Lebanon threatens to demolish 50 homes of refugees

The Lebanese police on Saturday had ordered the eviction of 50 homes of Palestinian refugees living in the al-Qasimiya community to the north of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre (Sour), in preparations to demolish the houses.

Sources said that the demolitions are due to Lebanese authorities building an autostrad that will connect Lebanese cities together.

The homes were established over 50 years ago following the 1948 Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe).

The community has been a home to 6,000 Palestinian refugees, mostly working in the agricultural field.

Back in November 2016, the Lebanese authorities had installed the first blocks of a wall that would have isolated the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, Ein Al-Hilweh, under claims of security purposes.

The camp, is located southeast of Sidon city and sits on one square kilometer, and is overcrowded with 80,000 refugees. The wall enterprised is set to be completed within the next 15 months, according to a report by Lebanon-based al-Modon news site.

The wall construction was halted shortly after sharp criticism of the Lebanese government.

According to PIC, Thabet Organization for the Right of Return dubbed the developments signs of “a new humanitarian crisis endured by the Palestinian community in Lebanon,” and called for an urgent action as regards underway attempts to dislocate al-Shabriha community in favor of the Sidon highway.

Source :PNN