Al-Nahar, Lebanon, December 1
As the world observes the International Day for Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 25th, Lebanese authorities decided to commemorate the event in a rather odd way: by building a concrete wall around the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp. This camp is home to nearly 80,000 Palestinian refugees, most of whom fled their homeland in 1948. Surely, they are no strangers in Lebanon. Today, Palestinian refugees constitute roughly 10% of the total Lebanese population. Lebanon is home to the refugees, their children, and even their grandchildren. Life in Lebanon is all they know. What message are we sending to our Palestinian brothers and sisters? What message are we sending to refugees throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world? Building a wall around a camp that has been in existence for over six decades, citing “security concerns” seems rather peculiar. What risk are the Palestinian refugees posing now that haven’t posed before? How will imprisoning them by surrounding them with walls make their integration into our midst all the easier and better? If the current crisis in Syria and the spread of millions of refugees across the world has taught us anything, it is that we are all vulnerable humans. It is our duty to welcome anyone who comes into our midst. The only way to do so is by building bridges, not walls. – Yaira Waziri