Razing Syrian refugee homes will not help Lebanon

The international community must come to the aid of hard-pressed nations hosting millions of displaced people

A Syrian refugee removes rubble as he dismantles his shelter at the Lebanese border town of Arsal, Lebanon June 9, 2019. Picture taken June 9, 2019. REUTERS/Hassan Abdallah
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As the Lebanese economy buckles, driving down living standards, anger is rising against the country’s estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Having fled violence and persecution after war gripped their homeland in 2011, these are some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

And yet, more and more Lebanese blame them for stealing jobs, accepting lower wages and overburdening the nation's weak infrastructure. In response to this rising hostility, the nation's government has stepped up demolitions of refugee homes, razing 20 concrete huts on Monday in the northern village of Arsal. There is symbolism here: Syrians are allowed to inhabit flimsy structures made from timber or plastic, but Lebanon is going out of its way to destroy any sign of permanence.

It mirrors the nation’s approach to generations of Palestinian refugees, who are confined to squalid camps across Lebanon.

Given that most of the fighting in Syria has ended with Bashar Al Assad's reclamation of much of the country, Beirut has called for the mass return of refugees. But fears over military conscription, economic ruin, arbitrary detention and executions are stopping many from taking that risk – trapping them in Lebanon indefinitely.

Still, the nation of four million has taken at least 1.5 million refugees and Lebanon cannot deal with this burden without help. Jordan and Turkey, too, are struggling to cope, while their native citizens demand greater government support.

Growth in Lebanon is sluggish, and the government – divided along sectarian lines – is unable to address chronic problems that have fostered popular resentment. Ahead of an austerity budget, and with ongoing waste management and electricity crises, the Lebanese are angry. And justifiably so: last year, President Michel Aoun said 46 per cent of Lebanese are unemployed, although official figures are lower.

Meanwhile, foreign affairs minister Gebran Bassil has inflamed anti-Syrian sentiment with troubling remarks about the "genetic" superiority of the Lebanese. With so much at stake, there is no place for such divisive rhetoric.

However, the issue of what to do with millions of refugees requires nuance and thought. It is undeniable that the influx has had a social, political and economic impact on Lebanon. With the majority unable to return home, the country is in need of support from the international community.

Wealthy nations that have taken few refugees should come forward to offer support and funding. For the past eight years, the international community has shaken its head at developments in Syria, and spoken with eloquence about the need to protect and support the war-torn country’s displaced millions.

It is now time to turn words into actions – by offering real and meaningful assistance to nations that, by simple virtue of their proximity to the conflict, have been forced to deal with its consequences alone.