Lebanon’s "policy of no policy" towards Syrian refugees

Mat Nashed begins his article in The New Arab by stating that “whether in parliament or on television, Lebanon’s political class are blaming Syrian refugees for just about every issue in the country.”

The writer explains that “scapegoating Syrians isn’t mitigating the impact of the refugee crisis,” arguing that the Lebanese government has diverted attention away from their incompetency to stabilize the country as it further exposes refugees to greater risks.

“Nearly 1.5 million Syrians have sought asylum in Lebanon, making it the country with the highest number of refugees per capita in the world,” the writer explains.

However, the writer argues that due to Lebanon’s political presidential vacuum, municipalities began dealing with the Syrians settling in urban ghettoes or poor villages by taking the law into their own hands and imposing arbitrary measures, leading to an increase in tensions between refugees and host communities.

As camps are raided and Syrians detained and questioned, increasing fear among the war-torn refugees has only compounded their suffering, the writer argues.

The writer then warns that if the Lebanese politicians truly want to mitigate the consequences for their own people, then it is about time they committed to a sustainable approach; they must remove barriers to Syrians obtaining residency, allow them legal access to the job market and establish a functioning state security presence across the country.

“The international community must support the government,” the writer adds, however, he quickly states that “political corruption in Lebanon risks squandering much of the money they receive.”

The writer concludes by stating: “Politicians… are more inclined to maintain the country’s confessional balance in order to preserve their seat in power. For them, that will always take precedence over building a more dignified life for those most neglected in the country.”