32 PAST REFUGEES, PRESENT STATELESS Unlike Palestinian refugees, Armenian and other Ottoman Christians as well as Shia Palestinians of the “7 villages” were granted Lebanese citizenship at different points in time. Nevertheless, the research unveiled some marginal stateless cases from these historical refugee groups. 47 STATELESS OF ARMENIAN ORIGINS Settling upon arrival in Karantina, the 30,000 Armenian refugees escaping the genocide of 1915 resettled in Burj Hammoud. While most of them were later naturalized, several statelessness cases were identified. Interestingly, many other Armenians who declared to be stateless were holding Armenian passports. These cases were not taken into account in the survey. 32 STATELESS INDIVIDUALS OF SYRIAC OR ASSYRIAN ORIGINS Christians refugees from Mardin coming to Beirut in the 1920s settled in Karantina and in other areas. Most of them were naturalized, and while the majority recently emigrated, the community currently lives near Sabtieh and Bouchrieh. Box 4. The “7 villages” Initially considered part of Lebanon in 1920, the “7 villages” later fell under the jurisdiction of Mandatory Palestine through the Paulet-Newcombe agreement of 1923, which defined the precise borders between French and British Mandatory territories. Despite the overwhelmingly Shia population of these villages already being registered as Lebanese, they fled to the Lebanese hinterlands during the Nakba alongside Palestinian refugees. 14 STATELESS INDIVIDUALS OF THE “7 VILLAGES” 32,500 mostly Shia Palestinians of the “7 villages” were naturalized through the 1994 naturalization decree. Interestingly, the 14 captured stateless were all Sunni. Most live in the Palestinian camps of Sabra, Chatila and Burj el Barajneh. 1 2 3 4 5 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Karantina Burj Hammoud Sabtieh Sabra and Chatila Burj el Barajneh © 2023 Siren Associates. All Rights Reserved.