By Adam Hanieh
Through the south of Lebanon, you can see large sprawling buildings known as the "camps" which house Palestinian refugees. These areas have been bombed by the Israelis, Syrians and Lebanese, but they remain a focus for resistance against the Israeli occupation and a reminder to the world that the Palestinian question has not been solved. 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly spoke to two leading members of the popular committee of the Al Buss camp, Mr KURDI and Mr ZEDANI.
Question: Can you describe the general situation in the south of Lebanon and the refugee camps?
Around 5% of the southern population own most of the property and are doing very well, but the rest face unemployment and jobs that are paid by the day.
Of course, a large section of southern Lebanon is occupied illegally by Israel, which has also led to a mass exodus. For example, the town of Beit Jbeil had a prewar population of 30,000 but now has less than 3000.
The situation in the camp is worse than the general situation faced by the south. The Palestinians are different from the Lebanese, who have their own country. We have nothing — we are only visitors.
There are four main Palestinian camps in the south of Lebanon: Ayn Hilway, Al Buss, Rashidee and Bouryee. There are also seven gathering places which receive no assistance from UNRWA, and these face a situation much worse than the camps. All of the Palestinian refugees in the south of Lebanon are from 1948 [the year Israel was established and expelled 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands].
There used to be refugees from 1967 [the year Israel occupied further Palestinian lands in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights], but these refugees were forced to leave Lebanon after the civil war.
Ninety per cent of the residents of Al Buss come from the Acre area of Palestine, but in total about 27 Palestinian villages are represented in the camp. The one positive thing about the camp is the security it offers us. The Syrians and Lebanese cannot enter without our permission — we run the camp. The Israelis are presently not bombing, so we can stay safely in one place.
The economic situation is disastrous, though. There is widespread hunger and not enough work. Since the "peace", UNRWA has reduced its services, with no explanation, by up to 85%. Previously medication was given free; now there is not enough and we must pay.
There are no longer any rations such as milk, sugar, flour, rice and bread, which we relied upon to survive. Recently we faced two cases where parents attempted to sell their children because they could not afford medical treatment.
The PLO also provides institutions such as schools and health clinics, but these have been reduced since the peace process and we must now pay. Hamas also provides similar services to Muslims.
Question: How is the camp organised?
All Palestinian camps have popular committees which run the camp. These bodies are elected differently, depending on the camp. In some camps each political wing has a certain number of representatives. In our camp the members of the committee are chosen by general discussion and agreement of the different 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ of the camp.
The popular committee meets to discuss the needs of the camp such as electricity, water, security and offences committed by camp members. We also relate to bodies such as UNRWA, the Syrian and Lebanese armies and the government.
Al Bass differs from other camps in the region in that there is no military activity in the camp — only political activity. Though of course we have the ability to defend ourselves.
Question: What is the attitude in the camp to the peace process?
What is this peace process? It should mean all our rights, but to us it means nothing. The 1948 refugees are the forgotten people of this peace process — what do they mean by peace if we can't have our home or even return to the place where we were born?
They tell us that we can move to a ghetto in the West Bank or Gaza, but for a Palestinian their village and their land is everything. Each area has differences in food, culture and language. I will be a Palestinian from Jaffa until the day I die. This is the feeling of all of the camp.
Question: How do you relate to the political left in Lebanon?
We are distrustful of all the political forces in Lebanon. Many of them express sympathy to our cause, but there is no joint activities beyond words.
In the past they have said one thing but acted differently. For example, after the war in Lebanon, our allies, Amal, turned against us and bombed us on the request of Syria. The only force that continues to fight the Israelis is Hezbollah in the south.
Question: What do you see of the future?
We must realise that the current predicament is a result of the international political situation. Almost every voice is saying we must forget 1948.
They ask us to take up other nationalities such as Australian, Lebanese or Canadian. This is the current track of Israeli/Lebanese/Syrian negotiations. The UN also want to forget the 1948 refugees and move us to other countries.
Of course we will fight this, but even if they force us to move, we will remain Palestinian. We want our country and even if you send us to the last ends of the earth, we will never forget our country and our nationality. Our children also feel this way.
Maybe today we cannot fight — but tomorrow, next year or the year after we will.