BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati reiterated Tuesday that Lebanon rejected the naturalization of Palestinians living in the country, and vowed to work to better the conditions of the Palestinian camps in Lebanon.
“We reject the naturalization of Palestinians in Lebanon because it is their right to return to their independent country with its capital Jerusalem,” Mikati told reporters following his meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas' personal envoy and a member of the central committee of Fatah, Azzam al-Ahmad.
Estimates of the number of Palestinians living in Lebanon’s 12 official refugee camps range between 260,000 and 400,000. UNRWA, the United Nations agency which provides social and health services to the camps, has recently come under fire by residents over alleged corruption.
Mikati vowed to provide the necessary assistance to Palestinians living in Lebanon by cooperating with international organizations.
“The Lebanese government will provide the Palestinians in the camps with the necessary humanitarian and social care in cooperation with specialized international organizations,” he said.
He also said that the Palestinian case should alert the Lebanese to the danger posed by Israel, and encourage them to prioritize national unity above all other issues.
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