Back to Contents registration and eligibility criteria; they may have taken refuge outside UNRWA’s area of operations in 1948 and moved to Lebanon later on; or they may have arrived to Lebanon not in connection with the 1948 events (e.g. 1967, 1970). They are nonetheless registered with the Lebanese authorities and as such they hold the same DPRAissued Identification Cards issued to registered Palestine refugees. The majority of them have a proof of nationality document from the Palestinian embassy in Lebanon. Lebanese authorities treat them similarly to UNRWA-registered refugees, except that their travel document is valid for up to three years instead of five years for those registered with UNRWA. UNRWA began assisting some of these refugees from 2004 onwards on (p. 217) the ground that they are also refugees from Palestine and receive no assistance from the Lebanese authorities. Palestinians without permanent residency and Lebanese IDs ‘Non-ID’ refugees Between 3,000 and 5,000 Palestinians in Lebanon are not registered with Lebanese authorities and therefore considered undocumented. Because they are unregistered, precise and up-to-date numbers are difficult to obtain. This non-homogenous group includes: 1) Palestinians in Lebanon since the late 1960s and 1970s who are not registered with either the Lebanese authorities or UNRWA in Lebanon, although they may be registered with UNRWA elsewhere; they may have some form of documentation to prove their Palestinian identity, either from one of UNRWA’s ‘fields’ of operations (e.g. Palestinians holding valid or expired Jordanian IDs, who are unable to return to Jordan or the West Bank if the holder was originally from there prior to 1988; 2) Palestinians from the Gaza Strip with Egyptian TDPRs who are not allowed either to stay in Egypt or to return to Gaza (those who left Gaza before 1967); 3) Palestinians expelled by Israel from the oPt post-1967 and not allowed to return; 4) Palestinians from any Arab country (e.g. Iraq, Egypt) who for various reasons are unable to return there. As such, these Palestinians fall in the category of ‘[f]oreign nationals who do not hold identity papers from their country of origin [ ... ], residence cards issued by the General Directorate of General Security [Sûreté Générale] or identity cards issued by [the DPRA]’. Because they lack registration with Lebanese authorities, the Palestinians in this category have no legal status in Lebanon. They face harsher restrictions than Palestinians registered with Lebanese authorities and/or UNRWA in Lebanon, with respect to conducting civil registration procedures (birth, marriage, and death certificates), accessing public services and (formal) employment, freedom of movement inside Lebanon and abroad, and because of their irregular documentation status, they have generally been at risk of arrest and detention. As a result, many have confined themselves to the camps, out of reach of the Lebanese authorities. UNRWA provides Non-IDs with basic services such as primary healthcare and education, despite the fact they are not registered. Until 1982, when the PLO was ousted from Lebanon, Non-ID Palestinians received assistance and support from the PLO. This included issuing an informal ‘proof of nationality’ card (watha’iq ithbat jinsiyyeh) that would facilitate their access to social services and jobs in the refugee camps. This was a proof of identity only, even though it was recognized by the (p. 218) Lebanese authorities, and gave no entitlement to legal residency. In 2006, the PLO resumed the issuance of ‘proof of nationality’ cards. In 2008, on the basis of an agreement between the Palestinian embassy in Lebanon and the Lebanese General Directorate of General Security (GDGS), the latter started issuing, under certain conditions, Special Identification Cards (SICs) (commonly known as bitaqat taarif), [not specific to Palestinians]25 which constitute a proof of identity for undocumented Palestinians. In essence, this is equivalent to the PLO issued ‘proof of nationality’ card; while not constituting proof of legal residency, they are meant to give the holder a proof of identity that was recognizable by the Lebanese security apparatus (hence granting the holder freedom of movement). The cards were issued based on information provided by the PLO, valid for one year and renewable, at no cost. This operation has not achieved significant results, and is presently on hold. Since 2011, the Palestinian Embassy, in agreement with the Lebanese authorities, has been providing NonID Palestinians with PA passports/travel documents (without national number). Though not sufficient to secure residency or freedom of movement within Lebanon, it provides Non-IDs the opportunity to travel abroad and apply for temporary residence permits in Lebanon. 25 Walaa Kayyal and Thomas McGee, (2019), Statelessness and Service Provision Implications for Communities of Mobile Origin: the Bedouin and Nawar of Lebanon. Unpublished. 1. History of Palestinians's exile to Lebanon resulting in various legal statuses for Palestinians 20