ADVERTISEMENT

Hezbollah warns US plan could naturalise Palestinian diaspora

The head of Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah warned Saturday that a long-delayed US peace plan could see Palestinian refugees permanently settled in host countries across the region.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah giving a previous speech on Hezbollah's al-Manar TV on March 26, 2019

Speaking days after the US announced a May conference in Bahrain to lay out economic aspects of its long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned of an "ominous deal aimed at eliminating the Palestinian cause".

He said the conference's focus on economic issues "may open the door wide open to the question of naturalising the Palestinian brothers in Lebanon and the countries where they are located".

The right of return for more than 700,000 refugees who were expelled or fled during the creation of the State of Israel in the late 1940s -- and their millions of descendants -- is a key pillar of the Palestinian cause.

The vast majority cling tightly to hopes, enshrined in a key UN Security Council resolution, of returning to lands their families once owned but which are now inside Israel.

ADVERTISEMENT

An estimated 174,000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon, according to a census by national authorities in 2017.

The UN estimates there are tens of thousands more.

Hezbollah has long championed the Palestinian cause, but the Palestinian presence is controversial in Lebanon, where many blame them for causing the bitter civil war that ravaged the country between 1975 and 1990.

Lebanon's Palestinian camps suffer poverty, overcrowding, unemployment, poor and dangerous housing conditions and a lack of infrastructure.

Today, "it's not enough to say we're all against naturalisation -- the danger of naturalisation is approaching," Nasrallah said during a televised address marking the 19th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

ADVERTISEMENT

He called for an urgent meeting between government and Palestinian officials in Lebanon to "develop a plan to confront the danger".

The Palestinians have boycotted the US administration since December 2017, when Trump broke with decades of international consensus and recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Palestinians consider the eastern part of the city the capital of their future state, fear the US plan will be heavily biased in favour of Israel.

The Palestinian leadership has said it will boycott the June 25-26 meeting in Manama, where the declared aim is to promote Palestinian prosperity as part of Trump's "deal of the century".

The Trump administration is expected to unveil its long-awaited plan possibly as early as next month.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Bahrain conference could see large-scale investment pledges for the Palestinian territories but is unlikely to focus heavily on the political issues at the core of the conflict, such as the question of Palestinian refugees.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Woman saves animal from the streets — then she finds out it is something else

Woman saves animal from the streets — then she finds out it is something else

Alake calls on Badaru to fish out illegal miners, violators of mining laws

Alake calls on Badaru to fish out illegal miners, violators of mining laws

Divers find bodies of 2 people who drowned after Baltimore bridge collapsed

Divers find bodies of 2 people who drowned after Baltimore bridge collapsed

INEC rejects LP's National convention in Anambra, questions venue change

INEC rejects LP's National convention in Anambra, questions venue change

8 people including professor declared wanted over killing of 17 soldiers

8 people including professor declared wanted over killing of 17 soldiers

INEC to publish credentials of 17 Edo governorship candidates on Saturday

INEC to publish credentials of 17 Edo governorship candidates on Saturday

Hardship: Abiodun to begin sale of rice to Ogun residents at 50% discount

Hardship: Abiodun to begin sale of rice to Ogun residents at 50% discount

Labour Party offers Peter Obi 2027 presidential ticket unopposed

Labour Party offers Peter Obi 2027 presidential ticket unopposed

Allow us build seaports, railways to develop the South-East - Ohanaeze tells FG

Allow us build seaports, railways to develop the South-East - Ohanaeze tells FG

Pulse Sports

Nigeria vs Mali: Has Finidi George done enough to land Super Eagles job permanently?

Nigeria vs Mali: Has Finidi George done enough to land Super Eagles job permanently?

I want to emulate Keshi and win the AFCON - Finidi George shares ambitious Super Eagles dream

I want to emulate Keshi and win the AFCON - Finidi George shares ambitious Super Eagles dream

Michelle Alozie: I had to do it because of African referees

Michelle Alozie: I had to do it because of African referees

AC Milan star reveals he was named after Super Eagles legend Tijani Babangida

AC Milan star reveals he was named after Super Eagles legend Tijani Babangida

Give him the job! Super Eagles fans beg NFF to make Finidi George permanent coach after Nigeria's win over Ghana

Give him the job! Super Eagles fans beg NFF to make Finidi George permanent coach after Nigeria's win over Ghana

Super Eagles 2-1 Black Stars: Nigerians praise Iwobi, Lookman, Finidi George after friendly victory against Ghana

Super Eagles 2-1 Black Stars: Nigerians praise Iwobi, Lookman, Finidi George after friendly victory against Ghana

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT