Lebanon scatters a little chicken feed and labels it "manna from heaven"

In fact, Geagea spoke the truth without realizing it. Civil rights for refugees everywhere, including Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, is the responsibility of the international community which has adopted relevant international conventions which have been implemented virtually everywhere but in Lebanon and Israel. The international community, and the NGO's and activists in the West and elsewhere who claim to support justice for Palestine must now act to encourage Lebanon to meet its international obligations by granting meaningful civil rights including the unfettered right to work and to own a home.

The mild gesture Lebanon made on 8/17/10 will not grant Palestinian refugees here their internationally mandated civil rights. Not by a long shot. Perhaps the most that can be said in Lebanon's favor is that it took a first tentative step. Hopefully, symbolically it will break the stereotype against Palestinians a bit and show the public that the sky did not fall in by yesterday's gesture and will ease the stress concerning granting some meaningful civil rights.

As the Lebanese like to say, "step by step."

For the quarter million Palestinian refugees stuck in squalor in Lebanon's 12 camps and the 75,000 in the 42 "gatherings', the cause of civil rights in Lebanon endures and the dream of returning to Palestine is alive.

Franklin Lamb, Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp, Beirut

fplamb@gmail.com

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