Palestinians are legally barred from practicing dozens of qualified professions – including law, medicine and engineering – practically condemning them to low-income and black market jobs

By Chloé Benoist – Al Akhbar

Lebanon – Tackling issues such as health care coverage, job precarity and Palestinians’ contribution to the Lebanese economy, the series shows how Lebanon’s policies affect refugees who have lived in the country for decades.

“Palestinians have been here for 60 years, and they are not going anywhere,” a staff member of the International Labor Organization told Al-Akhbar. “Palestinians shouldn’t be treated as foreigners, but as refugees…This is a breach of human rights.”

Palestinians are legally barred from practicing dozens of qualified professions – including law, medicine and engineering – practically condemning them to low-income and black market jobs.

Hana Sleiman, a third-generation Palestinian in Lebanon, said the stringent restrictions discourage many from trying to pursue a college education.

“Why go down the road if it’s not leading anywhere?” she said.

Sleiman said the discriminatory laws needed to be amended and the changes enforced.

“Work is essential for the community to exist with dignity,” she said. “My mother was born here, I was born here, and I am still denied the right to live with dignity.”