may be thwarted, and they may be issued a departure order by the GSO (General Security Office). […] Over one third of PRS respondents (33.7 per cent) reported that they did not carry valid resident permits with area of residence variations ranging from 43.7 per cent in the Beqaa area to 26.6 per cent in the Saida area.11 Possessing a valid residence permit facilitates mobility: 23.2 per cent of PRS carrying a valid residence permit reported mobility issues compared to 79.7 per cent of those who did not. [...] The survey indicates legal status vulnerability as expressed by references to “anxiety due to irregular residence” (25.7 per cent), “fear of deportation” (35.1 per cent) or of “detention” (13.1 per cent).”

(Source: UNRWA, “Socio-economic Survey on Palestine Refugees from Syria Living in Lebanon”, 28 April 2021, pp. 17 & 19)

A collective of NGOs working in Lebanon made a joint submission to the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review in 2020 in which they stated among others that:

 

“As a result of the lack of legal status and records, stateless persons cannot register their marriages and the births of their children, perpetuating statelessness between generations. Their deaths are not registered.”

 

(Source: The Collective for Research & Training on Development- Action, The Nationality Campaign, Ruwad alHoukouk Frontiers Rights et al, “Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review”, July 2020, p. 11)

 

In its 2022 Emergency Appeal, UNRWA reported that:

 

“Legal status continues to be a key determinant of vulnerability in Lebanon given the importance of residency for the freedom of movement and the right to work. This particularly impacts PRS without residency permits who report that civil registration services continue to be more difficult to access due to transport and other associated costs.”

 

(Source: UNRWA, “Syria, Lebanon and Jordan Emergency Appeal 2022”, 18 January 2022, p. 40) “Civil Registration

 

Until October 2017, a valid legal status was a prerequisite for most civil registration processes in Lebanon. Difficulties in obtaining legal residency documents had a far-reaching impact on PRS and Non-ID Palestinians. Based on a circular issued by the Ministry of Interior in October 2017, valid legal residency is no longer required for all parties in civil registration of births, marriages, deaths and divorces. The fears and lack of awareness of the community related to the complexities of legalizing their stay remain obstacles for registration of births and marriages with the Lebanese authorities, leading to children not having a legal status, creating long-term difficulties for them.”

“In March 2019, a new circular was issued by the Ministry of Interior, no longer requiring costly court proceedings to obtain birth registration of PRS children aged one year or older who were born in Lebanon between January 2011 and February 2019. There is still a need, however, for proof of marriage – for which a legal residency of at least one party is still a requirement.”

 

(Source: UNRWA: “Protection brief Palestine refugees living in Lebanon Updated in September 2020”, p. 3)