Title: Discovering the Palestinian Refugee Paradox in Lebanon
Abstract: This paper will attempt to analyze why Lebanon accepts so many refugees instead of initially denying them asylum since Lebanon’s refugee law reflects the country’s unwillingness to integrate refugees into its citizenry. It focuses on the case of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and argues that Lebanon’s historical relations with Palestine and the Arab states, and its economic benefit from the refugees play a more powerful role than the country’s feeling of legal responsibility for granting these refugees asylum. The paper is divided into two sections; the first examines Lebanon’s refugee law and its consequences on the living conditions of refugees in Lebanon. The second section assesses the role of Arab nationalism and the economic benefit from refugees on influencing Lebanon to grant refugees asylum.