“Syrian presence in Lebanon can no longer be tolerated and is unacceptable"

The kidnapping crime and killing of a political official from the Lebanese Forces party in the Jbeil area earlier this week brought back to the forefront the crisis of Syrian refugees and their expanding presence in Lebanon.

The Central Security Council held an emergency meeting on Wednesday headed by the caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Bassem Mawlawi, in the presence of the Public Prosecutor, Judge Jamal el-Hajjar, and security agency leaders.

Mawlawi stressed in a statement that the “Syrian presence in Lebanon can no longer be tolerated and is unacceptable. We see that many crimes are being committed by Syrians.

"We emphasized to the security forces the necessity of strict enforcement of Lebanese laws on Syrian refugees," added Mawlawi revealing that "the percentage of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons has reached approximately 35 percent”.

Warnings against exploiting the crime for incitement against refugees

However, some informed about the issue warn against the haphazard exploitation of the refugee crisis to incite hatred.

Ziyad Al-Sayegh, a researcher in public policies, refugee affairs, and migration, believes that "the displacement crisis cannot continue without radical intervention, meaning that we need to deeply consider facilitating their return to their homeland in stages”.

He explained that "most of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon are loyal to the Syrian regime, and they are in Lebanon for economic reasons rather than security ones, so they have lost their refugee status."

In remarks to Asharq al-Awsat, Sayegh warned against “exploiting the kidnapping and murder of Pascal Sleiman (a coordinator in the Jbeil area north of Beirut for the Lebanese Forces) to stir public opinion in Lebanon, especially among Christians, against refugees. This manipulation is undertaken by (Hezbollah) and its allies with the aim of creating a fundamental problem, which is to divert attention from its kidnapping of the state and seizing its decision-making power”.

Sayegh: The country must not be plunged in a bloodbath

The return of refugees to their homeland is a priority for the majority of Lebanese people, but there is also a great fear of internal strife created by unacceptable reactions towards them.

"The issue of displacement must be addressed with high responsibility, not by plunging the country into a bloodbath, nor by resorting to the self-security that Hezbollah desires”, said Sayegh.

Anti-Syrian sentiment has soared following the Sunday disappearance and death of Pascal Sleiman, of the LF, a Christian party opposed to the Syrian government and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanese researcher at Human Rights Watch stressed in telephone remarks with AFP on Tuesday the necessity for “"comprehensive and transparent” investigations.

He added: "Attempting to make refugees as scapegoats threatens to fuel ongoing violence against Syrians who have been subjected to heinous discriminatory practices and rights violations in Lebanon for years”.

Ahdab: No to Involving the Lebanese in a confrontation with the refugees

Former MP Mosbah al-Ahdab said in a statement that some are trying to involve the Lebanese and Lebanon’s military institutions in a confrontation with over a million Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon.

He said the solution begins with Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the areas it occupies inside Syria, which would facilitate the return of over 200 thousand Syrian refugees.

“What is happening today is a recipe for reigniting a civil war, is it reasonable to repeat it?" he asked.