The Lebanese Government’s primary goal is the improvement of Palestinian-Lebanese relations. It recognizes that both communities share an interest in overcoming the common hardship and suffering both have endured over the past sixty years. This is without prejudice to the right of return of the refugees pursuant to a just and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Elements of the Policy

The outline of the government’s policy regarding the Palestinian issue was first described in a Council of Ministersresolution dated October 2005 creating the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC), which is charged with implementing a number of actions to improve relations between the two communities. A ministerial committee was also created for this purpose.

Guiding Principles

There are four guiding principles that orient the implementation of this government policy:
 

Building Greater Confidence

The establishment of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC), based at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, combined with the re-opening of the PLO office in Beirut, marked the resumption of official channels for improving relations and the building of greater confidence between both communities. Lebanon has pledged to work with its Palestinian partners to build a brighter future.


Recognizing Common Interests

The Lebanese and Palestinians are today bound by a number of common interests and strategies. Both agree that they should work together to improve the living conditions of Palestinian refugees. The conditions of the camps are dire and the limited socioeconomic opportunities available to the refugees are an impediment to their welfare.

The Lebanese Government, in cooperation with UNRWA, the international community and the Palestinian community, is unconditionally committed to creating conditions that will promote a better life for the refugees.

The security situation in the camps is not only a major impediment to the welfare of the refugees, but it is also a threat to the stability of Lebanon and to international peace and security. Establishing the rule of law is a common Lebanese and Palestinian interest that will be pursued in collaboration and dialogue between the two parties.

Lebanon is committed to the Arab Summit declaration of 2002. Namely, the goal of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, and in particular the attainment of a just solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees to be agreed upon in accordance with the UN General Assembly Resolution 194 and the Arab Peace Initiative.

 

This support for inalienable and internationally recognized rights is firmly embedded in the Lebanese Constitution, which rejects the permanent settlement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. It is also consistent with the hopes of the refugees themselves.

A Shared International Responsibility

Israel bears the fundamental responsibility for the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem, having denied the refugees their rights for more than half a century. The desire of the Lebanese Government to improve the living conditions of the refugees should in no way obscure the fundamental fact that resolving the refugee issue will ultimately require achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

Although Lebanon hosts an estimated 350,000 Palestinian refugees, their safety and dignity remain an international responsibility. In both the search for peace and the enhancement of Palestinian refugee conditions, there is a shared responsibility in which the international community has an essential role to play.