Back to Contents 5.3. Are stateless Palestinians free to leave Lebanon on a temporary or permanent basis? Palestinian researcher Walaa Kayyal answered the following regarding the chances to re-enter Lebanon after leaving the country without travel documents: “How will they exit the country without a travel document in the first place? [...]On the borderlines we have checkpoints. There is no way to cross borders unless you are smuggled or illegally passed. And the chances for you to come back to the country will be very minimal because maybe the first time you were lucky to cross borders without anyone, I don’t know, observing you-- or noticing you crossing, but it is more risky if you want to come back to Lebanon because they will ask you for any identification document, for your passport, etc. And one more thing that I wanted to add is that it becomes harder when you cross borders illegally and then you are put-- for anything in the country that you travel to, where they’re going to ask, «Where is your ID?» or, «Where is your passport?» And you say, «I don’t have--» so they may arrest you. You might stay in their prison forever without anyone knowing anything about you because there’s no identification. There’s no document that would identify that this is your name, this is your birth date, you’re married, you’re not married, this is your father, this is your mother, etc. Let me give you an example. So if I am a person with no papers and I want to go to Syria, which is very close to Lebanon. [...]There is a whole GSO office there to stamp my passport that I have left Lebanon on this date. And [...]the government of Syria where they stamped that I entered Syria on this date, and on my way back, the Syrian stamp on my passport that I have left Syria on this date. And again I stamped in the Lebanon GSO that I have entered Lebanon[..] on this date. So there is no way to cross borders if we’re talking by car or walking, whatever. So not by an airplane.” (Source: Walaa Kayyal, interview record, 31 October 2022) A collective of NGOs working with Palestinians in Lebanon made a joint submission to the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review in 2020 in which they stated that: “15. Right to freedom of movement, residence, and travel 15.1. Segregation of most Palestinian refugee camps through checkpoints and surrounding them with barrier walls Palestinian refugees face hindrances to their freedom of movement inside the country and to travel abroad. Spatial marginalization has worsened, exposing the camps and their residents to additional psychological and life stress. This marginalization is illustrated through the transformation of the camps into islands semi-isolated from their surrounding environments, through the installation of electronic gates at the entrances and exits of some camps and surrounding them with walls, like in Ain el-Helwe and Mieh and Mieh. (pp. 10-11)” 15.2. Discrimination between refugee categories in terms of travel documents and their validity The Lebanese state provides Palestinian refugees with a travel document with a limited validity, which differs depending on the category of registration. Those registered with UNRWA are provided with a document valid for five years. Those who are not registered with UNRWA are provided with a one-year laissez-passer, limiting their work and educational opportunities outside Lebanon.” (Source: Najdeh Association, Development Action Without Borders (Naba’a), Palestinian Human Rights Organization (PHRO) et al, “UPR 2020: Palestinian Refugee Rights in Lebanon”, July 2020, pp. 10-11) Another collective stated in its own joint submission to the UPR in 2020 that: “Stateless persons cannot move freely and face the risk of arrest for not holding an ID. Usually, stateless persons use a certificate issued by the mukhtar as an identification document. However, this document has no legal value since it relies on the information provided by the persons to mukhtars and on mukhtars acquaintance with them and is not endorsed by any official authority. Stateless persons may obtain a laissez passer from the General Security, valid for one year renewable and for multiple entries. This document is used to identify the person and for travel. However, it grants no other rights, is costly (60.000 LBP equivalent to 40UD per person per year) [please note that these figures are based on the currency exchange rate at the time the submission was drafted] and has to be renewed annually.” (Source: The Collective for Research & Training on Development- Action, The Nationality Campaign, Ruwad alHoukouk Frontiers Rights et al, “Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review”, July 2020, p. 11) 5. Freedom of movement 53